Multi-vehicle Accidents

Baltimore Personal Injury News: Maryland Residents Injured following Out-of-State Traffic Accident with Big Rig

February 1, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Although it is common to assume that the negligent party in a traffic accident personal injury case is usually the other driver, it is not uncommon to find the passengers of a vehicle filing a personal injury claim against the driver of the car in which they were riding. In such cases, while the potentially injured driver and occupants of a second vehicle may file a suit against the negligent driver of the first vehicle, the focus of the occupants riding with the negligent driver may also be to reclaim medical and other costs resulting from injuries sustained in a car or trucking-related crash.

While we all put our trust in the individual behind the wheel of the vehicle in which we are riding, that trust can sometimes be misplaced, especially if the trusted individual causes and accident that injures you or your family. As Baltimore personal injury attorneys, I and my colleagues know from experience that not every personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit comes from a stranger. Although it can be the sad end to a long-term relationship, if a wrong has been committed to the injury or damage of one or more parties, then sometimes there may be no option.

One common scenario is the friendly carpool. As an example, let’s say a number of friends or neighbors decide to save costs by taking only one car to a local or out-of-state event. If, in the course of the road trip, an accident ensues that is determined to be the fault of the driver of the carpool vehicle. If injuries are sustained by one or more occupants, such that associated medical costs and other expenses become a burden to the victim(s), it would not be surprising to see a personal injury suit arise from the incident.

Maryland DUI Accident Update: Woman Critically Injured in Possible Drug-related DWI Traffic Accident

January 28, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Although drunken driving is one of the more common traffic offenses in Maryland, there are other types of impaired driving offenses that can result in potential personal injury and property damage along our roadways. As Maryland personal injury attorneys dealing in auto, truck and motorcycle accidents, we read reports every day of various kinds of road accidents here in the Baltimore area, over in Gaithersburg, out in Annapolis or across in Washington, D.C.

The fact of the matter is that there are people, even now as we write this, who are driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, prescription drugs, or even illegal and illicit substances, know in law enforcement circles as controlled dangerous substances (CDS). The point we wish to make here, is that anyone who operates a car or truck in Maryland should exercise caution when driving in traffic; an accident may only be a only one careless move away.

This is not meant to scare anyone, but only to alert those conscientious drivers to the possibility of traffic collisions that are ever-present due to less-than-thoughtful (or brazenly negligent) drivers who would place not only their life in jeopardy, but also the lives of you and your family. People who drink and drive are just one kind of negligent individual on our roads. Those who use drugs, such as marijuana and cocaine, also place others in danger when taking their illegal habits out on the road. Of course, any kind of passenger car or commercial trucking accident is undesirable, not just the DWI- or DUI-related kind.

Baltimore Traffic Fatality News: Three-car Accident in Frederick County, MD, Leaves One Person Dead

January 27, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Being injured in a multi-vehicle roadway accident is not an uncommon experience for those unlucky enough to have been caught in a car, truck or motorcycle crash. For those who have survived a serious highway wreck, there is no doubt that any injuries sustained in such a collision could have ranged from cuts and bruises to neck and back injury, or even closed-head trauma.

Survivors of horrific traffic accidents may end up with compound fractures, internal injuries, severely limbs, and temporary or permanent paralysis. Regardless of the type of severe injury, it’s a fair bet that anyone injured in a high-speed crash or serious multi-vehicle collision may be facing weeks or months of hospitalization followed possibly by a period of rehabilitation.

All of this time spent away from work can cause financial trouble if the victim is a primary breadwinner. Even if there are two earners in the family — a husband and wife, for instance — the loss of half a family’s income, even for a short time can put a strain on everyone concerned. But all this is relatively unimportant when one considers those who don’t survive a fatal car or commercial trucking accident.

Baltimore Traffic Accident News: Marylanders Killed, Injured in Multiple Car, Truck and Bus Crashes

January 17, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Sad as it is to report, car, truck and motorcycle accidents will likely remain a fact of life as we continue to soldier on into the New Year. As Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my legal staff do not expect that 2012 will deliver and better news in terms of traffic deaths and serious car and trucking-related collisions. Of course, as the economy slowly makes its eventual recovery, the increase in commerce and relative prosperity will likely mean an increase in commuting and business miles.; with that inevitable rise in traffic activity comes the very real potential for increased injury accidents.

On that note, we noticed that one of the last days of 2011 saw multiple injuries and traffic fatalities on Maryland roadways. From these kinds of car and truck wrecks, one usually sees a variety of injuries; from the lesser types, like minor scrapes, cuts, bruises, to more serious bodily injury, such as broken bones, compound fractures, as well as serious neck, spinal cord damage and closed-head injuries.

Of the latter, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord damage can result in months or years of costly medical care, recuperation and rehabilitation. For families living on the ragged edge of financial existence, an event such as a bad car or commercial truck-related crash can spell disaster, especially if the victim is one of the key bread-winners for that family. Costly medical care combined with lost wages can quickly ruin a family’s meager savings and result in all manner of financially-related misery.

Baltimore Auto Injury Update: Beware Cheap Taxi, Limousine Rides; Uninsured Cabbies can Cost You Big

January 14, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

These days, with the economy still struggling to get a foothold, many people are cutting corners to make ends meet. Similarly, many retailers and service providers are cutting their prices to compete with the limited pool of discretionary monies in family budgets. While taking a cab or hiring a limo may not be something that many cash-strapped individuals are doing much of, there is still a need for these services and it’s a fair bet that a percentage of potential customers may be looking for the cheapest ride available; cue the unscrupulous cab operator or limousine company.

While the numbers may be small, at least when compared to the universe of automobile, trucking and motorcycle collisions, victims of taxi cab-related traffic accidents represent a smaller percentage of personal injuries. Nevertheless, as Maryland auto and trucking accident attorneys, my office is aware that many people put their well-being in jeopardy on a regular basis when riding public transportation.

Here in Baltimore, as well as Annapolis, Rockville, the District and Gaithersburg, accidents involving service vehicles are certainly not unheard of. In fact, taxi cabs, hire cars, limousines and shuttle busses have all been part of a traffic wreck from time to time. As personal injury lawyers and occasional passengers of these kinds of vehicle ourselves, we understand how easily one can be seriously injured in even the simplest of automobile accidents, not to mention ones that do not provide seatbelts for occupants’ use.

You don’t have to be a physics major to know that an unbelted occupant of a motor vehicle can receive serious bodily injury, such as broken bones, cuts and lacerations, and even closed-head trauma and other potentially debilitating injuries.

Baltimore Auto Injury News: Firm Helps Maryland Drivers Peer into the Dangerous World of Traffic Accidents

January 3, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Unless one is a police officer, traffic accident investigator, or traffic reporter, it’s difficult to know all of the dangerous and potentially deadly intersections and roadways throughout Maryland. In fact, it’s likely that no one person can really know the location of the majority of accident-prone areas across the state.

As Baltimore car, truck and motorcycle injury accident attorneys, even we are aware of just a fraction of the more dangerous intersections here in Baltimore, over in Gaithersburg and out in Washington, D.C. With all of the many and varied automobile and trucking-related traffic collisions that happen every year, only a computer database can really keep track of this information with any accuracy.

And so it was, until recently, that the average person could not know for certain if they were constantly exposing themselves and their families to danger by driving through a highly accident-prone area on the way to school, work or the movies. This has all changed with the advent of new, online traffic fatality mapping information offered by UK-based ITO World.

According to news articles, individuals can now see how safe (or dangerous) the steets they frequently drive on or cross as a pedestrian actually are. Since almost nobody stands at a street corner for hours each day to observe traffic collisions and pedestrian accidents, the database offered by ITO World let’s one decide if an obviously busy intersection is really a hazard to one’s health.

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 Car Accident Update: Things for Maryland Motorists to Remember following a Traffic Collision

December 3, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

For drivers working or residing in cities such as Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington, D.C., nobody needs to be reminded that high traffic volumes and congestion are a constant problem with little chance of letting up in the future. With high traffic density a fact of daily commuter life, it’s no surprise that car, truck and motorcycle accidents continue to occur on a regular basis.

As Maryland car and trucking accident attorneys, we know the frustration of being stuck in traffic following a major accident. But as personal injury lawyers, we also know that the victims of those “inconvenient” car and truck collisions are facing much more severe and painful recoveries; certainly more extended than the hour or so of delay the rest of us experience when a tie-up occurs due to a roadway accident.

It’s a matter of record that the driver and occupants riding in sedans, minivans, sport utility vehicles and other small passenger cars can be seriously injured or killed in a high-speed wreck with another motor vehicle. Although Maryland motorists have faced the prospect of physical injury for decades ever since the first horseless carriage hit another vehicle, the fact remains: car accidents can result in broken bones, deep cuts and laceration, back injury and closed-head trauma.

Of course, when a traffic accident does occur — whether between two cars, a truck and a bicycle, or a single-vehicle crash caused by a defective automotive component – the victims are often overwhelmed from the event. Still, if at all possible, it is important to make note of the facts following a car crash or commercial trucking wreck so that it is easier to determine if that motor vehicle collision was a result of a negligent act or the carelessness of another motorist.

Baltimore Automobile Safety News: Rte 235 Traffic Accidents Prompt St. Mary’s County to Add Red-light Cameras

November 25, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Personal injuries can result from most any activity. Whether one lives here in Baltimore, over in Frederick or out in Washington, D.C., it is a certainty that you or someone you know has been witness to a car, truck or motorcycle accident during your driving career. Many times, when someone calls our firm, it is because that person or a close family member has been hurt due to another individual’s negligent actions.

Malice is not the only cause of traffic-related collisions, just as it is not always the reason for a trip and fall incident or a medical error that has out someone into a nursing home. Very often, accidents that cause injury are a result of carelessness or distraction at a critical time. In the case of passenger car and trucking-related wrecks, the simple yet dangerous act of using a smart phone can and does lead to a serious and sometimes fatal roadway collision.

Innocent victims of these kinds of accidents may have just cause to bring a civil suit against the injuring party via a personal injury lawsuit. Such as claim is quite common if the victim or his family believes that the injury was caused either by intentional act or careless one. Needless to say, a defective or poorly designed consumer product can also cause harm to an individual, in which case the manufacturer, and even the distributor of that defective product — may be sued based on a plaintiff’s argument that the negligent party was legally responsible for the injury(s) sustained by the injured party.