Multi-vehicle Accidents

Maryland Police Accident Blotter: Two Injury Accidents in Glen Bernie Send Victims to Hospital

June 30, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Seeing as many automobile and trucking accident news stories as we do, one would think that I and my colleagues would become inured to the fate of these people and their families, but the opposite is more likely the case. As Maryland personal injury lawyers, the legal professionals at my firm are cognizant of the trials and heartache that individuals and families go through any time a loved one is hurt or killed in a senseless traffic accident.

Whether a crash occurs here in Maryland or over in The District, the same feelings of helplessness and vulnerability can affect any number of victims or surviving family members. Besides the potential hospital bills from conditions ranging from compound fractures and deep lacerations to spinal cord injuries and closed-head trauma, there also remains the emotional scars of the traffic accident that placed a family’s loved one in a possibly precarious and life-threatening position.

The following news items are just the tip of the iceberg, where thousands of regular people going about normal everyday lives get swept up in a perfect storm of pain, strife and possible financial pressure all because another individual, who they had never met, made a faulty decision or negligent act that brought both parties together in a serious and sometimes fatal car, truck or motorcycle wreck. Many of these news stories are not easy to take, but they do point up the fragility of life and the need for constant vigilance when driving in and around our state.

Young Mother Killed, Baby Injured in Police-related Car Chase in West Baltimore, MD

June 20, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Any death, especially a senseless one, is a tragedy no matter what the cause. There can be little argument about that. But the death of a young person who has yet to experience all that life has to offer, that is a tragic waste of life. Children who are hurt in automobile accidents or killed as a result of another individual’s negligence are certainly the most innocent of victims.

Here in the Baltimore area, as well as elsewhere across the state and even in Washington, D.C., it’s not difficult to see the aftermath of a car, truck or motorcycle accident without thinking of those injured in a serious traffic wreck. As Maryland personal injury lawyers, my firm is prepared to take up the fight for those who have been hurt in serious car or trucking-related accidents. When we see a child or young adult whose life has been unalterably changed, our sympathies go out to the entire family.

Of course, the legal aspects of a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit tend to be less compassionate than the thoughts and well-wishes of friends and relatives of the victims. Nevertheless, the law provides those injured by the negligent acts of another to sue for damages in hopes that in some small way the victims and their families can be made whole, or at least be given a fighting chance for a normal life after a tragic accident.

The Role of Emergency Medical Helicopters in Victim Survivability Rates following Automobile Crashes

June 18, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

With the number of serious traffic accidents in tens of thousands every year across this nation, it’s surprising that the death rate from car, truck and motorcycle accidents is not higher than it already is. While alcohol and drug use contributes to a vast number of injury- and fatality-related roadway collisions, the percentage of distracted driving incidents has been rising on its own as one of several major factors in modern-day automobile and commercial trucking wrecks.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers, we understand how even the most innocuous distraction — such as a crying child, spilled coffee or in-car conversation — can draw a driver’s attention away from the task at hand. More than a few motorists and their passengers have been killed thanks to a moments loss of focus on the highway.

While the number and frequency of auto and trucking accidents on our nation’s roads can at times be amazing, it is the actions of police, fire and other emergency personnel that can make the difference between a serious car or truck crash and a fatal one. Part of the response equation can involve the often cited medevac helicopter flights that ferry critically injured victims of traffic accidents from accident scenes all around the country to medical facilities for rapid, and hopefully life-saving treatment.

Harford County Schools Employee Killed in 3-Car Collision in Fallston, MD, on Maryland Rte 152

June 15, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A 59-year-old Maryland man died in early May as a result of a three-vehicle pileup on Rte 152 in Fallston, MD. According to news reports, Don E. Jones, Jr. was killed along with another person during the traffic accident. At the time of the news report, authorities from county stated that the sheriff’s office was still in the process of investigating the incident. As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we know that these kinds of investigations can sometimes be long and involved, depending on the circumstances.

From the information available at the time of the news report, it appeared as if the county-owned vehicle that Jones was driving crossed the roadway centerline and hit, head-on an oncoming sport utility vehicle heading southbound in the opposite direction. According to reports, the accident occurred on a Tuesday morning and also involved a Jeep that was following the SUV that Jones’ vehicle struck. There was no mention of whether the crash was caused directly or in part by defective vehicle control systems.

Based on preliminary police reports, the work vehicle that Jones was driving crossed over into opposing traffic and hit a ‘12 GMC SUV. That vehicle was then hit by a ‘94 Jeep Wrangler, also headed on the southbound side of the roadway. Police stated that the 46-year-old operator of the GMC truck, a resident of Essex, MD, died at the scene. Jones apparently survived the initial crash, however he, too, passed away upon his arrival at the Upper Chesapeake Medical Center, located in Bel Air, Maryland.

Woman Trapped in Car in Harford County, MD; Two Men Die in Howard County Traffic Accident

June 13, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As Maryland personal injury lawyers representing victims of car, truck and motorcycle accidents from Annapolis and Bowie to Rockville and Washington, D.C., I and my colleagues find that highway collisions and urban automobile crashes rarely discriminate. These “equal opportunity” accidents can involve individuals from every social strata and any age range.

For those individuals and families of less than modest means, an injury-related car or commercial trucking wreck can result in hefty hospital bills and potentially long-term rehabilitation expenses. What our firm does is to help people who are the victims of another driver’s negligence recover costs related to serious traffic collisions. Whether the victim is an adult injured in a crash or a child hurt while riding in a car, the law provides victims with the opportunity to sue the responsible parties for damages.

A while back an elderly woman was seriously injured in a Harford County roadway collision. Based on news reports, the accident occurred on a Tuesday afternoon near Fallston, MD, along a stretch of Rte 1. The police stated that the automobile collision involved two vehicles when it happened near Rte 152. According to the news articles, Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS personnel found the victim trapped in her car at around 1pm.

Annapolis, MD, Policeman Injured in Pedestrian Accident when Car Hits Him during Traffic Stop

June 11, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

High-speed car and commercial trucking accidents can result in extensive and serious injury to the victims of such automobile collisions. This goes for vehicle occupants, but bystanders or pedestrians can also be at severe risk of bodily injury or even death when it comes to being hit by a passing car or truck. The chance of critical or fatal injuries on our nation’s expressways and higher-speed rural roads can be increased by a number of factors, not the least of which is inattentive (sometimes impaired) drivers.

With summer upon us, it’s probably a wise idea to be more alert than usual due to the number of vacationers and other potentially distracted drivers on Maryland’s roadways. Whether it’s a parent driving a car-load of noisy children, a younger driver talking with friends in the front seat or a delivery truck driver searching for the next exit, the range of distractions are many and varied these days. And we won’t even get into the potential number of motorists who may be driving while intoxicated.

As we’ve said numerous times before, car, truck and motorcycle accidents occur frequently everywhere across the state. Having worked as Maryland personal injury attorneys for many years, I and my legal staff know that it doesn’t take much to turn a pleasant drive to the beach into an unexpected trip to the hospital. Whether here in Baltimore, over in Columbia, or out in Washington, D.C., a roadway collision can be a life-changing event for some victims.

Five Marylanders Injured, One Dead in Two Separate Traffic Accidents on Same Day

June 9, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The reasons for traffic accidents are not always readily apparent. This is not to say that car, truck or motorcycle collisions happen for no reason at all, but simply because the factors that influence certain automobile wrecks are too numerous or intertwined to be immediately obvious, even to professionals like those who work on police accident reconstruction teams.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys and auto accident lawyers, my firm is dedicated to representing our clients and to helping the victims of car and commercial trucking accidents recover damages owed to them as a result of another person’s negligence. Working together with police and other forensic analysts, personal injury lawyers gather the pertinent facts and evidence from an accident scene to better prove a client’s case against another negligent party.

This evidence can range from something as simple as the length of skid marks on a roadway, to the chemical analysis of a drunken driver’s blood-alcohol content following a fatal traffic wreck. Whatever the specific circumstances of an automobile or trucking-related injury accident, the facts are what support our client’s assertions that another driver or other person was responsible for the accident that may have injured or incapacitated them.

Following Tragic Head-on Traffic Accident Teenager Gets Prison Time for Texting-related Fatal Car Crash

June 7, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

We’ve seen these kinds of scenarios play out more and more across the country over the past several years; a driver using his or her cellphone losses concentration on the road and causes an accident as a result of a simple yet deadly moment of distraction. Was that phone call or text message really worth it? The answer is obvious — an emphatic, No! — yet roadway collisions, many fatal, continue apace with few signs of abating. What to do?

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we have heard numerous pleas for a reduction in phone calls and texting while driving. Some legislators in many states all across the country have suggested making cellphone use while driving into an offense akin to driving while impaired. Some people may guffaw at such a notion, thought the danger of texting and other distracting activities by drivers is shown to be real and immediate.

Over the last several years, cellphone and, subsequently, smartphone use has brought a real and serious danger into the front seat of nearly every vehicle on the road. While not every driver is guilty of texting while driving, 36 states have already outlawed that activity. But laws can be broken and this has given rise to increasingly strident calls for stricter penalties to be attached to cellphone use when it can be shown to have contributed to a fatal automobile or commercial trucking accident.

Baltimore Police Pay Out Settlements to Drivers and Other Citizens for Mishaps and Questionable Procedures

June 3, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Living and working in the Baltimore area, it isn’t a rare sight to see Baltimore city and county police officers conducting all manner of duties from criminal arrests and emergency services to traffic control and accident scene investigation. What citizens don’t always see are the occasional missteps taken by patrolmen and other law enforcement personnel from time to time. As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my legal staff have the utmost respect for the difficult job that police officers do every day in this state and across the nation.

But just as we commend the efforts of the majority of this country’s law enforcement community, we also have concern for the private individuals who occasionally suffer from improper police procedures or ignorance of the civil rights of some individuals who come in contact with those few, less-than-professional officers from time to time.

We’re reminded of this occasionally when we run across stories of abuse of power by some officers and other police officials. Similarly, some innocent citizens are actually injured or killed as a result of a patrolman’s actions during the performance of his or her duty. Again, the job of law enforcement is in no way an easy one; however, as tax payers and citizens we all expect excellence from our police force and certainly hold the entire organization to a higher standard than the rest of society.

Many Maryland Residents Suffer from Spinal Cord Injuries Resulting from Car and Truck Accidents

May 29, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Being injured in a car, motorcycle or commercial truck accident is not so much a possibility as a certainty, depending on the speed at the time of the traffic collision, the number of cars or trucks involved and the conditions surrounding the wreck. As Maryland car, truck and motorcycle accident lawyers, my firm is built on the idea of helping individuals recover damages resulting from roadway accidents.

While property can be replaced, however, lives are more precious and more difficult to be made right following a devastating highway crash. Consider two of the more major types of physical injuries that can sideline a person for weeks or months, not to mention possibly for a lifetime. These include spinal cord and brain injuries. Of course, there are numerous types of neck, back and head injuries related to these two major types, but the seriousness of the bodily injury should never be underestimated.

Whether one is hurt here in Baltimore, over in Rockville, or somewhere in the District of Columbia, car, truck and even pedestrian incidents involving vehicular traffic can be just as life-threatening no matter where they occur. Given the sheer number of people hurt or killed in motor vehicle accidents, it’s no surprise that Maryland personal injury attorneys like our legal team hear of dozen of severe and near-fatal injury accidents every month.