Drunk Driving Accidents

Maryland Automobile Accident Report: Two Passengers Killed in Queen Anne’s County Car Crash

August 31, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Once again drinking and driving has been pointed to as a contributing factor in yet another car accident in Queen Anne’s County. As a Baltimore personal injury lawyer and car accident attorney, I know all too well how alcohol can play a big role in traffic collisions. The pain inflicted on others as a result of another person’s negligent behavior can be extensive and long lasting.

In this latest incident, two people died when the vehicle in which they were riding crashed along a stretch of Maryland’s Route 8. According to news accounts, the accident happened around 8am on a Sunday morning when 41-year-old Victor A. Smith of Annapolis apparently lost control of his BMW, which then crossed the center line into oncoming traffic.

The Smith had been driving his black BMW northbound along Route 8 near Great Neck Road in Stevensville when the accident occurred. As the car veered into southbound traffic, 46-year-old Agnes C. Phelps tried to avoid Smith’s BMW by pulling off to the side of the road and onto the shoulder, according to police reports. Even so, Phelps’ car was hit by the BMW, which then caused both vehicles to leave the roadway.

Baltimore Car Accident News: Drug-impaired Drivers Injure Many, But Prosecution for DUI Difficult

August 25, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It’s no secret that many traffic accidents are caused by impaired drivers. A subset of this group includes individuals who cause injury and death because they are intoxicated by alcohol, prescription medicine and illegal drugs (also referred to as controlled dangerous substances or CDS). People who are not fully in control of their faculties due to taking drugs or consuming alcohol can be the source of serious traffic collisions involving passenger cars, motorcycles and commercial trucks.

As a Maryland automobile accident attorney, I know the seriousness of injuries sustained by occupants of motor vehicles caught up in these kinds of impaired driving crashes or DUI-related accidents. What may be disconcerting to many people out there is that prosecuting these DUI offenders is not as simple as it may seem.

This is a shame, because thousands of people are killed or injured every year by the thoughtlessness of these individuals. From simple cuts and bruises to broken bones and permanent disability — even death — there is too much suffering imposed on so many by so few who lack a social conscience. Yet recourse against these irresponsible few is difficult according to experts.

A recent article points out the there is a delicate balance between individuals who have a legitimate need for prescription medication and the public good. More and more it is becoming common for drivers to be charged with driving under the influence of drugs following a car or commercial truck accident. According to law enforcement authorities, although drunk driving deaths have reportedly been dropping, there has been an increase in accidents caused by drivers impaired due to prescription painkillers, anti-anxiety medications, sleep aids and other powerful drugs.

The situation has become increasingly worrisome for police officials nationwide because, unlike the effects of beer, wine and hard liquor, there is no agreement on what level of drugs in the blood driving impairment occurs.

Of course, the behavioral effects of legally prescribed drugs varies from one person to the next. Some drugs, such as anti-anxiety medications, can reduce driver’s level of alertness and reduce reaction time. Stimulants, on the other hand, can promote risk-taking and impair a person’s ability to judge distance. Then there is the issue of mixing prescription medication, taking these legal drugs with alcohol or even illicit drugs. All of which can make worsen a driver’s level of impairment, causing a sharp increase in the chances that a driver will cause a traffic accident.

Former High School Football Star Gets 18 Months for Fatal DWI Crash that Killed Teen

August 13, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Drinking and driving is one of the most common and most preventable causes of traffic accidents that modern society has faced. Deaths and injuries resulting from drunk drivers make the headlines of Maryland’s newspapers and local TV news programs more often than anyone would care to see.

Recently, a former high school football star from the River Hill school district was sentenced to a year and a half in jail after being convicted of a DWI-related traffic death late last year of a family friend. The accident happened in late November when now 23-year-old David Erdman was driving a 17-year-old friend, Steven Dankos, in his pickup truck in Howard County, Maryland.

A resident of Ellicott City, Edman pleaded guilty last May to negligent homicide as a result of driving while intoxicated. The charges stemmed from an early morning crash on November 30 when Erdman’s pickup hit several stone pillars. Dankos, who had been traveling in the bed of the pickup truck, was thrown from the vehicle to the ground. Police said that the vehicle was speeding at the time of the crash, which no doubt increased the severity of the accident.

Man Gets 12 Years for Fatal Drunk Driving Traffic Accident that Killed Retired Maryland Couple

July 23, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

When it comes to automobile, truck and motorcycle accidents, negligence comes in many different forms. Whether a minor fender-bender or a full-blown fatal traffic collision, the responsible party should be held accountable for his or her actions. For those individuals who have caused the death of another person, no excuse should be acceptable; not to the family of the victims, nor to local law enforcement.

Drunk driving is certainly one of the more common causes of car crashes in the Baltimore area and elsewhere across our state. It’s a shame that so many people die every year due to abuse of alcohol. As Maryland car accident attorneys, I and my colleagues consider the pain and suffering of the families of victims, not to mention the costs and lost income caused by a bad automobile wreck.

A sad story caught our attention the other day involving a retired Maryland couple who died in a pointless out-of-state car crash. According to the news article, 56-year-old Thomas Cypress was charged with DUI manslaughter for the February 2009 crash that claimed the lives of Robert and Paulette Kirkpatrick. Following his trial in a Miami-Dade courtroom, Cypress was sentenced to 12 years in prison — a negotiated deal that spared the man a possible maximum 30-year sentence.

Maryland Police: Fatal Injury Accident on I-83 Caused by 22-year-old Drunken Driver

July 14, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

An alleged illegal immigrant has been charged with negligent driving in connection with a fatal traffic accident on I-83 last month. The single-vehicle crash, which reportedly involved speeding and alcohol use, happened in the early morning hours of June 21. The passenger in that car was killed as a result of the wreck.

As a Baltimore personal injury lawyer and auto accident attorney, my staff has represented victims of car, SUV and truck accidents as well as their families and estates. A fatal car or truck accident leaves a huge hole in the victim’s family, both emotionally and financially. Especially in cases where the victim was the sole breadwinner, his spouse and children can be overwhelmed by the medical costs and loss of income.

Insurance companies may not be very cooperative or take a long time to pay any benefits, leaving the family to cover the mounting expenses at the risk of losing their home and other possessions during what is likely the worst time of their lives.

Dorchester County Man Arrested for Drunken Driving-related Injury Accident on Maryland’s Route 50

July 9, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Automobile injury accidents can be severe and cause tens of thousands of dollars in medical and related costs. It’s bad enough to be saddled with these costs without having them be caused by another driver’s negligence. As Maryland auto injury attorneys, my firm helps people who have suffered injuries from cuts and bruises to closed head injuries and spinal damage.

A recent news story showed what can happen when someone fails to consider the safety and wellbeing of others as a result of their own mistake. According to reports, six people were sent to the hospital following a car crash with a man running from the police in the early morning hours of July 4th. The chase began when a Maryland State Police trooper, already at the scene of a previous accident on Route 33, observed an oncoming being driven erratically.

The officer was sitting in his vehicle when he noticed the approaching vehicle obviously weaving and crossing the roadway centerline. Pulling away from the scene of the first collision, the trooper followed and then pulled over a Ford Explorer. While interviewing the SUV’s driver, the patrolman recognized the smell of alcohol on the driver’s breath. When the officer requested the man to exit his vehicle, the driver instead drove quickly away, nearly hitting the policeman in the process.

The 19-year-old driver, later identified as Armand J. Cornish, led the patrolman on a chase from Route 33 onto the Easton bypass and then onto Route 50 eastbound. Additional traffic enforcement patrols from the Easton Police Department and Talbot County Sheriff’s Office were called to assist in the pursuit.

News accounts indicate that the chase continued along Route 50 at speeds exceeding 100 mph, during which police reportedly saw beer cans being thrown from the fleeing vehicle. Officers attempted to stop the suspect using stop sticks on the eastern side of the bridge in Cambridge. The man’s Explorer rolled over the stop sticks and seconds later hit the back end of an eastbound Mustang. Cornish then apparently lost control of his sport utility vehicle, which traveled across the median and then across the westbound lanes of Route 50. It came to rest on an adjacent pedestrian sidewalk.

Owings Mills Driver Charged with Drunk Driving, Vehicular Assault after DWI Pedestrian Collision

July 6, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A Maryland resident was arrested by police following an out-of-state traffic accident that left a local man severely injured in an allegedly alcohol-related auto-pedestrian accident. According to a news article, local police took 38-year-old Pamela Currie into custody after an early morning pedestrian accident that apparently resulted in serious injury to a man was only crossing the street.

As a Maryland injury lawyer, I and my colleagues hear of these types of traffic collisions numerous times each month. In this case, the accident appears to involve alcohol, which indicates that the driver was impaired at the time of the crash. Local police said that the crash happened at about 1:00 in the morning on a Thursday in front of a city hall.

While this was thankfully not a fatal traffic accident, the victim was nonetheless left with multiple injuries and will need time to recover. Based on news accounts, an eye witness said that the 46-year-old man was thrown about seven feet onto the pavement. He reportedly landed on his left side, with one of his shoes being found another 15 feet from where he landed. Police accident investigators reportedly found skid marks at the scene that indicated the driver was probably speeding at the time of the impact.

Drunk Driver Who Killed Two Maryland Men Gets 10 Years in Jail for Vehicular Manslaughter

June 24, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As auto accident attorneys practicing in the Baltimore area, I and my colleagues have seen the aftermath of some of the worst of Maryland’s car and truck collisions. Traffic accidents can kill and maim the occupants of a passenger in a split second. What is tragic is that many accidents could have been avoided if it weren’t for driver negligence.

A frequent cause of traffic accidents is drunken driving. To some, driving under the influence of alcohol is the height of driver negligence because it is something that should be in every motorist’s control not to get behind the wheel in an intoxicated state. To choose to drink knowing that one will be driving in an impaired condition is at least an irresponsible act, at worst it can be a death sentence to some unknown and unsuspecting victim.

To often it seems, the people whose negligence results in the death of another individual are punished only after the fact, which is cold comfort to the families of the victims. In the conclusion of a rather sad story that began last year, a woman has finally felt the hand of justice following the fatal drinking and driving accident that led to the deaths of two men in 2009.

Maryland Auto Accident News: Child Killed; Seven Injured in SUV Rollover Accident on Perring Parkway

June 12, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Alcohol use is one of the biggest factors when it comes to traffic accidents. To say that an individual is not responsible for his actions when drunk is to ignore the fact that the very same person made a conscious decision to begin drinking in the first place. Regardless of a person’s intent when entering a bar or taking a drink at home prior to getting into a motor vehicle, the results of such actions can be long-lasting, if not permanent or even fatal.

As Baltimore auto accident lawyers, I and my associates work to help victims and their families recover from tragic and life-changing car and truck collisions. Adding alcohol or prescription drug use into the equation turns an already sad event into a regrettable and heartrending experience for all of the affected parties.

Not long ago a news article caught our attention in which excessive vehicle speed and possibly alcohol consumption were likely factors in the fatal crash of an SUV along Perring Parkway. The single-vehicle accident occurred in the early evening hours on a Sunday, killing a six-year-old boy and injuring seven other passengers and the driver.

Driver from Federalsburg, MD, Charged in DUI-related Multi-car Traffic Accident in Salisbury

May 22, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Injury accidents can be triggered by a variety of factors, not the least of which is driver error. The tragedy of many automobile and truck crashes is that the offending driver was drunk at the time of the wreck. Fatal car, SUV and motorcycle accidents can sometimes be traced back to alcohol use, which makes these kinds of crashes all the more avoidable.

Maryland automobile accidents can lead to serious injuries and lengthy hospital stays. The medical costs of such incidents can be a tremendous burden to the victims and their families. In cases of fatal collisions, the survivors can be left without a bread winner compounding the financial troubles at a time when the family is most vulnerable.

Not long ago a driver who was arrested for allegedly causing a multi-car accident was charged with drunk driving. Based on news articles, 28-year-old Brad Austin Wootten was driving a 2000 Ford Explorer when he rear-ended a passenger car at the end of the road closure. That collision caused a multi-car accident involving a total of four vehicles.