Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Maryland Traffic Injury News: Fatal Anne Arundel County Auto Wreck Kills Well-known Jazz Musician

March 13, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

If anyone needs an example of the many senseless and deadly car, truck and motorcycle accidents that take the lives of thousands every year in this country, it would be the recent automobile crash that killed jazz bassist Joe Byrd just last week. Right off the bat, we should mention that Mr. Byrd was the victim here, killed as a result of a two vehicle collision that police say was caused by another driver with an apparently bad driving record.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my colleagues have seen too many people killed, maimed or disabled for life to believe that fate is kind to those people caught in serious car accidents. From drunken drivers to aggressive individuals behind the wheel, too many passenger vehicle and commercial trucking accidents happen as a result of inattention, distraction, speeding, or just plain negligence.

According to news reports, the accident that killed Mr. Byrd was not caused by a driver unaccustomed to run-ins with the law. The suspect apparently had a great many instances of having his license suspended for likely serious traffic offences. I’m sure that many people have heard the voices of safety advocates calling for stricter measures for multiple traffic offenders; here is one example of how one individual essentially stole the life of another.

Maryland Auto Accident News: Baltimore Driver Slapped with Multiple Traffic Offenses following Hit-and-Run Crash

March 9, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

We’ve mentioned it before, but we’ll say it again; reading the various news stories about traffic accident across this state could lead one to believe that personal responsibility and accepting the blame for a traffic accident one has caused is a thing of the past, at least for some people. Of course, the majority of motorists out there are decent people and upright citizens, but there are also a certain percentage of scofflaws and negligent individuals who prefer to run from their problems instead of stand and take their punishment.

Being personal injury attorneys, representing those innocent victims of car, truck and motorcycle accidents here in Maryland and also over in Washington, D.C., I and my staff know the pain that can be inflicted — both physically and emotionally — when a driver commits a thoughtless or outright negligent act against another driver. And remember, not only do other motorists suffer injuries during a roadway collision, but the occupants of those cars as well as individuals standing nearby can be hurt or killed as a result of a car crash.

The point we would like to make is that there are good drivers, there are bad drivers, and there are truly despicable driver; the last of this group are represented by those individuals who drive away following a bad car or trucking-related accident. Police can usually catch the perpetrators, but this is not always possible. In the end, the driver who committed the bad act must live with his or her conscience; yet that is cold comfort for the victims of such motor vehicle accidents who must sometimes live for months or years with constant pain. Never mind the families of people killed in hit-and-run car accidents.

Baltimore Personal Injury News: Maryland Pickup Driver Hits House in Anne Arundel County Traffic Accident

March 7, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Not attempting to be trite here, however it’s somewhat true that a car accident can happen anytime, anywhere; but in one’s living room? The fact is, every day automobile, commercial truck and motorcycle accidents happen all across the 50 states, resulting in property damage, personal injury and occasionally traffic fatalities. But how common is it for a motor vehicle to hit a house or commercial establishment?

Quite frankly, as Maryland personal injury lawyers, in our line of work it is not unusual for a potential client to walk through our doors complaining of pain or other injury-related problems resulting from a car or trucking accident. Some personal injury plaintiffs are actually hurt by cars and truck while seated in a restaurant, standing on a sidewalk, or shopping at a grocery store. It may not happen frequently, but nothing surprises us when it comes to so-called pedestrian accidents.

Of course, the distance that a building is from a roadway has a direct bearing on the odds of it ever being hit by an out-of-control car or semi tractor-trailer rig. Obviously, homes, apartments, motels and commercial buildings located adjacent to major thoroughfares are the most at risk. By extension, the innocent people inside those structures are also at risk, though they may not realize it until the unthinkable happens.

Harford County Auto Accident News: Maryland Motorist Killed after Car is Hit by Tractor-Trailer Rig

March 3, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Patience may be a virtue, but impatience can be downright dangerous, especially when one is operating a motor vehicle. Whether here in Baltimore, out in Gaithersburg or over in Washington, D.C., traffic control signals and traffic laws exist for everyone’s safety. When one person goes outside the boundaries of the law — whether due to selfishness, ignorance or outright neglect — someone is bound to be harmed. It may not happen today or tomorrow, but it will eventually happen.

Whether one drives for a living — such being a commercial trucker, school bus driver or a limousine chauffeur — or one is just a private car owner, following and obeying traffic laws is essential to safe vehicle operation. By extension, keep one’s vehicle safe means keeping one’s own self safe as well as any passengers that you may have traveling with you.

Being Maryland personal injury lawyers and representing individuals who have been hurt as a result of another driver’s negligence, we can say unequivocally that that lack of patience or ignorance of traffic safety laws and rules of the road can get a person injured or killed just as easily as stepping off the top ledge of a 10-story building. One difference between falling from a tall building and being hit by another vehicle on the highway is that it’s a great deal more obvious what is going to happen should one step away from the relative safety of that rooftop.

Study Points to iPods and Other Entertainment Devices Utilizing Headphones as Source of Pedestrian Injuries

February 29, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

We’re not ones to begrudge anyone their choice of entertainment or mode of personal escape from the daily rigors and stresses of modern life. Certainly it’s no surprise that living in cities such as Baltimore, Annapolis, Gaithersburg and Washington, D.C., can push many individuals to seek a pleasant source of diversion from the so-called rat race. But, regardless of the reason for choosing to isolate oneself from the everyday world, a recent study suggests doing just that — in the middle of a bustling urban environment — may actually be dangerous to one’s health; deadly, in fact.

As Maryland auto injury lawyers, we’ve represented numerous victims of car, truck and motorcycle accidents in their quest to recover costs associated with traffic accidents caused by another negligent party. Since a percentage of automobile and trucking accident cases involve people either on foot or riding bicycles, we found it interesting that the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine in cooperation with the University of Maryland Medical Center produced a study naming headphones and personal entertainment devices as leading contributors to pedestrian-related traffic injuries.

According to news reports, the study concluded that pedestrians who use various electronic devices that utilize headphones to listen to audio content have experienced a near tripling of their injury rate over the past six years.

Baltimore Auto Safety News: Honda Recalls Multiple Vehicles for Safety Problems Including Leaky Fuel System

February 26, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Over the years, the American consumer has come to expect a fairly high standard of quality in the products he or she buys. Part and parcel with this is the understanding — and in many cases explicit promises — that certain products will be safe at the time of purchase and continue to remain safe for the reasonable life of that product. This is important, because when something large like a home furnace system or automobile malfunctions, there is always a possibility of bodily injury or death.

This is why, over the years, government agencies and other consumer watchdog groups have helped to influence the safety of all kinds of products. From low-tech, yet ubiquitous hand tools to slightly more complex home appliances, all the way up to car, trucks and commercial jet aircraft. As mentioned above, each one of us has come to expect a certain level of safety when operating, riding or even being near potentially dangerous machinery.

In the area of automotive safety, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is one government agency that is heard from on a fairly regular basis, especially in regard to vehicle safety recalls and other transportation safety issues. Car and truck recalls are sometimes issued voluntarily by auto makers themselves and sometimes ordered by the federal government in a effort to protect the public from injury or death due to a faulty automotive component or part.

Baltimore Traffic Safety News: Has Proliferation of Red-light Cameras Actually Reduced Maryland’s Automobile Accident Rate?

February 24, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Anyone who drives here in Maryland has probably seen one or more of the nearly 200 red-light cameras dotting the landscape all around our roadways. The trend toward adding these monitor cameras has no doubt raised drivers’ awareness of the ever-watchful eye of government, but it also begs the question of whether the addition of these devices has really contributed to a meaningful decrease in auto, truck and motorcycle accidents over the years.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my staff represent the victims of traffic wrecks — as well as the families of those individuals killed as a result of another person’s negligence behind the wheel. As many safety experts have already stated, it is up for debate whether or not drivers and pedestrians alike have benefited in a significant way with the placement of hundreds of red-light cameras in and around the state.

According to news reports, over the past 14 years since Maryland’s state legislature has approved the use of red light cameras, dozens of these electronic monitoring devices have been hard at work issuing traffic tickets for motorists accused of running red lights throughout the state. Based on information from AAA Mid-Atlantic, those nearly 200 cameras mentioned above do not include so-called speed cameras, which are also in use around the state — AAA does not have complete totals for those kinds of cameras.

Maryland Personal Injury Update: Keep Your Kids Safe from Non-traffic-related Automobile Accidents

February 22, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Try as they might, parents cannot protect their children from every single risk kids face during their lives. The best we as adults can do is to watch them closely as they grow up and teach them to be cautious and aware of the dangers around them. One of the more common dangers that youngsters face on a regular basis involves automobiles and commercial trucking-related collisions, especially in urban areas and near schools.

As a pedestrian, being hit by a car or truck can result in serious injuries, not to mention possible death. Adults are at risk when walking in or around vehicular traffic, and this goes double for children. Injuries sustained by children and adults include common bumps and bruises, broken bones and compound fractures, as well as closed-head injuries and spinal damage.

Head, neck and back injuries can lead to weeks or months of medical treatment and subsequent physical therapy, which can be costly for anyone, much less a family struggling to make ends meet during this poor economy. But being injured by a moving car, truck or motorcycle is not the only way that a child may sustain bodily harm; just being near a vehicle can present certain dangers that might cause injury.

Maryland Car Accident News: Two Children Die in Multi-vehicle Prince George’s County Traffic Accident

February 20, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Car, truck and motorcycle crashes can be horrendous events depending on the circumstances. For many people, a minor traffic accident can shake one up, cause some cuts and bruises, and leave the family vehicle in less than good-running condition; on the other hand, a bad highway collision involving a more than one car or even a commercial truck can result in serious injury and sometimes death.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my staff recognize the extreme physical and emotional damage that likely can occur following a terrible automobile or trucking wreck. In addition to potentially broken arms, legs and other bones, an occupant of a vehicle involved in a high-speed crash can receive head, neck and spinal injuries. In the worst cases, fatalities are not unheard of.

Because most cars and trucks are powered by gasoline and diesel engines, the danger of a fire is quite common, especially if one of the vehicles’ fuel tanks is ruptured during the crash. Although automobile manufacturers attempt to design and build their cars and trucks to withstand certain crash forces, the fact that nearly every car or truck on the road is riding around with the explosive potentail of more than a few sticks of dynamite in our fuel tanks can be quite eye-opening to some.

Auto Injury News: Maryland Driver Hurt as Pickup Collides with Tractor-trailer Rig along U.S. 50

February 18, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Injury accidents happen all of the time here in Maryland; and there is likely no chance that they will ever completely cease. Save for a complete cessation of driving, which is highly unlikely here in Baltimore or anywhere else around the country, it’s a fair bet that people will continue to be hurt or killed on a fairly regular basis. As Maryland personal injury lawyers, we know how badly a serious traffic accident can impact a household, or entire extended family.

Every day, either in Annapolis or Rockville, Hagerstown or Washington, D.C., individuals receive bodily injuries as a result of car, truck and motorcycle accidents. Some of those injured may not make it to the hospital alive; others may be admitted to the hospital, yet medical treatment may still not be able to save their lives.

It’s a cruel fact of life that good people die in car and trucking-related traffic wrecks. Another rule, not one anybody would be find of, is that doctors can’t always change that main fact. However, we can all make inroads to reducing the chances of becoming just another statistic; but everyone must play an active role if it is to become even close to reality.