Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Alcohol and Speed Responsible for Another Maryland Traffic Death

June 9, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in an accident that occurred in Clements, Maryland, a young woman lost her life when her car left the road and crashed into a tree, ejecting her in the process. According to a report by Southern Maryland News Net, the accident occurred near the intersection of Colton’s Point Road and Oakley Road just before seven in the evening.

Evidently, the driver was heading southbound on Colton’s Point Road when she began to drift into the oncoming lane of traffic. As she attempted to get the car back into its proper lane, she overcorrected, and the vehicle left the road, traveling over an embankment, into the air, and ultimately into a tree. The driver was ejected from the vehicle. She was not wearing her seatbelt.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. There was also a three-year-old child in the car with the woman who was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Girl Killed in Car Accident By Fleeing Murder Suspect

June 2, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In a tragic accident out of Baltimore, a young 12-year-old girl has lost her life due to an accident that was caused by a man who fleeing police. According to a report by the Baltimore Sun, the man who caused the accident was a suspect in the shooting of a 16-year-old victim earlier in the week.

Plain clothes police officers were following the man a few days later when they witnessed him speed through an intersection and collide with a minivan. Inside the minivan were a mother and her two daughters. One of the daughters lost her life in the accident.

The driver fled the scene on foot after getting into the accident with the minivan. Police and neighbors in the area rushed outside to help the victims of the accident, and one of the victims needed to be cut out from the crumpled van. The fugitive driver was able to escape the scene of the crime and has since evaded the authorities. Police are currently looking for the man they describe as “a black man with medium build wearing a white T-shirt and jeans.”

Elderly Driver Charged with Negligent Driving After Crashing into a Fast-Food Restaurant

May 22, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week in sleepy Hampstead, Maryland, a bit of excitement greeted residents at lunch hour when a car drove through two walls of a Wendy’s fast-food restaurant. According to a report by a local news affiliate, just before noon last Thursday an 80-year-old driver ended up crashing through the walls of the restaurant and into the lobby.

According to a police officer who was in the parking lot of the restaurant at the time, “The vehicle pulled forward at first, hit the curb or the building, realized it, backed up about halfway in the lot here, and then [the driver] apparently went to put it in park and put it in drive and must’ve gunned the gas, spun out a little bit, and went forward through both the walls.”

Luckily, no one was hurt in the strange accident, including the elderly driver. One woman, however, told reporters that she had to jump over a table when she saw the car coming towards her.

Police Identify Three Young Men Killed in Baltimore County Car Accident

May 15, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week, police identified the three passengers who were killed in a fatal car accident that occurred last Sunday morning. According to a report by the Baltimore Sun, the accident occurred on the southbound ramp from Interstate 83 to Interstate 695 in Baltimore County. Evidently, although the accident occurred on a Sunday morning, the wreckage from the car accident was not discovered until Tuesday, since the car was obscured by the trees and brush on the side of the highway.

Little is known about the accident, except that it occurred shortly after 1:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. Several days after the accident, police identified the three young men involved: a 23-year-old, a 24-year-old, and a 25-year-old. All were students on their way back home from Fairfax, Virginia.

Police are not sure how the accident occurred. However, they do believe that speed may have been a factor, given that the car was some 300 feet off the side of the road in the nearby woods. The accident and the subsequent investigation shut down the I-83 ramp for hours as police tried to figure out exactly what happened.

Fatal Car Accident in Fort Washington Under Investigation

May 8, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week in Prince George’s County, a fatal head-on collision occurred when one car crossed the center median and slammed into an oncoming car. According to a report by an ABC affiliate, the accident occurred early Monday morning on Route 210 near East Swan Creek Road. Evidently, a Cadillac was heading southbound on Route 210, Indian Head Highway, when it inexplicably began to shift lanes, eventually crossing into oncoming traffic.

As the Cadillac crossed into oncoming traffic, it crashed head-on into a BMW. Police and emergency crews immediately responded and took both adult male drivers to the hospital. The driver of the BMW was pronounced dead upon arrival. However, the driver of the Cadillac luckily suffered only non-life threatening injuries.

Police have not yet determined the cause of the accident, and an investigation is underway.

Pylesville Single-Car Accident Leaves Passenger Dead

May 1, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week in Pylesville, a Nissan driven by a 21 year-old male left the road and slammed into a tree. According to a report by the Baltimore Sun, the driver was heading south on Clermont Mill around the 4600 block when his car inexplicably left he road and collided with a tree.

When police arrived at the scene of the accident, the driver was standing outside the vehicle. The passenger was trapped inside the Nissan and needed to be extricated by emergency personnel. After the passenger was removed, he was taken to York Hospital. Unfortunately, the passenger later died of the injuries he sustained as a result of the accident. The driver of the car was taken to Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air and is expected to fully recover from his injuries.

Police are still investigating the cause of the fatal car accident, but do not believe that drugs or alcohol were involved. Currently, the focus of the investigation is on “weather, road conditions, and speed of the vehicle.” No charges have been filed yet.

Drunk Driver Hits College Student in Baltimore County and Keeps on Driving

April 22, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Towson, Maryland, a 19-year-old college student was struck and killed by a driver on Dulaney Valley Road, a major arterial road. According to a report by the local NBC affiliate, the driver was heading north in the right turning lane when she struck the student just before 2 a.m. on Sunday morning.

The driver did not stop, but continued on her way until police caught up with her later and arrested her. The student was taken to the hospital early Sunday morning, immediately after the accident, but died form the injuries he sustained the next day. The student was a well-liked and integral member of the school’s lacrosse team as well as a double major in Economics and Business Management.

The hit-and-run driver who was also intoxicated at the time was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident. Police and prosecutors are currently investigating the accident to determine if she should face more serious charges.

Woman Killed When She Was Struck By an Unmarked Police Car; Officer Placed on Administrative Leave

April 15, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week, a woman was killed when she was struck by an unmarked police car on Dual Highway in Washington County. According to a report by Herald Mail Media, the accident took place around 3:30 a.m. when a sheriff’s deputy was heading east on Dual Highway near the 1300 block.

The officer remained on the scene and called back up. Emergency personnel took the woman—a Hagerstown resident—to Meritus Medical Center where she died a few hours later from the injuries she sustained as a result of the accident. The accident is being investigated by the Washington County State Attorney’s Office, as well as by another undisclosed law enforcement agency. The officer involved in the accident has been placed on administrative leave pending the result of the investigation.

Pedestrian Accidents Frequent on Maryland Roads

This tragic accident was the second in a three week span on Dual Highway. Just a few weeks back, a Cumberland woman was struck and killed by a hit and run driver. She was also taken to Meritus Medical Center where she died a short time after arrival. The hit and run driver involved in that crash has still not been identified.

Recent GM Recall Tied to 31 Accidents and 13 Deaths

April 8, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this year, General Motors announced a recall affecting 6.3 million vehicles. The problems affected many of the company’s models including the Cobalt, Cruze, Acadia, Traverse, HHR, Solstice, and Sky. Unlike many other recalls, the recent GM recall was not isolated to one problem with the automobiles. The current recalls affect many parts of the cars, including the:

Ignition switch;
Axels;
Steering system;
Side airbag wiring; and
Instrument panel

In a recent article by USA Today, it is reported that the recalls may be responsible for 31 crashes and 13 deaths.

What is especially tragic about this particular recall and the accidents it has caused is that there is evidence that GM knew the parts were faulty years ago, and delayed issuing the recall until the most recent series of serious accidents.

What Is a Diminished Value Car Insurance Claim?

April 1, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Say you have a newer car and are involved in an accident that is not your fault. When it comes time for the insurance company to reimburse you for the repairs that your automobile needs to bring it back to its old functioning self, the insurance company will either solicit bids from mechanics or ask you to get bids and will cut you a check accordingly. You can then take your car in to get fixed at whichever mechanic you choose with the money they provided you and you are all set. Everything is back to the way it was before you were involved in the accident, right?

Not necessarily. Why? Because the resale value of your car has gone down significantly now that it has been involved in a serious auto accident. With the prevalence of online title history searches, used car buyers are able to find out whether the car they are about to buy has ever been in a serious accident. Used car buyers are weary of those cars that have been in an accident for several reasons:

There may be structural damage to the frame of the car that was not repaired after the accident;
The replacement parts may not be of the same quality as the original equipment;
The repairs themselves may not have been made by a license and certified auto mechanic who specializes in that particular make and model of vehicle.
Used car buyers may not want to take any chance that the car is not reliable.