Drunk Driving Accidents

Baltimore Auto Accident News: Medevac Choppers Help Get Victims of Traffic Accidents to Hospitals Quickly

August 28, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

How often have we all read the words, “Accident victims were evacuated to local hospitals by Medevac helicopter,” yet it’s not often that people give much thought to the life-saving advantages of a medical chopper flight to a not-so-local hospital. While many readers might consider medevac services truly useful only when an individual is injured in car accident that occurs in a remote part of the countryside, such as a state park or other more rural setting, it’s not uncommon to have emergency responders call for a medical evacuation chopper in instances where the best medical care more than a 30-minute ambulance ride from the scene of a severe car or pedestrian traffic accident.

The fact is, medevac helicopters can get a person injured in an auto accident to the right medical facility for treatment of specific or life-threatening injuries. It can be said that in a percentage of accidents, just taking an injured driver or passenger to the closest hospital may not be in that person’s best interest. This is especially clear in cases of traumatic brain injury — also known as closed-head injury — where the nearest local medical facility is poorly equipped for such specific and critical care.

As Baltimore auto accident lawyers and Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my staff understand the importance of getting a car, truck or motorcycle accident victim stabilized as quickly as possible to avoid future complications. So many factors come into play following a highway collision that only the medical personnel at the scene can assess each victim and determine the most immediate and effective care.

Maryland Police Officer Injured by Alleged Drunken Driver in Harford County Traffic Accident

July 27, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Almost anyone can be hurt or killed in a traffic accident. That’s a sad fact of life in a densely populated state such as Maryland. Throw in the usual, and mostly preventable causes — such as drinking and driving, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of prescription medication, driving while distracted, and even drowsy driving — and you will find that more and more people are hurt or fatally injured in traffic accidents every day.

It’s unfortunate that most of the injuries caused by drunken drivers are usually sustained by the other victims, not the suspect. As Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my colleagues have seen the more tragic results of DWI and DUI accident cases, inlcuding serious traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and internal organ damage have been known to occur. The recovery time for individuals who receive serious or critical injuries in car, truck and motorcycle crashes can range from weeks to months, with full recovery not always achieved until years later for an unlucky few.

Just last month, a Harford County sheriff’s deputy was seriously injured in the line of duty along a stretch of Rte 40 out in Joppa, MD. The accident, according to police reports, happened in the early morning hours on a Wednesday when an allegedly drunk driver went out of control and hit the Deputy Brad Sives who was stopped in his patrol car at the intersection of Routes 40 and 152.

Maryland Car Accident News: Off-duty Annapolis Patrolman Implicated in Fatal Baltimore Drunken Driving Wreck

July 25, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As citizens of this state, we rely on our police, fire and other emergency responders to provide safety and security to the public as a whole. To us, even as Maryland personal injury lawyers, it is difficult to reconcile any connection of a public servant with a negligent act that injures or kills another individual. Being sworn to serve and protect is the basis of a police officer’s duty to the local citizenry.

With that said, however, we understand that human beings can and do make errors in judgment that impact the safety of others around them. As automobile, trucking and motorcycle accident attorneys, we understand how a potentially deadly scenario can develop quickly to the point that someone is seriously or fatally injured in a car or trucking-related wreck. Drinking and driving is one such instance when a supposedly competent and law-abiding individual can cause the death of another person without reason.

Not long ago, an off-duty Annapolis police officer was apparently involved in a fatal drunken driving accident, although the officer’s potential responsibility regarding the collision was still an open issue even months after the accident. According to police reports, 52-year-old Officer James Salyers allegedly had a blood-alcohol content (BAC) of 0.19 percent following a motor vehicle accident that killed a teenager from Glen Burnie.

The crash occurred on Potee Street in Brooklyn, MD, last October when a Cadillac CTS that Salyers was driving hit a Dodge Durango sport utility vehicle driven by 19-year-old Philip Dornberger III of Pasadena. The officer’s vehicle was reportedly traveling southbound at 71mph in a 40 zone and the force of the traffic accident caused the westbound Durango to spin out; during the event, 19-year-old Andrew Arnold-McCoy of Glen Burnie was thrown out of the left rear passenger window and onto the pavement.

Emergency rescue personnel arriving on the scene treated Arnold-McCoy who was then transported via ambulance to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. Unfortunately, the man was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital.

No Drunken Driving Charges for Annapolis Motorist in Fatal New Years Hit-and-Run Pedestrian Accident

July 5, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Charges of drunken driving were apparently not pressed against an Anne Arundel driver who allegedly caused a fatal pedestrian-car crash in the Annapolis area on New Year’s Day, 2010. According to police reports, the driver left the scene and when he turned himself in he refused a breathalyzer test to check for blood-alcohol content (BAC). Because of that fact, police could not substantiate the man’s alleged drunkenness at the time of the traffic accident.

As Maryland injury attorneys, I and my colleagues understand the anguish that a family feels for the death of a relative at the hands of a negligent driver. Any fatal car accident is tragic, not simply because that crash may have been avoided, but also because of the great distress to the victim’s family that such an event can cause. Wrongful death suits can be one avenue for a victim’s relatives to recover damages, including those for pain and suffering that the victim may have experienced prior to his or her death.

In the case of that fatal hit-and-run accident, the Anne Arundel prosecutor’s office decided to drop the charge of drunk driving against 22-year-old Thomas Judge following the collision that killed a 40-year-old Maryland resident, Alfred Byrd as he traversed Bay Ridge Road in the early morning hours of January 1, 2010.

The defense argued that Judge was not drunk at the time of the fatal crash and that the victim himself had contributed to his own death by wearing dark clothing and apparently having used some amount of cocaine prior to the accident as he staggered across the road, according to court records. The prosecution alleged that Judge and some friends drank boilermakers during a New Year’s Eve party before going downtown around 10pm to continue celebrating at several bars along West and Main streets.

Baltimore Personal Injury News: Maryland Man Allegedly Driving Drunk Goes Wrong Way, Hits Second Vehicle

June 26, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It seems that we cannot get away from the latest spate of drunken driving-related traffic accidents. While it is a forgone conclusion that driving while impaired by alcohol, prescription medication or illicit drugs can get a person arrested and charged with DWI or DUI, a percentage of passenger car drivers, commercial truckers and even motorcycle riders will kill someone or be killed themselves for their indiscretion.

Operating a motor vehicle, in the eyes of the law is not a right, but a privilege that we as motorists are granted by means of state licensing. We can only continue to exercise our driving privileges by showing competency on state licensing exams and by obeying Maryland’s traffic laws. Two many violations or other charges — such as drunken driving convictions or car accidents — and a person risks losing their driver’s license; in some cases this is blessing, especially in the case of people who demonstrate that they don’t know enough to stay off the road when inebriated.

As Maryland automobile accident lawyers and personal injury attorneys, we have seen far too many victims of drinking and driving to be in any way understanding to those who chose to drive drunk and then injure, maim or kill another innocent person. Anyone who reads the news on a regular basis will likely agree that, on the face of it, drunk drivers who cause accidents seem to walk away with nary a scratch, while their victims are rarely as lucky.

Being caught for driving under the influence is one way that a bad driver may be taken off the road, if only for a short period of time. Others, who may cause serious injury to one or more people, may be held to account for their actions. In the end, the cost of being permanently disabled by a drunk driver is likely far worse than most any punishment that the law can inflict back on a negligent motorist.

Rockville Man Gets 20 Years for Deaths of Two Pedestrians in Fatal Drunken Driving Crash

June 24, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

We’ve said it before, but once again it bears repeating; causing a traffic death while driving under the influence here in Maryland or the District of Columbia is simply unforgivable and no amount of excuses or apologies can make things right again. If you don’t believe this, consider the recent sentence levied against a 25-year-old driver from Rockville, MD, who will be spending the prime of his life behind bars for the untimely drunk driving deaths of two innocent people.

As Baltimore auto, trucking and motorcycle accident attorneys providing personal injury representation to Maryland residents, there is no redeeming characteristic that trumps a fatal DWI, DUI or drug-related traffic accident that leaves another person dead or maimed for life. The seemingly harmless act of becoming drunk, turns into a jailable offense when an individual gets behind the wheel of a motor vehicle and essentially turns it into a deadly and random weapon.

Such was the case of Alejandro Roman, who was recently sentenced to two consecutive 10-year jail terms by a Montgomery County judge in the vehicular homicide deaths of two Maryland men. Some may argue that the defendant should have received a harsher sentence, however under Maryland law 10 years in prison is the longest sentence allowed for this kind of crime. Even so, others tend to believe that 20 years is rather strict. We’ll let history be the judge.

According to police reports, Roman was driving his Acura at nearly two times that posted speed limit last October when he struck the two pedestrians along a stretch of Rockville Pike in White Flint, MD. Police stated that the man was legally drunk at the time of the accident and that his vehicle was estimated to be traveling at 76mph in a 40mph zone.

A former sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve, Roman reportedly said that he was deeply sorry for the deaths of the two individuals. According to court records, the defendant pled guilty to both counts of vehicular manslaughter last March. Based on news reports, police apparently held Roman in custody, but following an interview the man was not initially charged with any crime.

Maryland Auto Injury News: Uninsured Motorist Gets One Month in Jail for Fatal Carroll County Crash

June 11, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

According to news reports, a Sykesville woman will be serving just 30 days in jail following a fatal car crash that killed a Westminster woman back in 2009. The defendant, 21-year-old Anastacia Hardester was found guilty of negligent driving by a Carroll County Circuit Court judge, but apparently avoided stiffer penalties when the court could not find sufficient evidence for the more serious vehicular homicide charges.

As Baltimore automobile and motorcycle accident lawyers serving Maryland and Washington, D.C., we have seen this type of scenario play out time after time in Maryland injury accidents. Each year across this country hundreds and thousands of people are killed by drunk drivers leaving families without mothers, fathers and siblings. According to news reports, this particular accident may have involved drug DUI, however the court was only able to convict the woman of negligent driving, failure to drive on the right half of the road and driving while uninsured.

Based on police reports, Hardester’s vehicle allegedly crossed the centerline along a stretch of Md. 27 in Westminster, colliding with a second vehicle driven by 24-year-old Valerie Claire. According to court records, the car crash took place around 2pm in the afternoon. Prosecutors stated that the defendant told officers at the Westminster police barrack nearly one month following the accident that her prescribed daily dosage of methadone usually made her drowsy around 2 or 3pm.

Baltimore Injury News: James Madison Student Implicated in Maryland Traffic Accident that Killed 3 People

June 8, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Whenever we ride with others in a motor vehicle we place great faith in the abilities and judgment of the driver. For most of us, we cannot imagine that a close friend, business acquaintance or family member would ever put our life in jeopardy, much less his or her own. And yet every day across this country individuals are killed or maimed by the negligence of someone they know and trust.

As Baltimore auto accident attorneys and Maryland personal injury lawyers, we know that the seemingly inconsequential decision to get into a passenger car or climb onto the back of a motorcycle with a friend or relative can sometimes turn out to be a life-changing event. These kinds of road accidents can result in injuries ranging from minor cuts, bruises and abrasions, to more serious broken legs and arms, neck injuries and life-threatening closed-head trauma.

Not long ago, three people died in a single-car accident along a stretch of road in Olney when a James Madison University student somehow lost control of his vehicle and struck a tree. According to news reports, Kevin Coffay was arrested by police following the crash and charged on four felony counts.

Baltimore Auto Accident News: Maryland Driver Faces 3 Years for Fatal Sharpsburg Car Crash

May 29, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It’s a terrible shame that so many innocent people are killed or injured every year by drivers who have previously been convicted of drunken driving, sometimes for multiple offenses. As Maryland personal injury attorneys and automobile accident lawyers, I and my colleagues have represented victims of serious traffic wrecks, as well as their families, to help these individuals recover damages due to another driver’s negligence.

Even though courts here in Maryland and in Washington, D.C., convict drivers that have been arrested for driving under the influence, many of these same people go on to drive drunk again and in the process kill or maim others with little concern for themselves or the victims they create by their reckless acts. Not long ago, a Hagerstown driver pled guilty on two counts of causing life-threatening injuries while driving under the influence of alcohol.

Based on news reports, 26-year-old Cory Kuczynski was tried for injuring Joseph and Lauran Dwyer in a three-car Washington County traffic collision one year ago. The defendant was not charged with the death of a third individual, Danielle Paikin, because prosecutors did not believe they could easily prove that the man was responsible for the woman’s death.

According to court records, Kuczynski, who also failed to stop immediately following the crash, admitted to police that he had been driving while intoxicated. Washington County Circuit Court to driving under the influence and failing to stop immediately at the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury in a 2010 fatal crash near Sharpsburg.

Based on news articles, the accident occurred just after 1am on May 6, 2010 when a sedan driven by another person crossed over the centerline and collided almost head-on with a 1993 Buick being driven by Lauran Dwyer. Just following the initial crash, Kuczynski’s Nissan, which was traveling northbound, hit the Buick on the passenger side.

The force of that crash pushed Dwyer’s car almost 30 feet back, pinning Joseph Dwyer underneath the vehicle and causing him serious torso, leg and head injuries. Paikin, the front-seat passenger, was trapped inside the Buick and later died from her injuries.

Baltimore Personal Injury News: Ruling Delayed on Fatal DUI Traffic Accident that Killed Maryland Woman

May 13, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The facts are the facts, or so some would say. But in a percentage of traffic accident cases, witnesses’ accounts and those of the victims can vary widely. As Maryland personal injury attorneys, our job is to gather the facts and present them to the court for judgment. These kinds of cases can arise from automobile accident-related injuries or even wrongful deaths from traffic collisions or pedestrian accidents.

In cases that involve occupant injuries, a car or trucking-related crash could result in something as minor as superficial cuts and bruises to more serious lacerations and bone fractures. Depending on the severity of the wreck, the driver or passengers may have suffered back or neck injuries, some of which can have a major impact on a person’s quality of life down the road. These kinds of life-threatening, or certainly life-altering, injuries can include spinal cord damage and closed-head trauma.

Whether a judge or jury rules in a victim’s favor can have a strong bearing on the testimony given by those involved in the accident, as well as witnesses to the car, truck or motorcycle crash. In a vehicular homicide case that came before a Carroll County court a while back, the judge decided to postpone his ruling because of some conflicting expert testimony pertaining to the 2009 car wreck that killed a woman from Westminster, MD.