Fatal Traffic Accidents

Baltimore Car Accident News: Maryland Woman Dies; Other Injured in Charles County Traffic Collision

February 18, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Driver error appears to be the cause of a fatal traffic accident in Waldorf, MD, when a local woman turned left in front of another passenger car on a stretch of Rte 5. According to Maryland State Police, 80-year-old Mary Gertrude Wade Chandler was reportedly attempting to turn her Chevy Cavalier from the southbound side of Rte 5 onto Gallant Green Rd just after 4pm in the afternoon.

In the process, Chandler apparently failed to yield right-of-way to an oncoming northbound Olds Aurora carrying four individuals. Chandler was critically injured as a result of the car crash and was taken to Prince George’s Hospital Center where she later died of her injuries.

The other people in the Oldsmobile received injuries that were not life-threatening. The driver, 37-year-old Jennifer Rae Snyder of St. Mary’s County, MD, and her three passengers were likely treated by emergency responders at the scene before they were taken by ambulance to Civista Medical Center. All three were minors were riding in the rear seat of the Olds at the time of the wreck. They included two boys — 10- and 14-years-old — and a 13-year-old girl, all riding in the back seat, according to police reports.

Baltimore Auto Accident News: Nephew of Tibet’s Dalai Lama Killed in Car-Pedestrian Accident

February 16, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Automobile-pedestrian accidents can happen to almost anyone on foot near vehicle traffic. Every year thousands of people are injured or killed all around the country by passenger cars, commercial delivery trucks and other motor vehicles. Being related to famous or well-known individuals apparently are not immune to the tragic results of a pedestrian traffic accidents.

Just yesterday the nephew of Tibet’s Dalai Lama was struck and killed in an out-of-state pedestrian accident. Such collisions can result in serious and, as in this case, fatal injuries such as broken bones, internal injuries and bleeding, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord damage.

As Maryland and Washington, D.C., personal injury attorneys, we know that even in incidents where a victim survives a deadly car, truck or motorcycle crash, there can be weeks or months of medical treatment, corrective surgeries and physical therapy needed to return the person back to something close to normal functioning. Sadly, only a lucky few escape such violent accidents with little or no medical complications.

Baltimore Personal Injury News: Rockville Car Wash Employee Killed when SUV Runs Man Over

February 8, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As we have said numerous times before, auto, truck and motorcycle accidents can happen almost anywhere, anytime. Car-pedestrian accidents while generally fewer can also occur randomly, although fatal crosswalk and bus stop accidents are probably the most common. But people have been hit by cars while standing on the sidewalk, walking through a parking lot or even while visiting a local business.

As a Maryland personal injury attorney, I fully understand the severity of such pedestrian accidents and how they can impact a family, not only in cases of tragic and fatal automobile wrecks, but also in terms of pedestrian-car injury accidents where the victim is left with multiple medical complications due as a result of another individual’s negligence.

Broken bones can be the least of one’s problems following a collision between a car or truck and a pedestrian. Spinal damage and brain trauma can cause long-term physical and cognitive issues, with loss of motor skills and trouble with memory that can make an independent and so-called normal life virtually impossible.

Baltimore Injury Accident News: Alcohol Blamed in Fatal I-70 Car Crash that Killed Montgomery County Woman

February 6, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A head-on traffic accident with a semi tractor-trailer along Interstate 70 killed a Damascus, MD, woman early on a Wednesday morning. Police investigating the car-truck collision believe that drinking and driving may have been the cause of the woman using the wrong exit and allegedly driving against traffic on the highway.

The accident reportedly occurred sometime before 3am shortly after Jennifer Shankle Owen’s 2005 Acura entered the interstate from Md. 85 via and exit ramp. The 49-year-old’s vehicle then traveled in an easterly direction in the westbound lanes, this according to eye witness reports provided by police. The Acura was eventually hit head-on by an 18-wheeler operated by 53-year-old Gregory Heavener.

Police and emergency personnel responded to the crash scene at around 2:45am. Based on news articles, Owen was pronounced dead at the scene; her body was transported to the Baltimore medical examiner’s office to undergo autopsy. According to police, the trucker was unhurt following the crash.

Baltimore Auto Accident News: Howard County Man Dies after Losing Control of Car, Hitting House

February 3, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A 20-year-old Maryland man died after he apparently lost control of the vehicle he was driving and then crashing into a house along a stretch of Rte 103. Although there was no specific cause given by police at the time of news report, accidents like this can sometimes be the result of defective vehicle equipment such as a faulty steering or braking system.

As Maryland auto accident lawyers, I and my colleagues represent victims of car and motorcycle accidents, as well as victims’ families in cases where a collision results in the death of the driver or occupants. Single-car accidents like the one discussed here can range from minor injuries, such as cuts and bruises, to serious injuries, like compound fractures, internal injuries and spine/head trauma.

According to police, the man who died was a resident of Elkridge, MD. Bryan Thomas Bolster, who apparenlty died at the scene of the accident, was reportedly the only occupant of a BMW he was operating, which left the roadway a little before 11pm and hit a house. The force of the wreck caused the car to burst into flames, which then spread to the house, catching the structure on fire as well.

Annapolis Man Gets 6 Months for Head-on Car Crash that Killed Anne Arundel Grandfather

January 31, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

According to news reports, Anne Arundel prosecutors’ arguement that the death of a 73-year-old Howard Wright of Gambrills, MD, was likely the result of aggressive driving was apparenlty not sufficiently persuassive. As a result, the court recently sentenced an Annapolis resident to just six months in jail for killing the grandfather of six when his Toyota crashed head-on into the older man’s classic car two years ago. The two-car crash, which happened along a curved portion of Defense Highway near Nob Hill Dr., was caused when the the Toyota driver crossed the centerline. Prosecutors claimed that the defendant, Savvas Andres Pantelides, was going 80mph in a 45mph zone when the vehicles collided.

Pantelides’ defense attorney said his client was going no faster than 55 mph in the 45 mph zone when his vehicle struck Wright’s 1936 Ford 5-window coupe on June 25, 2009. According to news reports, the now-20-year-old Pantelides entered an Alford guilty plea to one count of auto manslaughter. For those unfamiliar with the term, an Alford plea allows a defendant to maintain his innocence while at the same time admitting to the court that the prosecution has sufficient evidence to convict him or her (the Alford plea carries the same consequences as that of pleading guilty).

In an earlier report, during the entering of the defendant’s plea, court records showed that the judge in the case would likely sentence Pantelides to six months for his part in the fatal car wreck. While this garnered disbelief from the victim’s family members, others believed it to be a fair sentence. Maintaining that the crash was an accident, Pantelides’ father reportedly said that his son was sorry and that he never meant to hurt anyone.

According to news reports, Pantelides was allegedly traveling eastbound on Defense Highway just before 8pm when his 2003 Toyota Corolla collided head-on with Wright’s westbound Ford coupe. As a result of the wreck, Wright died at the scene and Pantelides was flown to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center with serious injuries. The younger driver was reportedly in a coma for five days following the crash and spent another 55 days in the hospital; he has had to undergo nearly a dozen reconstructive surgeries on his legs and abdomen over the past year and a half.

Baltimore Auto Accident Update: What to Expect Following a Serious Traffic Wreck with Occupant Injuries

January 24, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

For Maryland drivers who find themselves caught up in a sudden and possibly serious injury accident on one of the state’s highways, rural roads or urban streets, the pain of injuries sustained during a car crash are sometimes equaled only by the cost of medical treatment for same. As Baltimore personal injury lawyers and car, motorcycle and trucking accident attorneys, I and my staff understand the uphill battle that injured parties can sometimes face.

From the standpoint of the negligent party, be it a taxi or livery driver, a trucker behind the wheel of an 18-wheel rig, or a passenger car driver who may have been texting or otherwise impaired by drugs or alcohol, they already have representation, their insurance company. That’s right, many a negligent driver — the man or woman who caused the collision and subsequent serious injuries to others — is almost always represented by a lawyer on behalf of an insurance company.

As an auto accident attorney, I know that negligent drivers have the strength of a large insurance company on their side. The job of corporate attorneys is to keep the plaintiff from receiving fair compensation for any injuries the victim(s) may have sustained as a result of the negligent driver’s actions.

24-Year-Old Woman Dies in Fatal Single-car Crash along I-70 in Howard Co.

January 21, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Single-vehicle accidents can be caused by a number of factors, not the least of which is human error. While lapses in judgment or loss of concentration on the highway can lead to a serious auto wreck, mechanical problems can also cause a driver to lose control of a vehicle. In those types of cases, defective vehicle equipment is a likely reason for a crash.

As a Maryland car accident lawyer, I realize that every traffic wreck has its own characteristics, which means that no two accidents can be treated quite the same. All the more reason to enlist the services of a qualified legal professional, especially in situations where someone has lost their life in tragic wreck possibly caused by another individual’s negligence.

A short time ago, a young woman was killed on I-70 in Howard County when she apparently lost control of her vehicle while trying to avoid another, slower moving vehicle. According to police reports, 24-year-old Ashley Marie Matthews was driving a Ford Explorer carrying her and two other passengers. The sport utility vehicle (SUV) was traveling west on I-70 in Ellicott City when it came upon an unidentified white-colored SUV, which was reportedly going slower than Matthew’s Ford.

Maryland Automobile Injury News: Drug Use Suspected in Fatal 4-Vehicle Glen Bernie Co. Traffic Accident

January 17, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Having seen our share of auto-accident injuries over the years, I and my colleagues understand the damage and suffering that can result from a poor driving decision or other individual choice. In the more serious of injury accidents, a car crash can cause prolonged of even permanent damage to a person’s head, neck or lower spine.

As a Maryland personal injury attorney and car accident lawyer, I know how easy it is for a simple error in judgment to lead to a potentially life-threatening outcome. Drivers and passengers in automobiles, city buses and commercial trucks have from time to time died as a result of another’s negligent behavior.

Whether a serious traffic wreck occurs in Baltimore, Annapolis, the District or anywhere else across Maryland, the results can be difficult for the victims and their families going forward. A recent incident in Glen Burnie County illustrates what can happen when a driver is possible impaired due to use of controlled substances. Illegal drugs and even doctor-prescribed prescription medication can increase the chances of a bad collision depending on the individual circumstances.

The accident in this case involved a total of four cars and ended with one driver dead and several other people injured. According to county police, alleged drug use may have contributed to a chain-reaction crash that killed 24-year-old William Edward Gruber III on a Thursday morning.

Based on police reports, Gruber was driving a 1991 Honda Accord eastbound on East Ordnance Rd just before 8am when fore some reason the man’s vehicle rear-ended a Chevrolet Monte Carlo, driven by 59-year-old Linda Darnell Bohlen Lassiter, which was waiting to make a left turn onto Blades Lane. The force of the crash pushed the Chevy into the rear of Dodge pickup truck also waiting to make a left turn.

As a result of the initial collision between Gruber’s Honda and the Chevy caused the man’s Honda to spin across into westbound lanes of the roadway, where it was hit an oncoming Dodge Caravan driven by 58-year-old Elizabeth Mund of Pasadena, MD.

Maryland Auto Injury Update: Exercise Care Whenever Your Vehicle Becomes Disabled on the Roadside

January 15, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

While many people will be quick to advise a fast exit from a disabled vehicle on the highway or busy beltway, it’s important to realize that injury accidents can happen even when a vehicle is stopped on the roadside. Car and commercial trucks collisions happen daily in Baltimore, Frederick, Rockville and all across this state, and as Maryland auto accident attorneys and personal injury lawyers we can surely say that danger of injury or death still exists when your car, SUV or minivan is stranded on the shoulder of an expressway or heavily traveled rural route.

That said, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Not only do motorists risk life and limb whenever they get out of their vehicle, but in the event of a serious accident medical bills and lost wages can put a terrible pinch on an average family’s bank account. Not long ago, two people were killed outside of their cars in the Washington, D.C. area. This only illustrates, in the saddest of terms, my point about being extremely cautious when venturing out of the relative safety of a disabled motor vehicle.

According to new reports, one of the fatal car accidents occurred just after 1am on the Baltimore-Washington Pkwy in the Laurel area. In that instance, the driver did what many people (mainly men, we suspect) would do in a similar situation. Based on U.S. Park Police reports, a driver was in the process of pushing his vehicle along the southbound stretch of the parkway when he was struck from behind by another vehicle.