Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Maryland Motorist Charged with Drunk Driving and Two Accidents Traveling the Wrong Way on I-70

November 24, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Drunk driving can and does cause tragic results. It’s amazing, then, that an 84-year-old Maryland motorist who police believe was driving under the influence of alcohol, did not kill anyone when he unknowingly drove the wrong way on Interstate 70 recently. As auto and truck accident attorneys, I and my colleagues have seen first-hand the results of similar events. This one, thank goodness, did not result in any fatalities or serious injuries, for that matter.

According to reports, Carroll Wayne Broome of Hagerstown was apparently intoxicated when he entered I-70 just after noontime on Monday, November 16, and drove eastbound through opposing traffic. Police say that Broome caused two separate accidents near exit 28 (near Maryland’s Route 632) and exit 29 (near route 65).

Surprisingly, no serious injuries were reported, according to reports. Law enforcement officials said that the first accident occurred when two other vehicles collided after Broome’s vehicle caused the other drivers to swerve to avoid the man near exit 28. The second accident occurred when a car, which was grazed by the man’s blue passenger vehicle, rear-ended another car that had slowed down to avoid a collision.

Maryland Woman Receives 8 Years for Vehicular Manslaughter and Causing Life-threatening Injuries

November 22, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

An Upperco, MD, woman was recently sentenced to eight years in prison for a fatal drunk driving-related traffic accident that occurred in 2008. According to reports, 65-year-old Mary Ann Farevagg received the sentence in a Baltimore County court. I and my firm, Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, have handled dozens of wrongful death cases stemming from car collisions. Drunk driving is one of the more common causes of on-road fatalities, something that police and legislators have bee trying to combat over the years.

In this instance, Ms. Farevaag apparently entered a guilty plea in Baltimore County Circuit Court for the December 16, 2008, car crash that killed 47-year-old Richard Daniel of Hampstead, Maryland. According to news reports, Daniel was riding in a second vehicle driven by his mother Sara Daniel, 72, who was critically injured in the head-on collision. Court records show that Sara Daniel sustained life-threatening injuries that required extensive in-hospital treatment.

The accident occurred on Black Rock Road near Trenton Road in Baltimore County, about a mile from Farevagg’s home. Prosecutors said that the vehicle Farevaag was driving crossed the center line at 8:40am and struck the Daniel’s car first, then hit several other vehicles before ending up in a nearby field.

Glenn Burnie, MD, Court Turns Down Home Detention Request for Baltimore Man Convicted of Vehicular Manslaughter

November 20, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A recent article made one thing clear: The court of Judge William C. Mulford II sees things as they really are. According to the news report, the trial of a Baltimore man was finally concluded with a guilty verdict for the 2007 deaths of two men. Although the defense requested that the man, 20-year-old Nicholan Vakoutis III, be allowed to serve his 18-month sentence at home. As a Maryland auto accident lawyer who represents the families of victims, I understand why the judge declined.

According to the report, it was definitely and emotional hearing, due to the fact that the two deceased men and the defendant were all friends. But Circuit Court Judge Mulford ordered Vakoutis to finish the 18-month sentence imposed following his conviction for the deaths of 16-year-old Justin Wesley of Pasadena and Ronald Jake Houck, 19, of Baltimore.

During the hearing, which was attended by both the Vakoutis’ family and those of his friends, court records show that Vakoutis asked to be allowed to finish the rest of his sentence at home.

Fatal Single-Car Accident in Frederick County Leaves Maryland Driver Dead

November 18, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Tragedy can strike at any time. For many people, an SUV, pickup truck or passenger car crash can spell the difference between a happy future and a sad end. As Maryland automobile accident lawyers, Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers has the experience to help families of traffic accident victims make it through a very difficult time.

Nothing good can come out of the death of a loved one caused by a severe vehicle collision or other fatal traffic accident, especially if that person is the breadwinner in the family. But talking to a personal injury lawyer is always a good idea. A recent single-vehicle crash reminded me of how transient life can be.

According to reports, a Gaithersburg, MD, man was killed in a single-vehicle wreck not long ago on a stretch of Maryland 464. Maryland State Police identified the man as Ruo Y. Zhao. Police reports indicate that the 26-year-old was driving a 2008 Mitsubishi westbound on Point of Rocks Road, just east of Lander Road, at what the authorities describe as a high rate of speed. This was stated, according to police, by a witness who saw the car prior to the crash but did not see the actual event.

Maryland Auto Accident News: Health Insurance Not Obliged to Cover Crash Victims’ Medical Costs

November 15, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A recent Court of Appeals ruling has determined that Maryland health insurance carriers do not necessarily have to cover the medical costs incurred by victims of car and truck accidents. As part of a class-action suit concluded on October 20, Maryland’s top court’s decision is based on a state law that requires automobile insurance companies to carry PIP (or personal injury protection) coverage for driver’s.

As a Maryland auto accident attorney, I understand the typically expensive medical costs associated with car and truck accidents. This is why I and my colleagues always recommend to anyone involved in an injury accident to contact a qualified accident lawyer to review his or her situation. This latest court ruling makes it more difficult for victims of traffic collisions to recover their medical costs following a hospital stay.

The Court of Appeals’ 6-1 decision is a setback for a class of injured motorists who claimed that MAMSI Life & Health Insurance Co. had an obligation to make good on policies requiring it to pay medical expenses, including those resulting from automobile accidents. Had MAMSI paid for beneficiaries’ medical costs, they could have used the insurance money under personal injury protection, or PIP, to cover other expenses, such as lost wages.

The class-action lawsuit began on Sept. 24, 2004, when lead plaintiff Kuei-I Wu sued MAMSI in Baltimore County Circuit Court for breach of contract and related claims, due to injuries incurred following a car accident three years earlier when she was a University of Maryland student.

On April 5, 2007, the circuit court certified as a class all owners of MAMSI health plans since Sept. 23, 2001, who had a car accident and whose PIP coverage was partially or fully exhausted before their treating physicians sought reimbursement from MAMSI, which subsequently had the case moved to U.S. District Court in Baltimore.

Wu claims she sought medical treatment under her MAMSI health policy, which contained a provision that called for coverage regardless of any other insurance she had, including PIP. Wu alleges the insurance company, in violation of the contract provision, required her treating physicians to seek reimbursement through the PIP first before turning to MAMSI.

But since the statutory issue has now been resolved in the company’s favor, the case will go back to the U.S. District Court in Baltimore for the narrower claim that MAMSI breached a provision in the policy contract requiring it to provide health coverage to injured motorists, regardless of the statute. The plaintiffs allege that, contrary to the policy contract, MAMSI’s separate contract with physicians required them to exhaust their driver’s auto insurance coverage before billing the company.

Maryland Auto Accident News: Speed Enforcement Cameras Go Up Around Baltimore

November 11, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Although there are many causes for car accidents, fatal or otherwise, one thing is for certain: speed is a contributing factor to the severity of any car crash or truck wreck. As Maryland automobile accident attorneys, Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers are well versed in the area of wrongful death and personal injury suits. Our job would be a great deal less heartbreaking if accidents occurred at lower speeds. We can only hope that the new speed cameras being placed around the city will help to reduce the number of serious accidents.

According to news reports, the city’s first speed enforcement cameras are now in operation. Designed to take photos of vehicles going through one of Northeast Baltimore’s busy intersections near City College, the cameras have been in operation since October 1. In the first week of operation, according to police, 50 warnings were mailed out to drivers who exceeding the 30mph limit by 12mph or more.

Police reviewed an additional 323 photos and videos that could also turn into violations. Police report that fastest car through that intersection was traveling southbound at 70mph on October 6 along the Alameda at 33rd Street.

Pikesville, Maryland, Woman Killed in Fatal Hit-and-Run Pedestrian Traffic Accident

November 8, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A 61-year-old woman was struck and killed recently in a pedestrian-car accident on Sudbrook Lane in Pikeville. According to reports, the local resident was walking eastbound along the westbound side of the road when an SUV reportedly hit her from behind just before three o’clock in the afternoon. Based on news reports, it seems that the vehicle had to cross over into the westbound lane in order to strike the pedestrian. Police reports show that the vehicle did not stop.

As Maryland personal injury and auto accident lawyers, our firm is able to represent victims and their families in situations such as this one. Based on the time of day, it is highly unlikely that conditions led to the SUV driver killing this person. Unless some sort of steering or tire failure occurred, the situation points more to driver inattention, or worse, a case of impaired driving.

According news reports, Baltimore County Police have charged a 39-year-old Lochearn man with the hit-and-run accident that killed Jessica Robins Jones on that October 12 afternoon. Investigators stated that the victim was walking eastbound on Sudbrook Lane near Glenback Avenue. Police also said that the driver, Lonnie Becoat III, never stopped. Jones was taken to Sinai Hospital where she later died.

Woman Pleads Guilty to Impaired Driving and Killing Glen Burnie, Maryland, Man

November 6, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It took two years but finally justice has been served on a driver who hit and killed a Glen Burnie truck driver who was standing outside his vehicle on Interstate 79 in October 2007. Heidi Wise pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide while driving under the influence of prescription medication. As a Maryland personal injury and auto accident lawyer, my firm is able to represent victims and their families in situations very similar to this one.

According to news reports, the accident occurred as Wise was passing the disabled tractor trailer driven by Charles H. Payton Sr. The 50-year-old truck driver had just pulled his big rig off onto the eastbound ramp of Interstate 79 at the junction of I-79 and I-80 in Findley Township, PA. According to police, the local woman struck and killed Payton with her pickup truck after the man had gotten out of his truck, likely to check on its condition.

Although police initially determined that the woman was not drunk from alcohol consumption, later laboratory results showed she had five times the appropriate dosage of the anxiety medication Xanax, according to news reports. Courts records indicate that on the day of the accident the woman had picked up a prescription for the medication totaling 60 pills, however, when police conducted their investigation the bottle contained only 46 pills — authorities maintain that there should have been least 58 or 59 pills.

Head-on Car Crash in Mt. Airy, Maryland, Injures Four; Kills One Driver

November 3, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Police reported a fatal car wreck in Frederick Country, MD, recently that resulted in the death of a young motorist and injured four others in the victim’s vehicle as well as a second automobile. According to news reports, the crash occurred just after 7pm on October 5 when a 1989 Chevy Cavalier driven by 20-year-old Jimmy Hawkins of Damascus hit an oncoming vehicle at the top of a hill in Mt. Airy. The second car, a 1995 Chevrolet Corsica, was being driven by local resident James P. Valentine Jr., 51.

As Maryland car accident attorneys, Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers understands the pain and suffering of the victims of such horrendous head-on accidents. In this instance, one of the two drivers died from injuries sustained in the collision, while four others were taken to a Baltimore hospital for treatment. The crash happened in the 4000 block of Bill Moxley Road, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Such an accident can cause head, neck and spine injuries. And while the police were still determining the cause, there is a chance that it was the result of driver error. Depending on which vehicle crossed the centerline, a wrongful death suit could be pending. If defective equipment is to blame, then there may be some recourse for the victims.

Driver Seriously Injured in Single-car Crash on I-68 in Washington County, Maryland

October 31, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Single-vehicle accidents can be caused by a number of factors; from poor maintenance procedures to defective vehicle equipment. An automobile accident involving just one vehicle can also be related to driver error, such as a distraction of some sort — cell phone use or texting — even physical impairment, such as alcohol or drug use. As a Maryland auto accident lawyer, my firm works with the police to find the true cause of fatal or near-fatal accidents, and to learn if there is third-party involvement.

Any injuries sustained during a car crash can be severe enough to keep a person from earning a living and supporting his or her family. Medical expenses only add to the burden a family must endure during the victim’s convalescence. A recent news item shows just how easily someone’s life can be turned upside down in an instant.

According to news reports, police found a man lying on the eastbound shoulder of Interstate 68 on October 4 in the morning hours, an apparent victim of a single-vehicle crash. Investigators determined that the out-of-state driver had been ejected from his vehicle after it struck a guardrail sometime before 7am.