Fatal Traffic Accidents

Baltimore Auto Accident News: Maryland Driver Involved in Fatal Traffic Wreck that Killed Elderly Couple

December 30, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It’s a fact of life; as we age, some of us become less attentive and less able to react quickly to emergency situations. Almost anyone who follows the local news can understand this, since we see numerous reports every month describing older drivers and elderly pedestrians who are injured or killed in traffic collisions throughout Maryland and the District of Columbia.

As Baltimore automobile accident attorneys and Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my staff know the heartbreak of families who have lost loved ones in tragic, and many times, avoidable car, truck and motorcycle crashes. Even those who survive a car or trucking-related traffic accident can face weeks or months of hospitalization and rehab treatment in order to get back some semblance of normalcy in their lives.

Sadly, older people have a harder time when it comes to recuperating from a serious traffic wreck; even relatively minor car or truck accidents can leave an elderly individual in critical condition with sometimes life-threatening complications as a result of their age. Pedestrian injuries precipitated by a car crash can be particularly deadly for an older person with broken bones, sometimes compound fractures, and serious closed-head injuries commonly being sustained.

Many families worry about their elderly parents who still drive. While there is no reason that a competent individual cannot continue to operate a motor vehicle into their 80s and 90s, the potential for accidents is known to increase for these individuals as a function of miles driven. Occasionally, very minor accidents — such as striking a mailbox while backing out of the driveway or knocking off a sideview mirror while parking in one’s garage — can portend worse incidents to come. It’s sometimes up to other family members to suggest to elderly drivers to perhaps scale back or even stop driving altogether.

Maryland Auto Injury News: Baltimore Mans Dies in Single-vehicle Crash near I-695/I-795 Interchange

December 27, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Single-car or single-truck accidents can be the result of many factors. Top on the list is usually driver error, distraction or fatigue, followed by poor weather or road conditions, and even poor roadway design or bad badly placed signage. In some cases, a mechanical problem with the vehicle’s brakes, steering, suspension or other critical components may be partially to blame for a wreck.

When an accident happens on a low-speed surface street, the out come can range from minor injuries to death of the vehicle’s occupants. While higher speed interstate crashes can be serious as well, the lesser number of obstacles immediately adjacent to the roadway helps to reduce the number of fatal accidents. However, this is not to say that people don’t die on a regular basis as a result of bad highway collisions.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my legal staff are well-versed in handling injury and fatal car, truck and motorcycle crashes. Certainly, when a multiple vehicle accident occurs, one or more drivers may be to blame. Filing a wrongful death suit against another individual based on claims of negligent or thoughtless acts is not uncommon here in Baltimore, or over in Rockville, Gaithersburg or the District.

In the case of single-car or truck crashes, the injured party is typically the driver himself. If the driver was found to be at fault, having caused the accident, other passengers may decide to file a claim against that driver to recoup the costs of medical care or other claims of pain and suffering which directly resulted from that particular traffic wreck.

Maryland Personal Injury News: Pedestrians Hit by Car in Fatal Home Depot Parking Lot Accident

December 24, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It’s hard not to come across as trite, but the fact remains that automobile-related accidents can happen anywhere, anytime. And while caution is always a good defense, few drivers can be vigilant 100-percent of the time. It never fails to happen that when a motorist lets his or her guard down for just a moment, a roadway accident can be just around the corner.

Whether one drives to work or school every day, or just takes the family car to the supermarket once a week, as soon as we hit the road the odds begin to mount up. As Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my colleagues know that for many people it is simply a matter of time before someone is involved in a injury-related road accident. Hopefully that is all; however, fatal car and commercial truck crashes are all part of the mix.

Occupants of passenger cars, SUVs and minivans are certainly more protected when compared to a motorcyclist involved in a traffic collision, but pedestrians and bicycle riders are part of the most vulnerable group when it comes to car accidents. Not only are people on foot or cycling not protected by a steel cage, but if and when they hit the ground, they are more likely to strike their head on a hard surface, like an asphalt roadway or concrete sidewalk.

Maryland Auto Injury News: NTSB Urges Halt to Any Cellphone Use in Cars, Trucks

December 15, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It’s all over the news and on the lips of safety-conscious people across the nation; the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has urged state legislatures across the U.S. to move to ban any and all cellphone use in car and trucks on the nations roadways. While we occasionally hear of individual state legislators condemning the dangers of texting and hands-on cellphone use, it’s not often that a department of the federal government makes such a broad and sweeping recommendation regarding the safety of all drivers.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my staff have seen the results of auto, truck and motorcycle accidents caused by distracted drivers. The misery and suffering that a negligent act can inflict on a person and his or her family is far worse than any minor distraction that initially caused the traffic collision in the first place. Texting, cellphones and smart phones are just one more, albeit major, distraction that drivers deal with on a daily basis.

Now, with the NTSB’s recommendation, it seems that the issue of traffic deaths caused by distracted driving (due to any kind of cellphone use) is going to be a serious topic of conversation and possible legislative efforts in the months and years to come. For anyone who wonders, the NTSB is usually associated with serious plane and train accidents, rather than with everyday automobile and trucking-related crashes, which they also investigate when necessary.

However, the 3,000-plus deaths attributed to distracted driving in 2010 — as well as the close association that cellphones and smart phones have with driver distraction — has placed this issue front and center with other serious safety-related discussions.

Harford County Auto Accident News: Maryland Driver Killed in Route 22 Head-on Car Crash

December 12, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

During the holidays it is difficult to imagine that some families will lose a loved one to a tragic and likely preventable traffic collision. At the very best, a car, truck or motorcycle accident means that some amount of property damage will occur, however there is usually some kind of physical injury associated with most interstate, rural and urban automobile and commercial trucking wrecks.

Cars, trucks, minivan and SUVs have become much safer over the years thanks to advances in automotive safety technology. But even the best safety systems cannot, to date, prevent vehicle occupants from being injured or killed in 100 percent of motor vehicle crashes. Energy absorbing designs and materials, air bags, self-adjusting seat belts and other occupant protection devices all contribute to safer cars and trucks, but speed and circumstances still conspire to injure, maim and kill thousands of innocent people every year across the U.S.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my legal staff understand the pain and suffering that can result from a severe car, bike or pedestrian accident. Whether one lives in Rockville, Baltimore, the District or Annapolis, the news papers and TV reports are peppered with stories of individuals hurt or fatally injured as a result of a traffic collision.

Besides the typical bumps and bruises that always seem to happen in a crash, dislocated joints, fractured legs, arms, ankles and wrists can also occur during a car crash. Usually the worst type of bodily injury is that sustained when an occupants head hits a solid object inside the vehicle. Closed-head trauma, also referred to as traumatic brain injury, can put a person in the hospital for weeks or months; sometimes years.

Baltimore Personal Injury News: Negligence Suits Filed Against Maryland’s “All Good Music Festival” following Car Accident

December 6, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Not all personal injury lawsuits are filed against a driver of a car who hits another individual and causes bodily injury. Lawsuits against third-parties are often brought due to the circumstances that made the car, truck or motorcycle accident possible in the first place. For instance, it would not be unusual for a company that made faulty tires, brake system components or other safety-related replacement parts to be sued individually or together with a commercial trucking firm that installed the parts on their fleet vehicles.

While this aforementioned example is related to products liability suits, it is an example of how a third party can be sued by the victim(s) of am automobile or commercial trucking accident that may have been caused by the premature failure of such parts or components. Similarly, a third party that provided the conditions for an accident to occur may sometimes be sued, in addition to the person or entity that was directly responsible.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers and auto accident attorneys, we serve not only the residents of cities like Annapolis, Rockville and Gaithersburg, but also motorists and vehicle occupants who may have become injured in a traffic collision in Washington, D.C.

Once a person has been injured in an automobile or trucking wreck, it’s nearly impossible to turn back the clock to a time when that victim was well and free of bodily injury. Although many injuries can heal over time, such as minor cuts and bruises, the long-term effects of a head, neck and spinal injury can linger for months, if not years. Closed-head trauma is one such injury that can affect a person’s quality of life for years down the road.

Glen Burnie Auto Accident News: One Person Dies in Two-vehicle Collision on Crain Hwy

November 29, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Disparity in vehicle size can be a contributing factor when it comes to traffic accidents involving automobiles and other motor vehicles. Certainly most every driver has felt, at one time or another, a visceral twinge of fear or anxiety as they pass an 18-wheeler or other large commercial truck on the highway. The close quarters of some highways and surface streets can elevate that reaction among drivers and passengers of smaller, more vulnerable vehicles.

As Maryland automobile injury attorneys and drivers ourselves, I and my legal staff can relate to those feelings of danger when a semi tractor-trailer comes a little to close. But even smaller trucks, such as delivery vehicles and medium-duty work trucks can pose similar dangers without evoking the dread that larger motor vehicles do.

Because vehicle size usually correlates closely to vehicle mass, or weight, it’s not a stretch to say that some drivers worry every time they come near a big truck. But those medium-duty work trucks, though smaller than other large commercial vehicles, can also cause a great deal of damage in a traffic collision given the right circumstances; more than just a vehicle’s weight, the cargo that a truck may be hauling can pose significant danger in a roadway collision.

It’s not a stretch to imagine that a fully-loaded work truck can weight three to four times that of a small economy car. Given that amount of weight disparity, in a crash the passenger vehicle might end up sustaining serious damage; and the same goes for any occupants riding inside the car as well.

Maryland Auto Accident News: Police Say Excessive Speed Contributed to Fatal Calvert County SUV Crash

November 20, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As Baltimore auto accident attorneys, my firm represents individuals injured as a result of a car, motorcycle or trucking-related highway collision. Naturally, being Maryland personal injury lawyers, we understand the factors that can contribute to a serious or fatal traffic wreck. As such, we know that vehicle speed and mechanical issues (defective equipement problems), weather conditions, traffic patterns and other factors can have a significant bearing on whether or not a motor vehicle accident will be minor or, at worst, fatal.

Of course, as many individuals who have survived horrendous car and commercial truck wrecks already know, luck is also a significant factor in these kinds of severe roadway crashes. Regardless, injuries do occur and fatalities are also quite common for high-speed accidents and those where vehicles of vastly different weights are concerned.

As mentioned previously, vehicle speed is a key factor in determining the severity of a traffic accident. With every doubling of vehicle speed, the crash energy is essentially quadrupled. This is why the old saying, “speed kills” is not just a popular phrase with police and other safety experts. That said, as drivers ourselves, we can understand that the practical considerations of modern life necessitate highway speeds despite the increased danger should a collision occur.

Nevertheless, driving faster than conditions will permit or attempting maneuvers that the vehicle was not designed to handle at high speeds can be disastrous for the car and its occupants. Whether one lives in Rockville, Annapolis or the District, it’s likely that as a motorist you have witnessed the aftermath of some kind of traffic accident. Multiple-vehicle crashes are some of the most common, but single-car and truck wrecks are also frequent occurrences on the state’s roadways.

Maryland Personal Injury News: Two Die in Fatal Fells Point, MD, Car Accident

November 18, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Fatal car crashes leave behind more than broken families; sometimes they can also spell the end of young and promising lives. As Baltimore personal injury attorneys, I and my colleagues have felt the very deep and profound sadness of loss from victims’ families and others who have known the deceased. Sadly, individuals who have been killed in a senseless auto, truck of motorcycle wreck will never again share time with their loved ones, and no amount of compensation can ever change that.

When a young person dies in a traffic accident, many who were close to that individual may ask themselves if anything could have been done to avoid or mitigate the collision. Second guessing and running “what if” scenarios in one’s mind are normal ways in which survivors may grieve, though in the end it may be better to celebrate the person’s life then to replay past events to the exclusion of all else.

As automobile accident lawyers, our job is to help families of victims recover costs for medical treatment, lost wages, and even attain compensation for the loss of companionship, love and comfort of that person. In fact, death does eliminate the right of a family to seek compensation for the loss of a loved one when wrongful death through the negligent act of another is the issue.

Annapolis Personal Injury News: Bar Sold Liquor to Underage Maryland Motorist Who Died in Fatal Accident

November 16, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Highway deaths in and around Baltimore, Rockville, the District, and Frederick, MD, occur for dozens of reasons every month. Many of these fatal car, motorcycle and commercial trucking accidents could possibly be avoided or mitigated in one way or another, but sadly not all. Drunken driving contributes to a significant percentage of car, truck and motorcycle crashes, a result of which is a substantial number of occupant injuries including closed-head trauma, spinal cord damage, and internal injuries.

A local Annapolis bar was in the news recently as law enforcement and the public focused on the serving of alcohol to underage patrons. According to news articles, the Acme Bar and Grill is under fairly intense scrutiny for an episode that occurred this past summer. Based on reports, the bar allegedly served several underage customers on June 15, two of whom died in a motorcycle wreck just minutes after walking out of that drinking establishment.

The incident raised serious questions about the bar’s practices vis-à-vis serving underage individuals, in particular those who may go out and drive a motor vehicle while intoxicated. While personal responsibility is a fine ideal, the law stipulates that people under the age of 21 cannot be served liquor legally. Criminal charges are not unusual in cases like this where a young person has been injured or died after being sold alcohol at a bar, liquor store or restaurant.

According to news articles, last summer’s incident involved two people allegedly known to at least one of the bar’s staff to be underage. Events following the entry of 20-year-old
Craig Eney, Jr., and 19-year-old Kelcey Silva transpired rather quickly, based on police reports. After stopping by the bar around in the early morning hours of that fateful day, both individuals consumed sufficient alcohol to raise their blood-alcohol content (BAC) to levels exceeding the legal limit of 0.08 percent.