Single-vehicle Accidents

Baltimore Auto Accident News: Howard County Man Dies after Losing Control of Car, Hitting House

February 3, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A 20-year-old Maryland man died after he apparently lost control of the vehicle he was driving and then crashing into a house along a stretch of Rte 103. Although there was no specific cause given by police at the time of news report, accidents like this can sometimes be the result of defective vehicle equipment such as a faulty steering or braking system.

As Maryland auto accident lawyers, I and my colleagues represent victims of car and motorcycle accidents, as well as victims’ families in cases where a collision results in the death of the driver or occupants. Single-car accidents like the one discussed here can range from minor injuries, such as cuts and bruises, to serious injuries, like compound fractures, internal injuries and spine/head trauma.

According to police, the man who died was a resident of Elkridge, MD. Bryan Thomas Bolster, who apparenlty died at the scene of the accident, was reportedly the only occupant of a BMW he was operating, which left the roadway a little before 11pm and hit a house. The force of the wreck caused the car to burst into flames, which then spread to the house, catching the structure on fire as well.

Baltimore Auto Accident Update: What to Expect Following a Serious Traffic Wreck with Occupant Injuries

January 24, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

For Maryland drivers who find themselves caught up in a sudden and possibly serious injury accident on one of the state’s highways, rural roads or urban streets, the pain of injuries sustained during a car crash are sometimes equaled only by the cost of medical treatment for same. As Baltimore personal injury lawyers and car, motorcycle and trucking accident attorneys, I and my staff understand the uphill battle that injured parties can sometimes face.

From the standpoint of the negligent party, be it a taxi or livery driver, a trucker behind the wheel of an 18-wheel rig, or a passenger car driver who may have been texting or otherwise impaired by drugs or alcohol, they already have representation, their insurance company. That’s right, many a negligent driver — the man or woman who caused the collision and subsequent serious injuries to others — is almost always represented by a lawyer on behalf of an insurance company.

As an auto accident attorney, I know that negligent drivers have the strength of a large insurance company on their side. The job of corporate attorneys is to keep the plaintiff from receiving fair compensation for any injuries the victim(s) may have sustained as a result of the negligent driver’s actions.

24-Year-Old Woman Dies in Fatal Single-car Crash along I-70 in Howard Co.

January 21, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Single-vehicle accidents can be caused by a number of factors, not the least of which is human error. While lapses in judgment or loss of concentration on the highway can lead to a serious auto wreck, mechanical problems can also cause a driver to lose control of a vehicle. In those types of cases, defective vehicle equipment is a likely reason for a crash.

As a Maryland car accident lawyer, I realize that every traffic wreck has its own characteristics, which means that no two accidents can be treated quite the same. All the more reason to enlist the services of a qualified legal professional, especially in situations where someone has lost their life in tragic wreck possibly caused by another individual’s negligence.

A short time ago, a young woman was killed on I-70 in Howard County when she apparently lost control of her vehicle while trying to avoid another, slower moving vehicle. According to police reports, 24-year-old Ashley Marie Matthews was driving a Ford Explorer carrying her and two other passengers. The sport utility vehicle (SUV) was traveling west on I-70 in Ellicott City when it came upon an unidentified white-colored SUV, which was reportedly going slower than Matthew’s Ford.

Single-vehicle Rollover Accident Kills Maryland Father; Mother Critically Injured, Kids Hurt in Crash

January 10, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Anyone who reads the morning paper or clicks on the local news should be no stranger to the stories of so-called rollover traffic accidents that appear on a fairly frequent basis all around the state. With the large number of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) plying Maryland’s highways and rural roads, rollover automobile crashes are not uncommon. As such, serious injuries and occasional fatalities are also quite common in this type of traffic accident scenario.

As a Baltimore personal injury lawyer, my firm has seen its share of victims from these kinds of violent car crashes. A fair percentage of rollover accidents involve a single vehicle, though multi-vehicle collisions can also precipitate a rollover, depending on the situation and road conditions at the time of the accident.

One thing remains relatively consistent for this category of auto wreck; the occupants are at high risk for severe and even fatal injury. This is due the rolling action of the vehicle, which can dislodge an occupant from their seated position and throw the individual against solid objects within the vehicle. Brain trauma, head and neck injuries, and other bodily injury can also result during such events.

Baltimore Traffic Safety News: Maryland Negligent Car Accidents Can Involve Police and Civilian Drivers

January 3, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Car, truck and motorcycle accidents happen with alarming frequency these days. In an editorial that asks the question of whether the police in Baltimore have trouble driving well, the author says that the answer depends on who one asks. Not surprisingly, we all expect police officers to maintain exemplary driving records, on- and off-duty. And why not? We expect that most every law enforcement officer receives extensive training in high-performance driving. And, we know that traffic patrol officers spend many hours each day driving hundreds of miles as part of their job.

Still, there is the reality that police officers are human, and just like most of us, they can suffer from the same distractions and potentially deadly driving situations that civilian motorists face. As the editorial writer suggests, pointing to a couple single-vehicle car crashes involving Baltimore officers this past fall, these accidents raise doubts about the quality of training, management and culture of the Baltimore force.

Surprisingly, the columnist said that while he received numerous complains about his column, he heard nothing from the Baltimore PD brass, nor the city’s commissioner of police.

One retired police officer responded to the author’s article, suggesting that sometimes things just go wrong. This is true, as many a Maryland motorist would likely attest; dangerous situations do occur from deer running into the road to another driver’s actions causing distraction at an inopportune moment. As a Maryland auto accident lawyer, I know that the range of possible factors that can lead to a car or motorcycle wreck are too numerous to list here.

To be fair, police officers take an oath to serve and protect the public, yet we ask of them almost super-human abilities. When an officer is racing to the scene of a traffic accident involving a minivan or passenger car and a commercial truck, time can be of the essence and seconds can litterly mean the difference between a serious injury and an untimely and tragic traffic death.

Maryland Auto Injury News: Prince Frederick Driver Seriously Injured in Single-car Calvert County Wreck

December 27, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Outside of driver error, single-vehicle traffic accidents can sometimes be caused by poorly maintained safety equipment, such as brakes or tires, or faulty component design or manufacture. Also know as defective equipment, incorrectly functioning vehicle parts and components can be a contributing factor associated with serious car, motorcycle and commercial truck accidents.

As Baltimore automobile injury accident lawyers, I and my colleagues have seen the results of car, truck and motorcycle crashes that have been caused by defective equipment. Situations involving bad part design that lead to a serious or fatal traffic collision go under the heading of products liability. The sad reality in many cases is that the accident could perhaps have been avoided if proper engineering or manufacturing procedures were followed.

As recent single-car accident, though not necessarily caused by a defective automotive component, nonetheless sent a man to the hospital with serious bodily injuries. According to news reports, the 20-year-old Prince Frederick driver was heading westbound along Leitches Wharf Road when for some reason he lost control of the vehicle. Police reports indicate that the crash, which occurred about one mile from Stoakley Road in Calvert County, MD.

Maryland Auto Accident Update: NHTSA’s Revised Passenger Car Safety Ratings Look to Improve Occupant Safety

December 25, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As Maryland auto injury attorneys serving individuals in cities such as Baltimore, Cumberland and Frederick, MD, as well as Washington, D.C., I and my colleagues look forward to a day when serious injuries and deaths from traffic-related accidents are a thing of the past. While that day may be well off, constant improvements in vehicle design and constantly evolving government safety regulations indicate some progress.

Because tens of thousands of people are killed on this nation’s roadways every year, there is always room for improvement. The cost from traumatic brain and spinal injuries sustained during a car crash can be astronomical for a family of limited means. Not only is medical care expensive, the cost to a family when one of the primary wage earners is laid up for an extended period can be financially devastating.

Protecting the occupants of a motor vehicle that is involved in a traffic collision on an expressway, country road or city street is the job of that motor vehicle’s passenger restraint system, as well as other safety components located throughout the car or truck. Granted, there’s a big difference in the protection offered by a car, SUV or minivan than what is provided to a motorcyclist involved in a similar road accident, but those occupants in a passenger car are still at risk nonetheless.

Recent changes in the 5-star safety ratings set fourth by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) may help to increase the level of protection that motor vehicle passengers can expect in the future. According to news reports,

Starting with 2011 models, new vehicle crash tests will likely make drivers and passengers alike feel safer and more secure when traveling in new cars. Based on reports, the new crash evaluation criteria include an enhanced 5-Star Safety Ratings System for new vehicles. The new testing now includes a side pole crash test and evaluation of in-vehicle crash prevention technologies. The latest criteria also marks the first use of female crash test dummies are to be used in crash scenarios.

As in the past, vehicles are rated from on a scale of one to five stars (one being lowest and five the highest). Under the old NHTSA guidelines, many vehicles received the maximum, 5-star rating, however that will likely change with the new system now in place. This is reportedly because the new standards are much more strict. In fact, many previous 5-star rated vehicles are likely to drop in the rankings under the new system.

Maryland Auto Injury News: Three Restaurant Customers Injured When Car Crashes into Building

December 13, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Anyone who watches the evening news will agree that you don’t have to be riding in a motor vehicle to be hurt as a result of a car crash. Pedestrians and bicycle riders are two groups of people that are constantly in the news due to traffic-related injuries. As a Maryland auto accident attorney and personal injury lawyer, I also can say that when it comes to car-versus-person impacts, the car or commercial truck almost always wins.

Frankly, it’s not uncommon to see fatalities in cases where pedestrians have been hit by an oncoming car, truck or city bus. Some people don’t even see the accident coming, especially in cases like the one in the news not long ago. According to reports, two diners at a local Mexican restaurant were sent to the hospital after a passenger car drove through the front of the building.

Police reports indicate that a Honda Accord crashed through the glassed-in entryway of La Promesa Taco Shop on York Road just before 3am on a Sunday morning. News reports show that around 30 people were in the restaurant at the time of the accident. Based on reports, witnesses said that the Honda drove through an adjacent Jiffy Lube facility then went over a curb and drove across the restaurant’s parking lot before hitting the building.

Tragic Car-related Accident Takes Life of Maryland Teen in Anne Arundel County

December 10, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Young people do some of the strangest things growing up, most are harmless and lead to nothing more than a rebuke by a parent or police officer. There are other instances, where automobiles, motorcycles and commercial trucks are involved, when a simple lack of judgment results in serious bodily injury and sometimes even unexpected death.

Fatal car crashes and truck accidents are nothing new in metropolitan areas such as Baltimore, Cumberland and Hagerstown. As a Maryland auto accident lawyer and injury attorney, I and my colleagues have the training and experience to help victims and their families recover costs related to serious car and motorcycle wrecks, such as extended medical treatment, lost income due to a car crash, and other related expenses.

Not long ago a young man was killed while riding in a vehicle that was traveling eastbound along Davidsonville Road in Anne Arundel Co. According to witnesses, the 19-year-old resident of Silver Spring, MD, was leaning out the right rear window of a 2004 Chevrolet truck apparently trying to get the attention of some friends walking across a nearby field when the vehicle reportedly sideswiped a utility pole.

Maryland Single-vehicle Traffic Accident Leaves Driver Dead; Sends Two Passengers to Baltimore Shock Trauma

December 8, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Whatever the cause of serious car or truck crash, the results can be terrible for the occupants and their families. Regardless of the reasons, a fatal automobile accident can deeply affect lives of victim’s relatives and close friends. A recent accident reported in the news brings up a point that bears repeating: Always wear your seatbelt.

If we could predict the future, those who choose not to wear their safety belt might do better over time, but since traffic wrecks are not predictable, drivers and passengers are smart to belt-up whenever going out onto the road. As a Maryland personal injury lawyer and auto accident attorney, I understand how extensive a person’s injuries can be following a bad car accident.

The fatal crash in question reportedly occurred in Montgomery County, MD, on a Friday night as three people were traveling in a Honda Accord sedan along Chandlee Mill Road around 10pm in the evening. According to police, 19 -year-old David Oughton somehow lost control of the vehicle which then left the roadway and hit a tree by the roadside. Based on police reports, the driver died at the scene. He was allegedly not wearing his seatbelt.