Fatal Traffic Accidents

Baltimore Injury News: Maryland Woman Gets 2 Years in Prison for Fatal Drunken Driving Crash

April 20, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Vehicular homicide is a very serious charge, compounded in some cases by a additional charges of drinking and driving or driving under the influence of prescription medication or illegal drugs. In such cases, it’s conceivable that the family of the victim may bring a wrongful death civil suit against the individual for their negligent actions in the death of the family’s loved one.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers, we have seen the progression of litigation, from the initial traffic accident to courtroom. With the cost of medical care these days, a tragic automobile or trucking wreck can place extreme financial stress on the victim’s family, especially in cases of long-term physical injury, permanent disability and other life-long and life-altering conditions.

Last month, a U.S. District Court jury found 23-year-old motorist guilty of killing her friend, Ashley Roberta, and injuring Washington, D.C., soccer player Charlie Davies in an October 2009 single-vehicle traffic accident. According to news articles, Maria A. Espinoza pled guilty late last year to charges of involuntary manslaughter as well as maiming while driving in an intoxicated state prior to the deadly crash.

The accident occurred in the early morning hours after the three friends left a nightclub in the District. Based on court records, the three individuals got into an Infiniti FX35 with Espinoza at the wheel and headed south along the George Washington Memorial Pkwy. Espinoza was reportedly unfamiliar with the area and apparently wasn’t certain how to get to the road and how to get to Davies’s hotel in Crystal City, according to court documents.

Using a GPS device to find the hotel, Espinoza missed an exit; while looking away from the road to recalculate their route, the defendant apparently lost control of the vehicle, which veered off the road and hit a guardrail. The force of the collision reportedly split the vehicle in two; the rear of the Infiniti rolled down a 17-foot embankment, fatally injuring Roberta who died at the scene.

Washington County, MD, Accident News: Hagerstown Man Killed in Multi-car Crash on Interstate 70

April 14, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Many vehicle accidents happen for reasons not initially understood. Although driver error is many times to blame, other factors such as bad weather conditions, improper signage or a poorly-designed roadway can contribute to a serious car, truck or motorcycle accident. When fault is found with a driver, numerous reasons are possible including impairment due to alcohol or improper prescription drug use, drowsy driving, distracted driving due to cellphone operation, or medical emergency, as well as others.

As Baltimore car accident attorneys and Maryland personal injury lawyers, our job is to find evidence of negligence on a driver’s part that may have led to a collision that injured another individual. In instances of a fatal wreck, there is always the possibility of a wrongful death lawsuit depending on the circumstances and facts specific to that case. Occasionally, an accident is caused by failure of a critical automotive component, such as a steering tierod, brake system part, poorly maintained tires, or a damaged suspension component, among others.

Not long ago, 69-year-old Ray S. Linebaugh died in a collision with a Megabus parked on the shoulder along a stretch of I-70. Linebaugh, a Hagerstown resident and former head of the Joint Veterans Council of Washington County, was reportedly driving westbound on the freeway when for some reason his pickup truck veered across the median and entered the opposing traffic lanes near the Big Pool exit.

Based on police reports, Linebaugh’s vehicle careened into the disabled bus as it was parked on the roadside awaiting for a repair vehicle and second bus to transfer the passengers. Linebaugh was declared dead at the scene, while several other people who were passengers on the bus received minor injuries and were taken to the hospital.

Police reported that another vehicle carrying a woman and her two children crashed as the driver attempted to avoid the out-of-control pickup truck as it crossed the eastbound lanes. The mother and kids also received injuries as a result of the incident and were taken to the hospital for treatment.

Baltimore Auto Accident News: Harford County Girl Dies in Fatal Head-on Collision with Light Truck

March 29, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Statistics tend to bear this out, but it should come as little surprise that younger drivers have a higher incidence of traffic accidents than more mature drivers. This is not an indictment of young people or their driving habits, but is simply a matter of fact that most every insurance company knows, as evidenced by the typically higher policy premiums charged to families with drivers in their 20s.

As Baltimore auto accident lawyers and personal injury attorneys, I and my colleagues know how easily a traffic accident can take a person’s life. Car crashes, like commercial trucking accidents and motorcycle wrecks, happen with uncomfortable frequency throughout the state of Maryland and the Washington, D.C. area as well. One simply way of increasing one’s odds of surviving a serious car or truck collision is to wear a seatbelt. Combined with airbags, this can make walking away from a crash many times more likely.

Unfortunately, safety belt use is not always observed by young and old alike; but as fate doesn’t discriminate, these unbelted drivers and passengers run the risk of severe injuries such as broken bones, deep lacerations, internal injuries, spinal cord damage and closed head trauma. Not long ago a teenage girl died after the car in which she was riding went out of control and crashed into an oncoming vehicle.

Maryland Man Dies in Hagerstown Traffic Accident when Pickup Truck Hits Bus on I-70

March 27, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It’s a good bet that most people never consider the possibility of being injured while riding on public transit, yet traffic accidents involving city buses, commuter trains and taxi cabs occur every day across the country, in cities like Baltimore, Annapolis and even the District. Although safety measures are in place to help avoid injuries, collisions between buses, commercial trucks and passenger cars can and do happen with alarming frequency.

As a Maryland personal injury lawyer, I know that accidents involving buses, taxis and limousines can result in serious injuries, such as broken arms and legs, cracked collar bones and ribs, skull fractures and spinal injuries. Depending on the road conditions, a bus or taxi cab accident can even result in death — fatal wrecks like these are the most heart-rending and regrettable accidents, since the victims usually have a fair expectation of safety when being transported by professionals.

Not long ago, a Hagerstown driver died when his pickup truck collided with a city bus along Interstate 70 near Big Pool, MD. According to Maryland State Police, 69-year-old Ray Linebaugh was apparently traveling westbound in his 2004 Dodge Ram when for some reason the vehicle veered into the median, crossing over into the eastbound lanes of I-70 and collided with a Megabus that was broken down on the roadside with mechanical problems.

Maryland Car Accident News: Driver Convicted in Fatal Drug-related Auto Wreck in D.C.

March 23, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Any driver who knowingly gets behind the wheel of a motor vehicle — be it a passenger car, shuttle bus, or semi tractor-trailer rig — and operates that vehicle under the influence of alcohol, prescription drugs, or illegal substances is taking not only risking their own life and that of their passengers, but also is putting the lives of other motorists in jeopardy as well.

Being auto accident attorneys here in Baltimore, as well as personal injury lawyers for Maryland and the District, we understand the frustration, pain and anger that victims of car accidents and their families feel following a senseless traffic collision. As citizens and drivers, we all have a responsibility to operate our family cars, motorcycles, company vehicles and commercial trucks in a safe and legal manner — if not for ourselves and the safety of our family, at least for those innocent occupants in other vehicles.

According to news reports, a Washington, D.C., driver was convicted in connection with a fatal automobile crash last year, which killed a 37-year-old Mary Wimbush and injured the woman’s four children. Based on court reports, a D.C. jury heard the case in which 35-year-old Ajene Jones said he remembered buying PCP-laced cigarettes on April 19, 2010, before getting into his Dodge Ram truck and heading south along a stretch of Alabama Avenue SE.

Police reports showed that the man apparently veered across the centerline and into the path of Wimbush’s oncoming Toyota Camry. Jones reportedly told the court that the next thing he remembered was regaining consciousness in the rear of ambulance. Based on news reports, local prosecutors said that the man was high on that illicit drug when his vehicle collided with the woman’s sedan.

Court records showed that Jones’ truck was going 52mph in a 25mph speed zone. The resulting collision caused Wimbush’s Toyota to spin 180 degrees; apparently the vehicle was so badly damaged that it took emergency responders almost an hour to cut the woman out of the car. She died as a result of the violent crash, while her children all suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Court records indicate that Jones was convicted on a single count of vehicular manslaughter, as well as two counts of aggravated assault. That conviction came as a result of an Alford plea — meaning the defendant did not admit to any guilt, while at the same time acknowledging that the state had sufficient evidence to convict him.

Maryland Rollover Accident Update: New NHTSA Rule Looks to Reduce Occupants Ejected During Automobile Crashes

March 19, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Read almost any news story covering a serious rollover accident in Maryland or Washington, D.C., and you will likely learn about a victim who was killed or critically injured as a result of the traffic accident. Drivers who attempt maneuvers at high speeds in a sport utility vehicle or family minivan can sometimes find themselves out of control and possibly flipping the vehicle on its side.

A rollover car, truck or bus crash can cause terrible bodily harm to driver and passengers alike. In cases where passenger restraint devices fail to hold the occupants in place, head and neck injuries can easily result; traumatic brain injury is just one of a number of life-threatening outcomes of these rollover-type car or truck accidents.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my legal staff have been trained to help victims of car, truck and motorcycle collisions. Sadly, many rollover incidents can be fatal, and not only because of the injuries sustained when an occupant impacts the hard interior surfaces of the vehicle.

Many rollovers can cause one or more occupants to be ejected from the vehicle and onto the roadway. In fact, it is well known that drivers and passengers alike in greater danger of being killed or seriously injured if they are thrown from a vehicle during a crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has conducted studies that show vehicle occupants who experience partial or complete ejection from a passenger vehicle are three-times more likely to be killed as those who remain inside the car or truck.

The NHTSA has maintained over the years that seatbelt use is one of the primary ways that a passenger can avoid being ejected from a vehicle involved in a traffic accident. Even so, it was announced not long ago that the federal government has instituted a new law requiring car makers to develop additional countermeasures to help prevent unbelted adult passengers from being thrown from a car or SUV during a crash, according to news reports.

Going into effect in 2013, the new ruling will require every new car or truck under 10,000 lbs to be equipped with this anti-ejection countermeasures by 2018. What this means is that in less than eight years every new vehicle must be able to prevent an unbelted adult passenger from moving any further than 4 inches beyond a vehicle’s side window opening during a traffic accident.

Baltimore Automobile Accident News: Two Die in Head-on Washington, D.C., Car Crash on Canal Road

March 17, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

With millions of miles of expressways, highways, rural roads and cities streets crisscrossing the U.S. it should come as no surprise that not every one of these public thoroughfares has been engineered correctly. While most high-speed roadways are correctly designed, many secondary roads leave much to be desired when it comes to convenience and even outright safety.

As Baltimore personal injury attorneys and auto accident lawyers, we have seen the aftermath of enough car, commercial truck and motorcycle crashes to make the average person cringe at the thought of a loved one being involved in such collisions. Yet traffic wrecks — whether single- or multi-vehicle crashes — do happen on a daily basis here in Maryland.

It could be said that many motor vehicle collisions occur as a result of another driver’s negligence. But other factors can come into play, which sometimes make it difficult to attach blame to any one party, until further investigation is conducted. Defective vehicle equipment is one such cause of injury accidents and fatal traffic wrecks.

Mount Airy, Maryland, Man Found Not Guilty of Negligent Homicide in Fatal D.C. Pedestrian Accident

March 13, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A sad fact is that traffic accidents involving pedestrians and motor vehicles hardly ever turn out well for the person on foot. When a man or woman is walking across the street and is struck by the full force of a vehicle traveling 25mph or more, the physical injuries can be quite extensive and also quite fatal. Even if an individual is only knocked over, just hitting one’s head on a hard concrete or asphalt roadway can cause brain trauma and possibly death.

Fractures, broken bones and lacerations are just some of the serious injuries that can happen when a pedestrian is hit by a car, motorcycle or commercial delivery truck. Internal injuries, neck and spinal cord damage, not to mention traumatic head injuries are only a few of the conditions that can result from such a crash.

As Maryland auto accident lawyers and Washington, D.C. personal injury attorneys, we understand the extent of bodily harm that can come to a person in such violent traffic accidents. Still, when an individual is injured or killed by a motorist, it isn’t always easy to prove negligence on the part of the driver.

Last month a man was acquitted in the case of a fatal pedestrian accident that happened in the District last November. Following a Sunday fundraising walk, 76-year-old Richard Greenstein and his wife were headed back to their vehicle near Madison and 12th streets NW when they were struck by a motorist attempting to back into a parking space.

According to news reports, 35-year-old Kevin Bucy had left his wife and four kids back at the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum, traveling on foot about a half hour to retrieve the family’s minivan so he could pick them up and spare them the 30-minute walk.

As Greenstein and his 73-year-old wife were stepping into a crosswalk on Madison Street, Bucy’s minivan hit them. As a result of the impact, Greenstein reportedly died from a skull fracture and severe brain injury, while his wife was only slightly injured. Based on news reports, Bucy was found not guilty of negligent homicide in a D.C. courtroom. Had he been convicted, he could have gone to jail for five years.

Maryland Car Accident News: Baltimore Trucker Survives Head-on Crash when Minivan Crosses Centerline on Rte 9

March 3, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

While passenger car drivers can certainly be seriously hurt or even killed as a result of a highway collision with a large commercial truck or bus, the drivers and occupants of those heavier motor vehicles can also be subject to severe or fatal injury. As Baltimore auto accident attorneys and Maryland personal injury lawyers, our job is to represent the victims of accidents who have experienced pain and suffering due to another individual’s negligent actions.

In cases where a traffic accident results in death, there may be sufficient evidence to support a wrongful death lawsuit against the other driver. Certainly, when a motorist causes an injury accident, there are instances where the victims may wish to recover some of all of the costs associated with the medical treatment and rehabilitation following such an accident.

Earlier last month, a Georgetown man crashed his vehicle head-on into an 18-wheel tractor-trailer rig along a stretch of Rte 9 on a Tuesday morning. According to news reports, 50-year-old Richard Baker was traveling west on Rte 9 when for some reason the man’s minivan crossed over the centerline, running head-on into a semi driven by a Baltimore trucker.

Baltimore Car Accident News: Driver Dies in Fatal Beltsville, Maryland, Automobile Traffic Wreck

February 28, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Faulty brakes, poorly designed suspension systems and incorrectly maintained running gear are just a few of the potential causes of fatal car or truck crashes. And, the odds of having a deadly single-vehicle traffic accident typically increases as the car, truck or motorcycle speed rises. While many one-car wrecks can be the result of driver error, police crash investigators typically consider the possibility of defective vehicle equipment when reconstructing a motor vehicle accident.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys and Baltimore auto accident lawyers, each of our staff works to represent the victims of car collisions and the families of individual killed as a result of another person’s negligence. Whether an accident occurs in the District, Hagerstown, Frederick, Salisbury, or any of the dozens of towns and cities across the state, the human toll of a commercial truck wreck or passenger car collision can be just as devastating.

A story not long ago described a crash that involved only one car, but claimed the life of the driver. Although police were still investigating the incident at the time of the news story, authorities had already ruled out drugs or alcohol as factors in the crash. Defective equipment, such as a broken steering linkage or blown-out tire could have contributed to such an accident, but there was nothing stated in the article to indicate that this was the case.