Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Several Deaths in 7 Vehicle Accident on Route 32 in Anne Arundel County

August 30, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Just hours after an accident occurred this week on Route 32 in Anne Arundel County, investigators reported that they believe that speed was a major factor in causing the seven car collision.

Police believe that one car traveling “at a high rate of speed” rear-ended another vehicle, which then set off a deadly chain reaction eventually involving a total of seven vehicles. Three individuals died as a result, all of whom were traveling in the same vehicle. Two of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while the third was pronounced dead shortly thereafter at a local trauma center.

In sum, six passengers were injured in the accident, requiring transport to nearby hospitals. Four people were sent to Baltimore-Washington Medical Center with minor injuries. One man was flown to Shock Trauma in critical condition. An eight year old girl was flown to Johns Hopkins Pediatric for treatment of life-threatening injuries. It remains unclear which passengers were traveling in which vehicle, and what happened to the initial vehicle that was reportedly speeding.

Route 152 Closed Following Serious 3 Car Accident

August 27, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week, authorities responded to the scene of a serious three vehicle accident on Route 152 (Mountain Road) near Old Mountain Road North in Joppa. The accident was so serious, in fact, that the rescue crews on sight called for a special medical team from the University of Maryland’s Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore in order to assist with extricating the driver from the car.

Maryland State Police said that responders were initially contacted at 3:34 p.m. Monday, after a pickup truck traveling south on the highway crossed the center line and collided head-on with a car heading north. After the initial collision, the pickup reportedly hit a dump truck that was traveling north behind the car. Based off of photos from the scene, it appears that the car then drove off of the highway and rolled down an embankment.

According to reports, the driver of the car was flown by helicopter to Shock Trauma after the individual was freed from the wreckage. The driver of the pickup was transported by ambulance to Johns Hopkins. The driver of the dump truck driver was reportedly not seriously injured.

Calvert Accident Ends in Tragedy

August 14, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Maryland State Police are investigating a fatal crash that happened earlier this month in Calvert that claimed the life of a seventeen year old girl and left three others injured.

The accident apparently happened when, for unknown reasons, the Chevrolet Camaro in which the young woman was a passenger crossed the center line and struck a Honda Ridgeline traveling in the opposite direction.

The collision occurred near East Mount Harmony Road at Valley View Court, in Owings. The young woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities Investigate Wrong Way Crash in Ownings

August 9, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Maryland State Police are investigating an accident that happened earlier this week, which left a Chesapeake Beach teenager dead and three other individuals injured.

The accident occurred Wednesday morning, when a Camaro driven by a 20 year old girl was traveling west on East Mt. Harmony Road, and for unknown reasons the car crossed over the double yellow lines into oncoming traffic. The Camaro then collided with a Honda Ridgeline truck, driven by a 77 year old man.

The front passenger of the Camaro, a 17 year old girl, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Camaro was transported by helicopter to a local medical center. A 10 year old passenger in the Camaro was transported by helicopter to a local children’s hospital.

The driver of the Ridgeline was transported by ambulance to a local hospital.

Authorities reported that they do not believe that alcohol and drugs were a contributing factor to the accident, and that the investigation is ongoing.

Landover Tractor Trailer Collision Erupts into Flames

July 25, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Three teens were injured in a car accident in Landover earlier this month, and narrowly escaped further tragedy.

Authorities in Prince George’s County reported that a tractor trailer was pulling into a warehouse on Ardwick Ardmore Road just before midnight Tuesday when the collision occurred. The car became wedged under the trailer, but the teens were able to escape just before both vehicles reportedly caught fire.

A fire department spokesperson said that the tractor trailer was carrying materials used to manufacture mattresses at the time of the accident. It took fire crews approximately 20 minutes to fully extinguish the flames.

The teens were transported to local trauma centers. The driver of the truck was not seriously injured. The street was closed for a period of time while authorities cleared the scene, and conducted an initial investigation.

Maryland Man to Serve Time For Role in Tragic Accident

July 15, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Last week a Maryland Man was sentenced to serve time in a County Jail for his role in a car accident last year that left one man dead.

The man was sentenced to nine to 23 months in jail following the fatal crash he reportedly caused last June.

Ronald Lee Streets pleaded guilty in April to the charges of reckless endangerment, vehicular homicide, and failing to immediately notify authorities of an accident.

According to police, the driver lost control of his vehicle while rounding a curve on Route 160, causing him and his passenger (the victim) to be ejected from the vehicle. He then walked to a neighborhood home to call two people asking for a ride before eventually calling 911.

An accident reconstructionist determined that the driver was traveling 11-14 miles per hour more than the relevant speed limit for the area.

In addition to jail time, Streets will serve three years on supervised probation following his release from jail, will be required to perform 100 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay $2,644 in restitution

3 Car Accident in California, Maryland

July 8, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Police, fire, and other rescue crews responded to the report of a three car accident along Airport Road in California last month. When the crews arrived, they discovered the three vehicles still in the roadway.

According to the initial investigation, authorities believe that a Dodge Caravan was traveling west on Airport Road, when it struck an Infiniti M45 that was in a turn lane waiting for the roadway to clear.

The initial collision’s impact from the Caravan caused the Infiniti to cross into oncoming traffic, which resulted in a collision with a BMW 735.

Three individuals were transported to a local hospital for treatment of their injuries.

While the accident remains under investigation, the initial cause of the accident remains unreported.

Based on the circumstances as reported, whereby one vehicle crashed into a vehicle that was in a turning lane, it seems likely that one of two possible scenarios occurred. One potential explanation is that the car who which waiting to turn was pulled too far out into traffic, which left insufficient space for oncoming traffic to pass safely. The car could also have accelerated too soon in anticipation of turning, thus putting it farther into the path of oncoming traffic.

An alternative explanation is that the car which was waiting to turn was within a safe distance from oncoming traffic, and that it was the oncoming driver who either drove too closely to the turning car, misjudged the distance, or made some other error, which accidentally resulted in the collision.

Tragic Multi Car Collision in Anne Arundel County Claims Mother of Two

July 1, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A mother of two was tragically killed in a car accident that also left her two children injured. The accident occurred last Friday in Anne Arundel County.

Maryland State Police reported that the woman’s Honda Accord swerved across the grass median on Route 295, and then collided head-on with a box truck heading in the opposite direction. The woman’s two children, a 9 year old boy and an infant, were taken to the hospital for treatment. The driver of another vehicle was taken to the hospital, as well as were the three children of a third driver involved in the incident.It remains unclear whether these other vehicles were involved in the collision, or if, on the other hand, the injuries were sustained in an attempt to avoid impact.

Police are continuing their investigation into the collision, and at this point do not know why the woman’s car crossed the median.

Without further information, it is impossible to know exactly why the woman’s car not only left the roadway, but then continued into the oncoming traffic. Some common explanations can include reasons like:

An animal suddenly running into the roadway

Another driver making a sudden move that causes the individual to overreact/over-correct

A sudden obstruction entering the roadway, such as a truck losing its load

Aggressive drivers

Swerving to miss a pothole in the road

Distracted driving, such as handheld cellphone use or even passengers the driver finds distracting

Car Accident in Mechanicsville Sends Two Children to Trauma Center

June 28, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

This past Sunday, just after 1 o’clock in the afternoon, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office responded to an accident near the intersection of Thompson Corner Road and Dawn Acres Lane.

According to authorities, a driver of a Ford Bronco was traveling south on Thompson Corner Road, when he lost control of the vehicle. This caused him to leave the roadway, striking a utility pole, and several trees before his vehicle overturned.

The car reportedly had two juvenile passengers. The rear seat juvenile passenger was partially ejected from the vehicle, and had to be flown to Children’s Hospital. The front seat juvenile passenger was flown to another hospital as a precaution, and the driver of the Bronco was taken to another hospital for treatment of his minor injuries.

Additionally, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Collision Reconstruction Team responded to the scene and began their investigation. So far alcohol and excessive speed do not appear to have been a contributing factor in the accident.

Driver Fleeing Police Causes Collision in South Baltimore

June 21, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A man attempting to flee from police in his sedan caused some extensive damage in South Baltimore. The chase began when an officer attempted to approach the man’s vehicle in the Mount Clare Junction area. The driver then drove away, eventually coming down Carey Street, where he hit a pickup truck passing through the Washington Boulevard intersection. The collision sent both vehicles into a tailspin, which came to rest near a light pole.

According to reports, the man was traveling with a 1 year old, who was not seriously harmed, and a 26 year old woman, who witnesses stated suffered a serious arm injury.

Police later identified the 26 year old man, and reported that he fled due to being wanted for assault and a narcotics violation. He was subsequently taken to Shock Trauma for non-life threatening injuries.

Following the collision, a team of firefighters worked to extricate the driver of the truck, which had ended up on top of the sedan. Authorities reported that the driver was transported to Shock Trauma for minor injuries.