Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Maryland Man Dies from Injuries Sustained in Single-car Accident on MD-194

October 3, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Single-vehicle traffic accidents can be both serious and deadly. In Maryland, we see numerous car crashes involving just one vehicle, and many times a rollover is involved. Sad to say, but many passenger vehicles, such as pickup trucks and SUVs, do not always provide the necessary protection in the case of vehicle rollover. Being experienced auto accident lawyers, we are able to represent victims and their families in cases where a car or truck crashes due to defective equipment or poorly-maintained roadways.

In a recent news article, a Walkersville man was killed this past Friday in the late afternoon. According to Maryland State Police, officers responded to a single-car crash along MD-194 at Stauffer Road. Initial police reports indicate that the driver, Roger Robinette, was speeding along that stretch of road when he apparently and lost control of the vehicle.

According to reports, Robinette’s car went airborne then rolled over on impact, coming to rest in a nearby cornfield. During the crash, the driver was thrown from the vehicle, which caused him to sustain life-threatening injuries.

Two Marland Residents Dead following Fatal Charles County Single-car Auto Accident

September 30, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A hospitalized St. Mary’s County man died from injuries sustained one week earlier as a result of a fatal single-vehicle crash on Route 6 near the town of La Plata, MD. Adrian Paul Proffer, a resident of Hollywood, Maryland, was the second person to die from the September 8 crash — a third person survived the wreck, but not without receiving life-threatening injuries herself.

Although police believe speed was a contributing factor, because this was a single-car accident defective equipment is also a possibility. As Maryland automobile accident lawyers our office handles personal injury cases caused by poorly designed or improperly maintained vehicle equipment.

This is a tremendous tragedy for all of the families involved. According to news reports, Proffer was scheduled to babysit his niece that morning and was late returning home from a night out. His aunt, Dottie Proffer, believes the driver was rushing him home for that reason when the deadly accident occurred.

Jury Awards $4 Million to Family of University of Maryland Student Killed in Car Crash

September 28, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A Prince George’s County jury recently awarded $4 million to the family of a University of Maryland student who was killed in a 2007 automobile wreck involving an off-duty county police officer in Bowie, MD. The civil case ended with a decision showing that the officer, Cpl. Mario Chavez, was negligent in the fatal accident that killed 20-year-old Brian Gray on December 10, 2007.

As Maryland car accident lawyers, we have great respect for law enforcement professionals and the work they do, however a police officer cannot afford a lapse in judgment, especially when it comes to causing the death of an innocent person. This jury’s award is a message to police agencies throughout Maryland that off-duty officers should conform to the same rules of the road that other motorists are expected to observe. This crash is an example of that lack of consideration.

According to news reports, the victim was on his way to take an exam in College Park when his Chevrolet Beretta was hit broadside at nearly 50mph by a police cruiser driven by Chavez, who was off duty and heading home at the time. The posted speed limit in that area is reportedly 25mph.

Auto Accident News: Maryland Residents should Beware of Potentially Uninsured Courtesy Drivers

September 26, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A recent editorial in the Baltimore Sun brings to light a very important topic and something that every Maryland resident should consider the next time they consider hailing a hire car at a supermarket or anywhere else for that matter. Auto accidents can happen anywhere, and while it is difficult to turn down a bargain basement fare price for a ride around the city, if you are injured in a vehicle that is not properly insured, you may have a harder time recovering medical and other costs.

Remember that legitimate cab and hire car companies charge higher rates because, among other things, they carry the proper insurance. As Maryland auto accident lawyers, Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers is well aware of the risks involved in riding with an uninsured or under-insured driver.

According to the editorial, taking such a hire car is dangerous. Apparently the risks are so misunderstood that managers of the grocery stores where hacks are operating as “courtesy drivers” either do not know or, worse, they are ignoring their potential liability. These so-called “hackers” operate illegally in part because they do not care to pay for commercial auto insurance, which the law requires.

The Maryland Auto Insurance Fund, which provides coverage for many sedans and taxis, currently has a base rate of about $4,000 per year for such vehicles operating in Baltimore. Hackers may very well have personal auto insurance, but that won’t necessarily cover them if they injure a paying customer, especially if they are operating their vehicle without the knowledge of their insurance company.

As the editorial further explains, hackers do not operate solely in areas not serviced by legal cab companies. The writer goes on to remind the public that hackers operate all over the Baltimore metropolitan area. And because they are not paying, among other things, the high insurance premiums that legitimate companies pay, hackers can charge much less. But that low fare may not be such a great deal if you are hurt or severely injured in a crash.

Should the driver be involved in an accident and his or her insurance company learns that they were working as a for-hire driver at the time, it is almost a certainty that the insurance company will deny any and all claims related to that accident.

Maryland Auto Accident Update: Car and Truck Wrecks can Easily Result in Head and Back Injuries

September 25, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As auto accident and personal injury lawyers, we see everyday the results of car and truck crashes. Many automobile collisions are not fatal, however they can cause serious and long-term injuries to vehicle occupants, as well as pedestrians and onlookers. Scrapes and bruises are the least serious, but in high-speed or head-on crashes, head, neck and back damage can easily occur. Safety belts and airbags help, but can’t always protect victims of traffic accidents.

Tramatic Brain Injury

When it comes to a head injury, sometimes referred to as traumatic brain injury, more than one million individuals sustain some kind of TBI annually as a result of a car crash. Many traumatic brain injuries are caused a jolt or a blow to the head, not uncommon in a medium- to high-speed car or truck accident. The impact from such a crash can disrupt the brain’s function, the severity of which can range from a mild concussion to severe brain damage, coma, or even death.

Maryland Auto Accident News: D.C. to End Annual Safety Inspections on Passenger Cars

September 24, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In a move that could portend a rash of car, SUV and light truck accidents down the road, the District of Columbia has announced that it will be ending safety inspections for most privately-owned vehicles beginning on October 1. As a Maryland auto accident and personal injury lawyer, I have seen first-hand the human cost and property damage resulting from poorly maintained passenger cars.

Single-car accidents, as well as multi-vehicle crashes can be caused by the failure of a single critical vehicle system. Will D.C.’s decision mean more fatal collisions and non-fatal injury accidents around the area? Only time will tell, but one thing I know is that automotive safety is something that everyone who travels on our public roads should be concerned about.

According to a recent news article, budget concerns have led to decision. Along with the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles, the Fenty administration has persuaded the D.C. Council to approve the change this year as a way to save $400,000. Although the safety inspection program is being terminated, emissions inspections will still be required every two years for all cars and trucks — as required by federal regulations. Under the latest decision, but motor vehicles that are not used for commercial purposes will no longer have to prove that they are road-worthy.

Three People Injured in Single-vehicle Accident in Snow Hill, Maryland

September 22, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Auto accidents are tragic enough, but when passengers are injured due to the actions of the driver of the vehicle in which they are riding, that’s even more heartrending. Children especially should never be subjected to the life-threatening injuries of an avoidable single-car accident. As a Maryland personal injury and auto accident attorney, my firm handles cases not unlike the one reported in a recent news article.

According to an investigation by the Maryland State Police, a 2001 Toyota Sienna minivan was headed southbound on Whitesburg Road near Oak Hill Road when it apparently went out of control. Police reason that the minivan driven by a Uyen Buu was traveling at an excessive speed — deemed too fast for conditions — and crossed the northbound lane of Whitesburg Road, then slid off the roadway and crashed into a tree in a nearby wooded area.

Police said that all of the passengers were injured as a result of the crash. The adult driver of the minivan suffered non-life threatening injuries and was transported to Peninsula Regional Medical Center (PRMC). The two children, a five-year-old and a six-year-old, were transported to PRMC and then flown to John Hopkins in Baltimore.

Five Maryland Residents Injured in Auto Accidents around Anne Arundel County

September 20, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Separate traffic accidents occurred earlier this month in Anne Arundel County. Emergency responders helped five individuals who were hurt in Davidsonville and Glen Burnie, according to the county’s fire department. As Maryland car accident attorneys, the lawyers at Lebowitz-Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers are experienced in representing victims of fatal and non-fatal automobile accidents across the state. A news story coming out of Millersville, MD, reminds that one person’s negligence can cause much pain and suffering to many others.

According to reports, emergency personnel responded to a motorcycle crash in Davidsonville at 10:30am on September 7. In what appears to have been a single-vehicle crash, a 47-year-old motorcycle rider was found injured on the side of Patuxent River Road near Doublegate Road. It is not certain if this accident was a result of rider error or because of defective equipment, however rescuers aided and transported the man to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center with serious but not life-threatening injuries.

Just after noon that same day, responders were called to the scene of a two-vehicle crash in Glen Burnie. The force of the collision, which occurred at the intersection of Ritchie Highway and Maryland Avenue, caused an occupant in one of the vehicles to become entrapped before firefighters were able to free the victim.

Maryland Route 4 Single-vehicle Car Accident Kills Two in Anne Arundel County

September 18, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A teenage driver was severely injured and his two passengers killed when the vehicle they were riding in crashed off Maryland’s Route 4 in Anne Arundel County last month. According to reports, the Bradley Buta, 19, was at the wheel and driving near Lowell Pindall Road when the incident took place.

The crash happened just before 6pm not far from the Calvert County line. Police investigators believe that the young driver somehow lost control of the 2003 Toyota Highlander he was driving, after which the vehicle went off the road and struck a traffic sign. The impact then caused the SUV to flip and roll into the nearby woods.

After emergency crews arrived, the driver was taken to Prince George’s Hospital Center with serious, but not life-threatening injuries. His two passengers were not as lucky. Katherine Marie Buta, 57, and Douglas Donald Houglund, 67, were both pronounced dead at the scene.

Maryland Man Found Guilty in Fatal Drunk Driving Accident in Pasadena, MD

September 15, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A Maryland man was convicted recently of vehicular manslaughter stemming from a traffic accident last January that killed a Baltimore woman and severely injured her boyfriend. The defendant, Christopher Nelson, will face up to a year and a half in jail when he goes before a court in October for sentencing. As a Maryland car accident lawyer, I am committed to my clients. Although this man will be sentenced in October, the pain and suffering continues for the families of the victims.

The defendant was reportedly drunk when the crash occurred last January 8. Although he pleased guilty and claims to be sorry for the incident, that’s cold comfort for these victims. One person is dead and another suffered life-threatening injuries the physical and emotional scars from which will more than likely stay with him for many years to come.

According to reports, the 26-year-old Nelson was driving while intoxicated when he crashed his car head-on into a southbound vehicle on Baltimore-Annapolis Boulevard in Pasadena. Elizabeth Meryl Fowler, 54, died in the wreck and her boyfriend, 45-year-old Steven Desombre, received multiple injuries to the head, chest and hip that required him to spend a month in a Baltimore hospital.