Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Baltimore Injury News: Bowie Resident Dies in Single-vehicle Car Crash on Maryland’s Route 301

May 19, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Single-vehicle auto wrecks can happen for a variety of reasons. While driver error is quite common, other causes can be attributed to these kinds of traffic accidents, with results ranging from simple cuts and bruises to head and spine trauma. Depending on the sped of the crash and other circumstances, fatalities are not uncommon.

Weather conditions as well as the state of the roadway can also be contributing factors in a car crash involving only one vehicle. As Maryland automobile accident lawyers, we are often called upon to represent individuals and their families in cases of defective vehicle equipment. Such cases can include failure of safety systems, broken or poorly maintained steering components, worn or damaged tires or suspension components.

Under the right circumstances, a defective vehicle component can prove to be an accident waiting to happen. At highway speeds, such component failures can result in death or severe injury to the driver and passengers. A recent accident along Route 301 near Mill Branch Road is a situation where defective equipment may be suspect.

Maryland Auto Accident News: Criminal Suspects Held Without Bond in Fatal Northwest Baltimore Car Crash

May 17, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Two accused criminals have been charged in connection with a car crash that eventually led to the death of an elderly man. The accident occurred in late April in Northwest Baltimore when the two suspects allegedly fled police and subsequently hit the victim’s vehicle.

Based on police reports, 86-year-old Elbert Davis was driving his Chevrolet Monte Carlo at the time he was hit by the pair of fleeing suspects. The men, 29-year-old Umar Burley and 26-year-old Brent Matthews, were arrested following the accident. Davis and another elderly passenger were the only occupants of the Monte Carlo. Davis suffered a heart attack as a result of the crash and died later that day.

Police reports show that the plainclothes detectives who attempted to arrest the two suspects prior to the accident did not initiate any car chase, which police authorities said would be against department policy. News reports indicate that the detectives were driving in the general direction that the suspects had fled when they came upon the accident scene less than a mile away. According to reports, Davis was the father of a city police officer.

Maryland Mother, 17, Dies in Fatal Pedestrian-Automobile Accident in Baltimore County

May 15, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Any person’s death causes us to reflect on the fragility of life. When a young mother dies, it’s a terrible tragedy, not only for the individual but for the family that she leaves behind. As Maryland auto accident attorneys, my office is dedicated to helping families of victims who are killed in car, truck and motorcycle-related accidents.

Regardless of the circumstances, the result of a parent’s death can put a strain on a small family, especially in uncertain economic times. The recent news of a woman who was killed while pushing her baby’s stroller across a street makes the heartbreaking point that pedestrian safety is paramount in an urban setting.

According to reports, over 35,000 vehicles use the intersection where Mavi Maldonado lost her life. Police reports indicate that the mother and her 14-month-old son were trying to get to the bus stop when the mom was struck by a pickup truck near the entrance to the Golden Ring shopping in Baltimore County. She passed away several hours later.

Head-on Crash Kills Driver after Toyota Truck Crossed Centerline in Fatal Baltimore County Traffic Accident

May 12, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Of all traffic accidents, head-on wrecks can be and usually are the most deadly. Vehicle speed has a great bearing on how bad such a car, SUV or minivan crash will be, but the results are many times fatal. Size disparity between the vehicles involved in undivided highway and surface street collisions can make a big difference in the outcome as well.

Operators of compact cars and motorcycles have a greater chance statistically of being killed or severely injured when hit by a larger more massive vehicle, such as a full-size sport utility vehicle (SUV), or worse, a commercial 18-wheeler (also known as a big rig or semi tractor-trailer).

Being a Baltimore injury lawyer and automobile accident attorney, my office has represented numerous clients who have been hurt in Maryland traffic wrecks. As mentioned, many head-on crashes result in death of one or more individuals. A recent wreck in Kingsville illustrates the tragic aftermath of such encounters.

Baltimore Auto Accident News: Maryland and D.C. Highly Ranked in Safety for Teenage Drivers

May 9, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Everyone is concerned over maintaining the safety of their loved ones. Relatives and close friends all hope for the safe arrival of families traveling across the state or just across town. One group that gets a considerable amount of attention are those younger folks in their teens and growing up to be adults. As a Maryland injury lawyer and auto accident attorney, I’ve seen the statistics and I know how scary it is for parents of teens and young adults.

When it comes to car, truck and motorcycle accidents, young people are definitely over represented in terms of deaths and injuries sustained on the road. It’s not surprising then that parents go grey just about the time their kids take their first driving lessons. While it’s difficult to change the habits of entire age groups, a recent article gave us hope that here in Maryland, parents can sleep somewhat more soundly at night.

According to a news article, automobile accident statistics support the notion that young people (those aged 15-20 years old) are at increased risk of getting into a motor vehicle accident than any other group. It is disheartening to note that while this age group makes up less than seven percent of the general population, it accounts for 14 percent of all car accident cases.

Baltimore Auto Injury News: Will Banning Hand-held Cell Phones Reduce Fatal Maryland Traffic Accidents?

May 7, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It’s already been discussed here that a recent study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that cellphone bans do not appear to lower the incidence of traffic accidents. Even so, Maryland legislators are still moving toward a proposed law that will ban hand-held use of cellphones and mobile devices when operating a motor vehicle.

Anything that can reduce automobile and trucking-related highway crashes would be a good thing, since thousands of people are killed in traffic wrecks every year around the U.S. As a Baltimore car accident attorney, I’m on the side of the victims and I know that every driver should be doing his or her part to cut down on the carnage on our public roads.

I’ve seen what can happen to the occupants of a passenger car when it’s hit by another vehicle. Cuts and bruises are the least of the injuries a person can sustain in a crash. Traumatic brain injury is common, as is damage to the neck and spine, any of which can put a person in a wheelchair sometimes for the rest of their life. The question here is would a ban on hand-held cellphones be too much of burden, even if it saved the life of just one person?

Consider your answer carefully because the life you save may be your own, or that of a loved one. An editorial in the Baltimore Sun speaks to this very issue as Maryland faces a ban on hand-held cellphone use.

Of course, nearly every motorist at one time or another has seen all manner of vehicle being driven hazardously. This includes instances of failure to yield where appropriate, drifting into oncoming traffic or suddenly making a turn without an appropriate use of turn signals. I’ll wager that, at least in the past 10 years, these kinds of activities may well have been caused by a so-called distracted driver with a cellphone to his or her ear.

The new Maryland law would restrict driver cellphone use to only hands-free devices. Although it isn’t quite clear that such technology (usually a headset or vehicle-mounted microphone/speaker arrangement) improves matters much, but it may be the new law of the land as Maryland joins the growing number of jurisdictions that ban drivers from using hand-helds.

Maryland Auto Injury News: Pedestrian Critically Injured in Baltimore County Hit-and-Run Accident

May 2, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It seems that we are reading more and more about pedestrian-auto accidents. Sadly, persons on foot have little in the way of protection against a 3,000-pound automobile, which usually spells disaster for the pedestrian how is hit by a car or truck. While laws are in place to make crossing streets and walking near roadways safer, there is no substitute for heightened awareness on the part of walkers, joggers and runners whenever motor vehicles are around.

As a Baltimore injury lawyer, my office has experience to assist victims of auto-pedestrian collisions. Injuries can be severe and long-lasting for victims and their relatives, mainly due to the sometimes lengthy recovery period following a severe impact. This past St. Patrick’s Day, a hit-and-run pedestrian accident in Woodlawn, Maryland, left an 18-year-old man in critical condition at a local hospital.

According to news reports, Baltimore County police were still looking for the driver nearly a week after the tragic traffic accident. Terrel Chambers was reportedly walking with his girlfriend down a busy stretch of roadway along the west side of Windsor Mill Road when a car came speeding up behind him, striking the man and then leaving the scene.

Maryland Man Sent to Hospital with Head Injuries after Washington County Police Chase

April 29, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

An out-of-state driver being pursued by police recently caused another innocent motorist to be hurt during a chase that ended with the suspect’s vehicle lying on its side. As a Baltimore auto accident attorney, I know how an unsuspecting driver can become a hapless victim of someone else’s mistake or misdeed. In this particular case, the victim received various injuries which required him to be transported to the hospital for treatment and observation.

According to news reports, a police chase ended badly for one man after his sport utility vehicle hit one vehicle and crashed into a utility pole. The incident began when a Maryland state police trooper observed the driver of a late model Honda Pilot operating his vehicle in “an aggressive manner” around 8:30am in Funkstown, MD.

The officer then saw the driver pull up to a red traffic signal behind two cars at the intersection of Baltimore Street and Edgewood Drive. Surprisingly, the man pulled past the two stopped vehicles and drove through the red light. According to police reports, the driver headed northbound on Edgewood Drive, but just prior to reaching Dual Highway he apparently made an abrupt U-turn and started going back south.

Baltimore Car Accident News: Alcohol Cited in Head-on Multiple Injury Car Crash on Maryland Route 100

April 27, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As a Maryland driver myself, I do worry about the mental and physical states of other drivers on the road. It is a matter of fact that we all take a daily risk as we share the road with hundreds and thousands of other motorists. It is impossible to know whether any one of those drivers could be drunk, overtired, impaired from prescription medication, or just plain distracted by their cellphone or mobile device.

Needless to say, any traffic wreck is one too many, and the causes are secondary to the aftermath as far as the victims are concerned. As a Baltimore auto accident lawyer and personal injury attorney, I can say that negligence takes many forms. Society has become very sensitive one form of bad behavior — drunk driving — with law enforcement and the court system ready and willing to prosecute offenders.

But even when an individual is convicted of vehicular homicide or injury by auto, the victims and their families must continue to deal with the emotional scars and financial costs of that negligent driver’s actions. This is why I and my colleagues try so hard to help people in need by suing to recover damages from medical costs, such as treatment for traumatic spinal injury, and lost wages due to a breadwinner’s incapacitation after a crash.

Maryland Car Accident Update: Washington, D.C., Area Drivers Sue Toyota over Alleged Acceleration Problem

April 25, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Defective equipment suits, also referred to as product liability lawsuits, against Japanese car manufacturer Toyota are cropping up all over the county. I and my colleagues have the skills and experience to represent individuals who believe their vehicle had a defect that led to an accident involving personal injury or death. Of course, nobody wants to be in an automobile wreck, but from time to time forces beyond a driver’s control can result in a terrible crash.

Head and neck injuries are typical of some high-speed traffic collisions, while bruises, cuts and minor lacerations may be the only injuries in a lower-speed car or semi-truck collision. Whatever the cause, injuries can be costly, not only from a financial standpoint but also over the longer term as some people never fully recover emotionally or physically from a horrible accident.

The latest spate of defective equipment claims against Toyota allege poor accelerator design in a variety of the manufacturer’s models. According to a recent news article, two local D.C. residents have filed suits against Toyota for accidents that left them in need of medical treatment.