Fatal Traffic Accidents

Glenn Burnie, MD, Court Turns Down Home Detention Request for Baltimore Man Convicted of Vehicular Manslaughter

November 20, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A recent article made one thing clear: The court of Judge William C. Mulford II sees things as they really are. According to the news report, the trial of a Baltimore man was finally concluded with a guilty verdict for the 2007 deaths of two men. Although the defense requested that the man, 20-year-old Nicholan Vakoutis III, be allowed to serve his 18-month sentence at home. As a Maryland auto accident lawyer who represents the families of victims, I understand why the judge declined.

According to the report, it was definitely and emotional hearing, due to the fact that the two deceased men and the defendant were all friends. But Circuit Court Judge Mulford ordered Vakoutis to finish the 18-month sentence imposed following his conviction for the deaths of 16-year-old Justin Wesley of Pasadena and Ronald Jake Houck, 19, of Baltimore.

During the hearing, which was attended by both the Vakoutis’ family and those of his friends, court records show that Vakoutis asked to be allowed to finish the rest of his sentence at home.

Fatal Single-Car Accident in Frederick County Leaves Maryland Driver Dead

November 18, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Tragedy can strike at any time. For many people, an SUV, pickup truck or passenger car crash can spell the difference between a happy future and a sad end. As Maryland automobile accident lawyers, Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers has the experience to help families of traffic accident victims make it through a very difficult time.

Nothing good can come out of the death of a loved one caused by a severe vehicle collision or other fatal traffic accident, especially if that person is the breadwinner in the family. But talking to a personal injury lawyer is always a good idea. A recent single-vehicle crash reminded me of how transient life can be.

According to reports, a Gaithersburg, MD, man was killed in a single-vehicle wreck not long ago on a stretch of Maryland 464. Maryland State Police identified the man as Ruo Y. Zhao. Police reports indicate that the 26-year-old was driving a 2008 Mitsubishi westbound on Point of Rocks Road, just east of Lander Road, at what the authorities describe as a high rate of speed. This was stated, according to police, by a witness who saw the car prior to the crash but did not see the actual event.

Pikesville, Maryland, Woman Killed in Fatal Hit-and-Run Pedestrian Traffic Accident

November 8, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A 61-year-old woman was struck and killed recently in a pedestrian-car accident on Sudbrook Lane in Pikeville. According to reports, the local resident was walking eastbound along the westbound side of the road when an SUV reportedly hit her from behind just before three o’clock in the afternoon. Based on news reports, it seems that the vehicle had to cross over into the westbound lane in order to strike the pedestrian. Police reports show that the vehicle did not stop.

As Maryland personal injury and auto accident lawyers, our firm is able to represent victims and their families in situations such as this one. Based on the time of day, it is highly unlikely that conditions led to the SUV driver killing this person. Unless some sort of steering or tire failure occurred, the situation points more to driver inattention, or worse, a case of impaired driving.

According news reports, Baltimore County Police have charged a 39-year-old Lochearn man with the hit-and-run accident that killed Jessica Robins Jones on that October 12 afternoon. Investigators stated that the victim was walking eastbound on Sudbrook Lane near Glenback Avenue. Police also said that the driver, Lonnie Becoat III, never stopped. Jones was taken to Sinai Hospital where she later died.

Woman Pleads Guilty to Impaired Driving and Killing Glen Burnie, Maryland, Man

November 6, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It took two years but finally justice has been served on a driver who hit and killed a Glen Burnie truck driver who was standing outside his vehicle on Interstate 79 in October 2007. Heidi Wise pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide while driving under the influence of prescription medication. As a Maryland personal injury and auto accident lawyer, my firm is able to represent victims and their families in situations very similar to this one.

According to news reports, the accident occurred as Wise was passing the disabled tractor trailer driven by Charles H. Payton Sr. The 50-year-old truck driver had just pulled his big rig off onto the eastbound ramp of Interstate 79 at the junction of I-79 and I-80 in Findley Township, PA. According to police, the local woman struck and killed Payton with her pickup truck after the man had gotten out of his truck, likely to check on its condition.

Although police initially determined that the woman was not drunk from alcohol consumption, later laboratory results showed she had five times the appropriate dosage of the anxiety medication Xanax, according to news reports. Courts records indicate that on the day of the accident the woman had picked up a prescription for the medication totaling 60 pills, however, when police conducted their investigation the bottle contained only 46 pills — authorities maintain that there should have been least 58 or 59 pills.

Head-on Car Crash in Mt. Airy, Maryland, Injures Four; Kills One Driver

November 3, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Police reported a fatal car wreck in Frederick Country, MD, recently that resulted in the death of a young motorist and injured four others in the victim’s vehicle as well as a second automobile. According to news reports, the crash occurred just after 7pm on October 5 when a 1989 Chevy Cavalier driven by 20-year-old Jimmy Hawkins of Damascus hit an oncoming vehicle at the top of a hill in Mt. Airy. The second car, a 1995 Chevrolet Corsica, was being driven by local resident James P. Valentine Jr., 51.

As Maryland car accident attorneys, Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers understands the pain and suffering of the victims of such horrendous head-on accidents. In this instance, one of the two drivers died from injuries sustained in the collision, while four others were taken to a Baltimore hospital for treatment. The crash happened in the 4000 block of Bill Moxley Road, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Such an accident can cause head, neck and spine injuries. And while the police were still determining the cause, there is a chance that it was the result of driver error. Depending on which vehicle crossed the centerline, a wrongful death suit could be pending. If defective equipment is to blame, then there may be some recourse for the victims.

Baltimore County, MD, Resident Sentenced to 10 Years in Jail for Vehicular Manslaughter

October 28, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A man from Parkton, Maryland, was sentenced by a Baltimore County court to 20 years in prison for fatally injuring a Hereford, MD, woman when he smashed a stolen pickup truck straight into the victim’s home this past August. According to news reports, 30-year-old Aubry Miller Jr. will serve 10 years in jail for vehicular manslaughter and another 10 for felony auto theft. As a Baltimore auto accident attorney, my first thought is for this woman’s family, since she was killed by simple being at home that fateful night.

According to police reports, Mary Patricia Sullivan was fast asleep at 5am in the lower floor of her house on York Road in Hereford, Maryland, when the stolen truck driven by the defendant left the road, traveled across the yard and drive through the exterior wall of the 46-year-old’s bedroom, killing her instantly.

Police investigators determined that the thief had been on a spree of thefts, and was driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs when he killed Sullivan. The owner of the vehicle had only just noticed that truck was missing when the collision occurred.

Maryland Car Accident Update: Howard County Resident Dies in Multi-vehicle Crash

October 26, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Multi-vehicle auto accidents can occur day or night, but the results are very often serious. Head-on collisions especially can result in severe or life-threatening injuries, and many times death. Aside from the emotional anguish, a fatal car accident can cause great strain the victim’s family especially if that person was the primary bread-winner for the family.

As Maryland automobile accident lawyers, our firm is able to help families make it through these difficult times. Lebowitz-Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers handles cases not unlike a recent accident that took the life of one woman and injured the drivers of two other vehicles. According to news reports, a young woman from Ellicott City was driving westbound on Route 108 near Ten Mills Road just before midnight on Friday, October 2, when her vehicle crossed the centerline into oncoming traffic near Clarksville, MD.

Somehow the Toyota Corolla belonging to 20-year-old driver, Melissa Moody, of the 11600 block of Masters Run crossed the double-yellow line and sideswiped an eastbound Lexus IS 350 being driving by Joanne Chan, 32, a Brookeville resident in Montgomery County. According to police reports, Moody’s Corolla then hit a second eastbound Hyundai Elantra belonging to 29-year-old Derrick Jordan of Columbia, Maryland.

Off-duty Maryland Police Officer Dies in Single-Car Traffic Accident

October 21, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It can happen to anybody, and the results are tragically similar no matter who the individual may be. Auto accidents can take a person’s life as quickly as a blink of an eye. Injuries are more likely, but the root cause is always suspect. In the recent case of the untimely death of a Maryland law enforcement professional, the question of driver error versus defective equipment comes into play. As a Maryland automobile accident attorney, my firm runs into situations like this all of the time.

According to reports, a Baltimore police officer died following a terrible single-vehicle accident on Black Rock Road. The 32-two-year-old off-duty patrolman was apparently on his way to work, driving his pickup truck eastbound just before 2pm in the afternoon of September 24.

Jason Simons, who was a seven-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department and assigned to the Towson precinct, apparently lost control of his vehicle in a sharp turn on a wet section of roadway. Investigators said that the vehicle hit a guardrail and then flipped onto its top, trapping the officer. When emergency crews arrived they extricated Simons from his truck and treated him. He was flown to Shock Trauma, however he died before doctors could save him.

University of Maryland Drunk Driving Checkpoint Dedicated to Student Killed in Fatal Accident

October 18, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Drunk driving in Baltimore and other parts of Maryland contribute substantially to annual traffic deaths. Many innocent people are killed or injured every year by drivers operating cars, trucks and SUVs under the influence of alcohol. This negligent behavior by these motorists causes much pain and suffering to individuals and families affected by their actions. As Maryland automobile accident attorneys, Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers is dedicated to helping those injured by drunk drivers.

A recent article mentioned a sobriety checkpoint near the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, that was dedicated to the memory of a young college coed who lost her life to the senselessness of a drunk driving accident. Traveling north on Maryland’s Route 1 the evening of September 24, motorists would have noticed an odd sight: a large photo of a smiling college-age girl.

The photo of Amanda Moore, a UMBC student who was killed by a drunk driver four years ago when she was 22, was placed at the front of a sobriety checkpoint set up by University Police.

Baltimore County Teen Dies in Fatal Single-car Accident on Interstate 83 Offramp

October 15, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A young man from Baltimore County, MD, was tragically killed after the vehicle that he was driving left the road near the junction of Interstate 83 and the Baltimore Beltway. The single-car accident occurred on a southbound I-83 offramp near Lutherville, Maryland. According to police, 17-year-old Kwest T. Logan, a resident of Cockeysville, was headed to the westbound Baltimore Beltway when his vehicle veered off the roadway and crashed some distance from the interstate.

As a Maryland car accident attorney, I know that a crash such as the one described here could have happened as a result of a number of causes. Driver error is always a possibility, however defective steering parts, a blow-out from old or improperly maintained tires, or warn out brakes could be the cause. In the end, defective equipment can many times be due to the negligence of another person or company.

In this case, according to the news report, Logan’s black 1997 Nissan Maxima for some reason left the roadway and hit a tree about 75 feet from the offramp, most likely during the evening hours of Sunday, September 27. It wasn’t until the next morning that a passing motorist called police after noticing light reflecting off the car while driving in slow-moving traffic during morning rush hour.