Multi-vehicle Accidents

Maryland Auto Accident News: Woman Escapes Serious Injury following Multi-vehicle Traffic Wreck on Beltway

June 30, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

According to reports, Montgomery County emergency rescue crews arrived on the scene along with other responders to assist victims of a multiple-vehicle traffic accident along a stretch of the Capital Beltway recently. The accident occurred just before 2pm in the afternoon and included a commercial delivery truck, a semi tractor-trailer rig and several passenger cars.

As Baltimore car accident attorneys and Washington, D.C., personal injury lawyers, we know that these kinds of highway collisions happen every week in Maryland and around the country. The results of a car-truck wreck can range from minor to life-threatening, with injuries including simple bumps, bruises and cuts to serious neck and spinal cord damage. Sadly, many victims families receive a call from local police that a loved one has been critically injured and may not recover.

In all of these accidents, one common element is usually linked to the incident; that of a negligent party. This may be another driver, whose questionable actions may have triggered a series of events that led to the roadway collision; or, the cause can sometimes be traced to a defective component on a car or truck, such as a poorly designed steering or braking system part.

Even a car’s tire, something every driver relies upon for safe travel day in and day out, can have a manufacturing flaw that ultimately leads to a catastrophic blow-out and possible loss of vehicle control, especially at highway speeds. Whatever the reason, when it comes to defective vehicle equipment there is potential for third-party negligence and a possible lawsuit against the responsible individual or entity.

Maryland Personal Injury Update: Following Painful Traffic Accidents, Insurance Companies can Increase the Discomfort

June 28, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It’s a fair bet that more than one motorist in Annapolis, Gaithersburg, Washington, D.C., or Rockville has been dismayed to find that his or her health insurance company has demanded to be repaid for the costs that their insured toted up as a result of an automobile, motorcycle or trucking accident injury accident.

Most people who haven’t been involved in a car crash or filed a traffic-related personal injury claim would find it more than surprising that an injured party could be asked to essentially reimburse their insurance company for various medical costs incurred following an personal injury.

Certainly a party that was not at fault and has been hurt, possibly seriously, should not have to pay back costs to an insurer for a legitimate claim. As the argument goes, healthcare insurers don’t ask to be paid back for costs associated with medical treatment or other necessary physical rehabilitation, so why now?

When people hear that their health insurance company wants a refund after paying months or years of timely healthcare premiums, we as Maryland personal injury lawyers understand how this could raise more than a few eyebrows. The simple counter to this seemingly unscrupulous request from one’s own insurer is that eventually the client himself will be reimbursed for all of his or her medical costs through the auto insurance company that represents the other negligent party.

Baltimore Personal Injury News: Maryland Man Allegedly Driving Drunk Goes Wrong Way, Hits Second Vehicle

June 26, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It seems that we cannot get away from the latest spate of drunken driving-related traffic accidents. While it is a forgone conclusion that driving while impaired by alcohol, prescription medication or illicit drugs can get a person arrested and charged with DWI or DUI, a percentage of passenger car drivers, commercial truckers and even motorcycle riders will kill someone or be killed themselves for their indiscretion.

Operating a motor vehicle, in the eyes of the law is not a right, but a privilege that we as motorists are granted by means of state licensing. We can only continue to exercise our driving privileges by showing competency on state licensing exams and by obeying Maryland’s traffic laws. Two many violations or other charges — such as drunken driving convictions or car accidents — and a person risks losing their driver’s license; in some cases this is blessing, especially in the case of people who demonstrate that they don’t know enough to stay off the road when inebriated.

As Maryland automobile accident lawyers and personal injury attorneys, we have seen far too many victims of drinking and driving to be in any way understanding to those who chose to drive drunk and then injure, maim or kill another innocent person. Anyone who reads the news on a regular basis will likely agree that, on the face of it, drunk drivers who cause accidents seem to walk away with nary a scratch, while their victims are rarely as lucky.

Being caught for driving under the influence is one way that a bad driver may be taken off the road, if only for a short period of time. Others, who may cause serious injury to one or more people, may be held to account for their actions. In the end, the cost of being permanently disabled by a drunk driver is likely far worse than most any punishment that the law can inflict back on a negligent motorist.

Maryland Auto Injury News: School Bus Crash in Queen Anne’s County Injures 17 Children and Adults

June 22, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In the realm of roadway crashes, school bus accidents can be one of the most harrowing in the minds of mothers and fathers everywhere. There are few things that alarm most any parent than the possibility of injury-related or fatal traffic accident that involves young children and other minors. This is especially true because most adults assume that school and church buses are driven by people who we hope take the safety of our kids as seriously as the parents.

As Maryland personal injury and auto accident attorneys, I and my colleagues know how scary it must be for a parent to hear that a son’s or daughter’s school bus may have been involved in an automobile or commercial trucking-related collision. There isn’t any parent who wouldn’t switch places with a child who has been critically injured in a traffic incident.

Yet, with all our hopes for safe transportation of school children, busing-related crashes do occur and will likely continue to be possible outcome for any child that lives far enough away from school. In large cities, such as Baltimore and Washington, D.C., kids will sometimes take public transport in the form of city buses and subways. Even these modes of transportation are not without risk to riders of every age.

According to a recent news article, more than a dozen passengers were taken to the hospital following a charter bus accident in Queen Anne’s County on a Thursday morning. We’ll say right off the bat that thankfully nobody died in this particular road accident, however there were a number of injuries sustained by youngsters and adults alike.

Based on police reports, the accident happened along a stretch of Rte 213 near White Marsh Rd. in Centerville, MD; the southbound bus, one of two chartered vehicles taking students from the Kent County school district to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in D.C.

The vehicle involved in the crash was carrying 35 people at the time and apparently overturned when the 86-year-old man who was driving the bus steered the vehicle quickly in an effort to avoid a collision with another motor vehicle entering the road. That action reportedly caused the bus to go off the roadway and hit a utility pole, which in turn caused the vehicle to roll onto its side.

Baltimore Personal Injury News: Six Hurt in Montgomery County Car-School Bus Accident on I-270

June 3, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

We’ve said it here before, but it bears repeating; When it comes to riding on public transportation — be it a city bus or your child’s school bus — there is always potential for personal injury due to a traffic accident. Being hurt while traveling by bus, train or plane is always possible, but it’s not unusual for most people to assume that public transport is safe.

As commuters, our belief that bus and train operators are trained professionals who go about their duties with their passengers’ safety and well being foremost in mind. As Maryland auto accident lawyers and Washington, D.C., personal injury attorneys, we understand how parents expect that their children will be safe and sound when riding local school buses. Sadly, this is not always the case.

In this not-so-perfect world, car, bus and motorcycle collisions do occur; and with disturbing frequency, especially in congested urban areas such as Baltimore, Annapolis and the District. When riding public transport, we as passengers put our faith in those running bus lines, railroads and airlines. When it comes to school-age kids, we also know that safety is a concern of most every parent.

Baltimore Auto Accident News: Maryland Driver Faces 3 Years for Fatal Sharpsburg Car Crash

May 29, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It’s a terrible shame that so many innocent people are killed or injured every year by drivers who have previously been convicted of drunken driving, sometimes for multiple offenses. As Maryland personal injury attorneys and automobile accident lawyers, I and my colleagues have represented victims of serious traffic wrecks, as well as their families, to help these individuals recover damages due to another driver’s negligence.

Even though courts here in Maryland and in Washington, D.C., convict drivers that have been arrested for driving under the influence, many of these same people go on to drive drunk again and in the process kill or maim others with little concern for themselves or the victims they create by their reckless acts. Not long ago, a Hagerstown driver pled guilty on two counts of causing life-threatening injuries while driving under the influence of alcohol.

Based on news reports, 26-year-old Cory Kuczynski was tried for injuring Joseph and Lauran Dwyer in a three-car Washington County traffic collision one year ago. The defendant was not charged with the death of a third individual, Danielle Paikin, because prosecutors did not believe they could easily prove that the man was responsible for the woman’s death.

According to court records, Kuczynski, who also failed to stop immediately following the crash, admitted to police that he had been driving while intoxicated. Washington County Circuit Court to driving under the influence and failing to stop immediately at the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury in a 2010 fatal crash near Sharpsburg.

Based on news articles, the accident occurred just after 1am on May 6, 2010 when a sedan driven by another person crossed over the centerline and collided almost head-on with a 1993 Buick being driven by Lauran Dwyer. Just following the initial crash, Kuczynski’s Nissan, which was traveling northbound, hit the Buick on the passenger side.

The force of that crash pushed Dwyer’s car almost 30 feet back, pinning Joseph Dwyer underneath the vehicle and causing him serious torso, leg and head injuries. Paikin, the front-seat passenger, was trapped inside the Buick and later died from her injuries.

Baltimore Auto Accident News: Darlington, MD, Man Gets 10 Years in Jail for Fatal Harford County Car Crash

May 19, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Nothing can make up for the loss of a loved one who has been killed in a traffic accident. We say that because as Maryland personal injury lawyers, we understand how the death of a family member can leave a gaping hole in the lives of the victim’s parents, siblings, children, and of course a widowed spouse. Whatever the circumstances, car crash, trucking accident, or motorcycle wreck, a fatal traffic collision that could have been prevented is a tragedy for everyone involved.

Sadly, once a person has died in a truck or car wreck, there is nothing that can bring that individual back. However, the family that loses a father or mother, must pick up the pieces and try to continue in the absence of that person, hard as it may be. Depending on the situation, medical expenses, lost wages and other collateral costs can put a family in dire financial straits. If the victim was the sole breadwinner, this can be particularly difficult.

As Baltimore auto accident lawyers, our job is to help victims’ families recover the costs associated with the loss of a family member, which can include money awards for actual expenses and lost wages, as well as for pain and suffering. As hard as it may be for the wife or husband, understanding the last moments of the victim’s life is important to determining the amount of any monetary award to the surviving family members.

Not long ago a motorist from Darlington, MD, was sentenced to 10 years in jail for his role in a fatal Harford County traffic accident that claimed the lives of three people back in 2009. According to news reports, 32-year-old Travis Gray was found guilty of drunken driving

The multi-vehicle collision occurred two years ago on November 14, 2009, when the Ford pickup Gray was driving crossed the double yellow center line on a stretch of Rte 543 in northern Harford. Police reports indicated that Gray was driving northbound just before 5am when the accident happened. As it entered the southbound lane, the F250 struck another truck carrying several occupants just south of Prospect Rd.

Three of the other vehicle’s passengers — 48-year-old James Bielanski, 47-year-old Pamela Bielanski, and 35-year-old Robert Arbogast — died in as a result. Gray survived the accident and reportedly told police that he had consumed three or four beers at an establishment that was later determined to be the Old School Tavern on Rte 1 in Dublin, MD.

Hagerstown Traffic Accident News: SUV Hits School Bus in Three-vehicle; Several People Injured

May 10, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Downsville Pike was the scene of a three-vehicle accident near Hagerstown that resulted in three people being injured. One the vehicles involved in the collision, which occurred on a Thursday morning, was a school bus servicing Washington County schools, although no students were aboard that vehicle at the time of the collision.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we can understand how parents worry about incidents like this. School buses, like city buses, can carry a large number of passengers, which means that if the vehicle is hit or somehow is involved in a traffic accident, those occupants are at risk for injury. Although every situation is different, depending on various factors such accidents can result in passengers sustaining cuts and bruises, simple and compound fractures of the arm or leg, head and neck injuries and sometimes traumatic brain injuries.

In this case, police reports indicate that the accident was apparently the result of a passenger car driver failing to yield to another motor vehicle. Based on news articles, the crash occurred shortly past 9am when a southbound Honda driven by an elderly woman turned left directly in front of an oncoming Kia sport utility vehicle at the intersection of Downsville Pike and W. Oak Ridge Dr.

Baltimore Accident News: State Trooper Avoids Being Hit by Drunken Driver in Prince George’s County

April 18, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Roadside traffic accidents. If they can happen to a state trooper, you’d better believe the same can happen to any one of us. While police and emergency responders put their lives on the line when answering emergency calls following an automobile or commercial truck accident, it’s important to remember that the biggest threat they face is the other vehicles traveling past the scene of the collision.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers, we know how extensive a car-pedestrian traffic collision can be. The human body is no match for a 3000-pound sedan or minivan, not to mention a commercial delivery truck or city bus. That’s why many people hit by a motor vehicle end up either dying or being critically injured and facing months or even years of physical therapy and rehabilitation.

Concussions, closed-head injuries, spinal cord damage and broken bones are a few of the more serious injuries experienced by victims of pedestrian traffic accidents. As we mentioned above, police and fire department rescue personnel are exposed to these dangers on a fairly regular basis. Whether you live in Baltimore, Gaithersburg, Rockville or the District, pedestrian accidents are a common occurrence in this area.

According to a news article, one law enforcement officer narrowly escaped certain injury and possible death when he realized a vehicle was about to crash into him during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 95. Based on news accounts, a 27-year-old rookie trooper jumped over barrier to avoid being hit by an allegedly drunk driver who unexpectedly veered onto the shoulder and hit the officer’s cruiser.

Trooper Thaddeus Allen, who served two tours in Iraq as an Army infantryman, was on duty in the early morning hours of a Friday when the accident occurred. Taught that a police officer’s most dangerous enemy is the traffic on the road, Allen was with a field training officer, Trooper Elix Gerber, when the automobile crash took place.

According to reports, the driver who nearly hit Allen was 27-year-old Scott Schawrtz from Baltimore who was operating a Ford Taurus at a little after 1am when the collision happened.

Maryland Injury Accident News: Car Crash on I-95 Sends 2 People to Shock Trauma in Baltimore

April 16, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Any time a vehicle rolls over following a multiple-vehicle traffic collision or single-car wreck, the occupants of that car, minivan or SUV could be injured in a number of ways. Besides being thrown against numerous hard surfaces within the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle as it rolls, occupants have been known to be ejected during such a crash event.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers representing victims of serious traffic accidents, I and my colleagues know that half of all deaths in rollover vehicle crashes are the result of a person being thrown from the vehicle. Rollovers are rather common with sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) as well as large, 15-passenger vans, mainly due to these vehicles’ higher centers of gravity. But even smaller passenger cars have been known to roll over given the right circumstances.

In any case, it is well known that a vehicle’s occupants are much more likely to be killed or seriously injured if they are ejected from the car or truck during a crash. This is because of the much higher chances that a person will come in contact with a hard object, which can result in traumatic brain or spinal injuries, paralysis, internal bleeding and multiple fractures.