Pedestrian Accidents

Maryland Auto Injury News: Baltimore Co. Police Identify Pedestrian Killed in Pulaski Highway Accident

February 16, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

We’ve stated it here before: Pedestrians hardly ever do well against a motor vehicle during a traffic accident. As motorists we all have a duty to watch out for persons on foot, but as pedestrians we must also be highly vigilant and aware of oncoming traffic. Even if you cross in a legal zone, such as a crosswalk, be sure all cars are stopped and it is safe. Being “dead” right will not make your family feel better after a fatal pedestrian collision.

Recently a news article indicated that the Baltimore County Police had finally realeased the identity of the man killed in a fatal pedestrian accident on Pulaski Highway. According to reports, police stated that the Middle River man who died was 40-year-old James Rayman, of the 9600 block of Pulaski Highway.

Police believe that the victim ran across the eastbound lanes of Pulaski Highway near the Colonial Motel just east of Middle River, then climbed over a nearly 4-foot tall concrete barrier separating the east- and westbound lanes. Police said Rayman then entered the fast lane and it was there that he was hit by a late-model Ford F-350 pickup truck.

Maryland Pedestrian Injury Accident: Baltimore County School Crossing Guard Injured by Passing Pickup Truck

February 11, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Pedestrian injury accidents happen more often than people may imagine. As a personal injury lawyer serving Maryland, I know how much damage a passenger car, light truck or commercial vehicle can cause to a person on foot in the roadway. As motorists it is everyone’s responsibility to be aware of persons walking on crosswalks and alongside the roadway. Near schools, it is common to find crossing guards helping children negotiate the dangerous environment of urban traffic intersections.

Here in Baltimore County, there are numerous opportunities for pedestrian injury accidents. A car-pedestrian collision rarely goes well for the person on foot, with broken bones, cuts and bruises, as well as concussions and possible traumatic brain injuries. Recently a Baltimore Co. crossing guard was very lucky in that she only received minor injuries after a vehicle nearly side-swiped her during her duties helping kids across the street.

Based on new reports, Baltimore County Police were investigating a pickup truck-pedestrian accident not far from Johnnycake Elementary School in Catonsville, MD. According to news reports, the woman was in the process of preparing to stop traffic at the intersection of Criagmont and Bardswell roads when the accident occurred.

Maryland Auto Accident News: Fatal Car Crash and Two Multiple Injury Accidents in Baltimore County

February 7, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Three separate automobile accidents on a Monday morning resulted in one death and four people injured in Baltimore County recently. Maryland State Police responded to the accidents which included a fatal Pikeville side-swipe hit-and-run collision that killed a man on Interstate 695; the two other accidents, one on U.S. 40 and another in Garrison, MD, sent four people to area hospitals.

The hit-and-run crash happened shortly after 29-year-old Richardo Manchome of Pikesville pulled his Ford Pickup onto the should of the Beltway to check on an engine problem. According to police reports, the man was standing on the driver’s side of the vehicle while examining his truck’s engine when he was struck by another vehicle.

Apparently a car veered onto the shoulder where Manchome was standing, striking and throwing the man about 50 feet from his truck. When emergency crews arrived, the victim was declared dead at the scene.

Maryland Traffic Safety Update: iPods, Bluetooth Headsets can Open the Door to Tragic Auto Accidents

February 4, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Traffic safety is always a hot topic, but more so these days as drivers in Maryland and around the country have more and more distractions that conspire to take their attention away from the most important task at had, safely driving their vehicle in traffic. As a Baltimore auto accident attorney and injury lawyer, my firm represents drivers, passengers and pedestrians injured through the negligence of other motorists.

Car and truck crashes can result from numerous causes, from outside influences such as poorly maintained pavement or bad weather, to mechanical problems such as worn out steering components or bald tires, all the way to driver error. One subset of driver error would have to be self-imposed distractions, such as fiddling with the radio or talking on a cell phone.

It’s no secret that cell phones are more and more being singled out as potentially dangerous instruments in the hands of motorists in Baltimore, Annapolis, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere in our area. Because it is everyone’s responsibility to watch out for dangers on the roads, drivers and pedestrians alike should consider the growing threat that all mobile devices pose to public safety.

Maryland Highway Worked Injured in Construction Accident in Jefferson, MD.

January 24, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Vehicle accidents can and do occur everyday in Maryland. Whether you live in Baltimore, Annapolis, Owings Mills or the D.C. area, being hit or injured by any vehicle can cause serious physical harm and sometimes fatal injuries. Construction machinery in particular is dangerous and U.S. Government’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has strict guidelines designed to improve the working conditions of men and women across the country.

As a Maryland automobile injury attorney, I read daily of accidents, car crashes and truck wrecks that leave passengers and pedestrians alike in physical pain that can last for year. According to a recent article, a highway construction worker was seriously injured when an excavating machine hit him, injuring his leg and sending him to the hospital.

The accident happened at the intersection of intersection of Md. 17 and Md. 180 just after 3pm on January 5. The man was apparently working in a ditch when someone or something released a safety interlock on a piece of excavating machinery. The equipment may have rolled forward or somehow landed on the man’s leg.

Man Gets Six Months for Fatal DWI Traffic Accident that Killed Maryland High School Student

January 19, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The year just past was marred by hundreds of traffic accidents throughout Maryland, some of which resulted in fatalities. One of the saddest was the death of a Stephen Decatur High School sophomore who was hit by a car as he and some friends tried to cross Route 50 near Ocean City. As a Baltimore personal injury and auto accident lawyer, my office understands the terrible grief that friends, families and communities feel at the loss of any youngster.

Unfortunately, traffic accidents involving pedestrians are often fatal and almost always severe. As drivers, we all must be especially vigilant when approaching people walking along the roadside or crossing the street. Cars, pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) are much more massive and quicker than a person on foot. Therefore additional caution should always be exercised whenever pedestrians are nearby.

According to news articles, the driver who hit the boy last year in May had a 0.10 percent blood-alcohol content at the time of the accident. Other than the drunken driving offense police had not issued any other charges in connection with the fatal crash. The man recently received six months in jail from a Worchester County court for his part in the accident.

Suspect Identified in Deadly Annapolis, MD, Hit-and-Run Pedestrian Accident on Bay Ridge Road

January 6, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

According to a recent news report, the Anne Arundel County Police Department has identified the person suspected of the fatal hit-and-run accident that killed an Annapolis resident in late December as he was walking on the roadside. As a Maryland automobile accident attorney, my office is ready and able to represent families who have suffered tragic loses similar to the one in this case.

According to police, the fatal pedestrian accident happened in the early morning on New Year ’s Day on Bay Ridge Road in Annapolis, MD. Sometime around 2am on Friday morning, 40-year-old Alfred Byrd was hit by an east-bound motor vehicle, killing the man as he walked along the road.

Police believe that Byrd, who was wearing dark clothing at the time of the accident, was either crossing the street or walking within the right travel lane when he was struck. By the time emergency personnel arrived at the scene, the man had already died from his injuries.

Maryland Construction Worker Killed in On-site Truck Accident in Frederick County, MD

December 22, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A flagman at a Buckeystown construction site along Maryland’s Route 85 was killed by a construction vehicle while working his shift. According to news reports, Maryland State Police arrived at the scene to find the road construction had died after being crushed by a construction truck driven by another co-worker. I and my colleagues have seen the results of this kind of fatality on more than one occasion. As a Maryland auto accident lawyer I also understand how a family can be devastated by the loss of a primary bread-winner.

In this particular instance, the accident occurred just before 3pm on a Friday afternoon. Police reports say that Carroll Michael Rehmert of Brooklyn Park, MD, was working on foot as a flagman near the intersection of Route 85 and Lime Kiln Rd when he was killed. The 57-year-old man was an employee of LAI Construction, according to news reports.

At the time of the incident, Rehmert was working as in an area where damaged lines in the road were being repaired. He had stopped traffic in the northbound lanes when the truck backed over him, pulling Rehmert under the rear axle.

Elderly Mechanicsville Pedestrian Struck and Killed by Minivan Driver on Maryland Route 235

December 20, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Walking is certainly a healthy and invigorating pastime; however nobody expects that your next evening constitutional will be your last. Naturally, pedestrians must be vigilant when strolling along public roads, but drivers also have a responsibility not to place others in danger. As Maryland injury lawyers representing automobile accident victims and their families, our office is greatly aware of the tragic results of pedestrian traffic accidents.

Recently, a news article detailed the traffic death of an older Mechanicsville man who was killed during an evening walk along a local highway. Apparently an elderly gentleman who was know to frequently go out on foot for long walks died on November 30 after being hit by a northbound vehicle along Maryland’s Route 235.

Police reports indicate that 85-year-old James Thomas Yorkshire was treated by fire and rescue crews, who responded to the accident that had occurred just before 9pm. At the time of the news report it was unclear whether Yorkshire, who died at the scene, was walking in the northbound lanes or perhaps crossing the highway.

Maryland College Student Dies in Fatal Hit-and-Run Pedestrian Accident

November 29, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Another late-October traffic fatality took the life of a University of Maryland junior who was apparently the victim of a hit-and-run pedestrian accident. Having represented victims of pedestrian injury accidents, I can understand the pain and grief of such a loss, not only to the family but to the friends and schoolmates of this young woman. When it comes to car and truck accidents, the occupants in the vehicles have a much better survival rate than the persons on foot.

According to news reports, the Baltimore Police were investigating this particular hit-and-run accident, which claimed the life of Miriam Frankl just before 3:30pm on a Friday afternoon in October. Reportedly, police investigators had apparently questioned the owner of the white Ford F-250 truck that fatally injured Frankl while making an illegal left turn onto E. University Parkway from St. Paul St that day. Frankl died the following morning the University of Maryland Shock Trauma unit.

The white Ford F-250 in question was reportedly found on the following Saturday night, legally parked on the 3800 block of Edgarton Road in Northwest Baltimore. Police said that it had a decal from Tate Engineering Systems, but was apparently no longer owned by the company, having been sold to a private individual in August or September of 2008.