Fatal Traffic Accidents

Maryland Rear-End Accident Takes the Lives of Five People

October 16, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In a tragic accident out of Oxon Hill, five people lost their lives when a Mercedes rear-ended an Acura at a traffic signal. According to one report by the New York Daily News, it is one of the worst accidents that the area has seen. In fact, several emergency responders on the scene that day have sought counseling as a result of what they saw.

Evidently, it was a rainy evening in Oxon Hill when the accident occurred. The Mercedes slammed into the back of an Acura that was waiting at a red light. All four of the passengers inside the Acura were killed. One of the two passengers inside the Mercedes was also killed. Both of the drivers, however, survived.

Witnesses claimed that the accident was “indescribable,” and people from up to two blocks away reported hearing the collision. Eyewitnesses reported seeing the driver of the Mercedes and the one surviving passenger crawling out of the burning car on their elbows.

One Injured, Another Killed in Olney Head-On Collision

October 9, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week in Olney, a head-on collision caused one man’s death and caused another woman to be seriously injured. According to a report by one local news source, the fatal accident occurred just after 5:30 on a Monday morning near the intersection of Route 108 and Volunteer Drive.

Evidently, a 25-year-old man from Mount Jackson was driving a pick-up truck westbound on Route 108 when it drifted off the road for an unknown reason. When the driver of the truck noticed that he had drifted out of his lane, he overcorrected and crossed into the eastbound lane of traffic.

As the pick-up truck drifted into oncoming traffic, it struck an SUV driven by a 51-year-old woman. The woman was taken to the hospital by emergency crews, but she was unable to overcome her injuries and died a short time after she was admitted to the hospital. The driver of the pick-up truck was also taken to the hospital, although with non-life-threatening injuries.

Severn Car Accident Kills One, Injures Two

October 2, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week in Severn, Maryland, a two-car accident claimed one man’s life and sent two others to the hospital with serious injuries. According to a report by WUSA 9, the accident occurred shortly before 3:30 in the afternoon on Ridge Road near Galetown Drive.

Evidently, a 73-year-old driver was attempting to negotiate a sharp right-hand turn but drifted out of her lane and entered the lane of oncoming traffic. At this point, the woman’s car collided with a Fredericksburg, Virginia man’s car, causing a serious accident.

The man was taken to the hospital with serious life-threatening injuries that he later succumbed to. The 73-year-old woman and her passenger were both taken to the hospital as well with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Single-Vehicle Accident Takes the Life of One Fifteen-Year-Old and Injures Two Others

September 3, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week in Montgomery County, a fatal single-vehicle accident claimed the life of one teen and injured two others. According to a report by CBS DC, the accident occurred in Olney, near Hines Road and Macduff Avenue.

While police are still piecing together the facts from the accident, they believe that around one in the morning a Chrysler 200 convertible was heading east on Hines Road when it suddenly left the roadway and struck a tree before reaching Macduff Avenue. After crashing through the tree, the car continued across Macduff Avenue, crashing into a street light pole and a telephone box before rolling over and finally coming to a rest.

The car was being driven by a 17-year-old and had two other teens as passengers. The teen in the back seat of the Chrysler was ejected during the accident and was taken into the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Unfortunately, shortly after being admitted to the hospital, the young boy succumbed to his injuries.

Police Cadet Makes Illegal Turn and Kills Maryland Teacher

August 13, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week in Washington DC, a Maryland school teacher lost her life when she was sideswiped by a police cadet making an improper turn out of an emergency crossover. According to a report by NBC Washington, the accident occurred on Friday morning on the Capital Beltway, near the Route 50 interchange.

Evidently, the 18-year-old cadet was driving an unmarked police SUV without the lights or sirens activated when he decided to use the emergency crossover from the Inner Loop to the Outer Loop. However, as he exited the crossover, he sideswiped a Lincoln, sending it into a nearby wall. The SUV driven by the officer then spun into a Subaru Outback.

The driver of the Lincoln, a 59-year-old Maryland school teacher, was taken to Prince George’s Hospital Center, where she was later pronounced dead. She left behind five children and four grandchildren. The driver of the Subaru was not injured in the collision.

Fatal Car Accident in Fort Washington Under Investigation

May 8, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week in Prince George’s County, a fatal head-on collision occurred when one car crossed the center median and slammed into an oncoming car. According to a report by an ABC affiliate, the accident occurred early Monday morning on Route 210 near East Swan Creek Road. Evidently, a Cadillac was heading southbound on Route 210, Indian Head Highway, when it inexplicably began to shift lanes, eventually crossing into oncoming traffic.

As the Cadillac crossed into oncoming traffic, it crashed head-on into a BMW. Police and emergency crews immediately responded and took both adult male drivers to the hospital. The driver of the BMW was pronounced dead upon arrival. However, the driver of the Cadillac luckily suffered only non-life threatening injuries.

Police have not yet determined the cause of the accident, and an investigation is underway.

Maryland Man Dies in Fatal Left-Turn Accident

March 27, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Lanham, Maryland, a man was killed while making a left turn. According to a report by the Washington Post, the man was driving on Fontana Road and attempted to make a left hand turn on to Annapolis Road when he was struck by an oncoming car. The accident occurred shortly after 1 a.m.

Police are still investigating the cause of the crash, however, a preliminary investigation indicates that the driver making the left hand turn failed to yield the right of way to the oncoming car. Police are currently looking into whether the speed of the other driver also played a role in the crash.

The man making the left turn was taken to the hospital where he later died of the injuries he sustained as a result of the crash. The other driver was also inured, however, he is expected to fully recover.

Three-Car Accident on Route 340 Kills Two, Injures Four

March 20, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month, an accident on Route 340, near Frederick, MD, claimed two lives and injured four others. According to a report by Your4State.com, the accident occurred on a Saturday afternoon when one vehicle inexplicably crossed the median of the highway and collided with another vehicle head on. After the two vehicles crashed into each other, one of the cars collided with a third vehicle.

The drivers of the two cars that collided head on both were pronounced dead at the scene. Four other passengers, including two minors, were taken to the Johns Hopkins and Frederick Memorial hospitals with non-life threatening injures.

Police spent several hours on the scene of the accident, attempting to piece together what happened, and why it happened. One trooper on the scene described the investigative efforts as follows, “The investigation is very preliminary at this point. Essentially we’re mapping, diagramming the scene, taking photographic evidence, measuring skid marks, everything that we use to determine what actually occurred.”

A Series of Accidents in Prince George’s County Leaves Two Dead and One Injured

March 14, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Two people were killed and another critically injured in a series of auto accidents in Prince George’s County. According to a report by ABC 7, the accidents all occurred around Wednesday, March 5, 2014.

The First Accident

A violent collision occurred Wednesday night on the 8600 block of Contee Road when one vehicle crossed the center median for an unknown reason and slammed into another oncoming vehicle One of the drivers was thrown through the windshield. One of the drivers was pronounced dead at the scene. The other was taken to a nearby hospital where she is expected to recover. Police believe that speed was a factor in the accident.

The Second Accident

A man driving alone was killed when his car unexpectedly left the roadway and collided with an object on the side of the road. The accident occurred at Rhode Island Avenue and 38th Street in Mt. Rainier. The man was taken to the hospital, but died from the injuries he sustained as a result of the accident.

Car Splits in Half, Killing Two, After Getting into an Accident with a Taxi

January 27, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week, an accident near the Landover Metro Station left an Acura split in half and both of its occupants dead. According to a report by WTOP, the driver of the Acura was heading in the opposite direction as a taxi when the driver of the Acura lost control and crossed into oncoming traffic. Apparently, the Acura collided with the taxi and then continued into a telephone pole that split the car in two.

Both the driver of the Acura and his passenger were pronounced dead at the scene. The taxi driver was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to recover. Police believe that speed played a part in the accident, as well as the slippery condition of the road.

Speed Is a Leading Cause of Fatal Maryland Car Accidents

It probably does not come as a surprise to anyone, but speeding is a leading cause of traffic accidents and traffic deaths in Maryland. According to some studies, speed is a factor in about one-third of all fatal accidents. While speeding is never a good or safe idea, it is even more dangerous when the road conditions are slick, icy, or snow-covered, as they have been for much of the past few months.