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Posted On: April 30, 2010

$15 Million Maryland Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed by Family of Paramedic Killed During 2008 Prince George’s County Medevac Crash

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The family of Mickey Lippy has filed a $15 million Maryland wrongful death complaint against the federal government. Lippy, a paramedic, died during a 2008 medevac crash in Prince George’s County. The helicopter was transporting two teens from a Waldorf car crash site when the catastrophic aviation accident happened.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the deadly Maryland helicopter crash that claimed four peoples lives was caused by pilot error/inexperience, increased workload, and possible fatigue, as well as mistakes made by air traffic controllers, who gave the flight crew outdated weather data.

Per the family’s Maryland wrongful death lawsuit, the weather information given to the medevec pilot was “hours old” and suggested significantly better visibility than what actually existed at the time. The complaint accuses Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic controllers of not paying proper attention and “unresponsiveness.”

After pilot Stephen Bunker asked for help landing the chopper because he was having problems with the aircraft’s electronic navigation aid, the Andrews Air Force Base controller told him that she wasn’t “current” on the procedure, which would have involved using the ground-based radar. She did not try to provide additional help or ask about what the pilot instead intended to do.

Bunker, EMT Tonya Mallard, and 17-year-old car accident victim Ashley Younger, were also killed in the September 27, 2008 medevac accident. The other car accident victim, Jordan Wells, is the one person who survived the Maryland aviation accident. She has had to undergo over 20 surgeries since then.

Lippy’s widow, Westminster resident Christina Lippy and her 2-year-old daughter Madison are seeking $15 million for numerous injuries and losses, including emotional pain and suffering, mental suffering, loss of parental care, and loss of companionship. $1 million is being sought for the pain, suffering, and fear Lippy experienced prior to the tragic chopper crash.

Family of 2008 medevac crash victim files $15 million suit, The Baltimore Sun, April 28, 2010

Medevac Crash Victim's Family Sues For $15 Million, WJZ, April 28, 2010


Related Web Resources:
Federal Aviation Administration

National Transportation Safety Board

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Posted In: Wrongful Death

Posted On: April 28, 2010

Baltimore County Wrongful Death Lawsuit Accuses Westminster Assisted Living Facility of Maryland Nursing Home Neglect

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The family of Rose Sarah Cangelosi Derrickson is suing Summerville at Westminster Assisted Living for Maryland wrongful death. The 90-year-old resident died on June 30, 2009 at Carroll Hospice's Dove House.

According to a the Maryland Office of Health Care Quality. Report, nursing home workers did not cut Derrickson’s meat on June 19, 2009 even though it was known that the Parkinson’s patient, whose ability to chew and swallow were impaired, needed help cutting up her food and using her utensils. After she fell into a “severe hypoxic [deficiency in oxygen] state,” Derrickson was transported to an emergency room. Forceps had to be used to remove a chunk of meat from her throat. Because the obstruction prevented her from breathing, a breathing tube was inserted in her and she was placed on a ventilator.

According to the family’s Baltimore nursing home negligence lawyer, Derrickson did not recover and moved into a hospice on June 23, 2009 She died seven days later from aspiration pneumonia.

In her Baltimore nursing home neglect lawsuit, Linda Yingling is seeking $2 million. She contends that mother's death could have been prevented if only nursing home workers took better care of her and provided her with the proper feeding care that she needed.

Food Choking Accidents
Many nursing home patients need someone to help them during meals. Depending on his/her condition, a nursing home patient may need the food to be cut into small pieces, ground up, or liquefied. Some residents require spoon feeding.

It is so important that a nursing home is familiar with each patient’s dietary and feeding needs. Not only is it important to make sure that a resident eat and drink enough, but by adhering to his/her special feeding instructions, choking and asphyxiation accidents can be prevented.

Lawsuit to be filed against Summerville, Carroll County Times, April 18, 2010

Woman Files Lawsuit In Mom's Choking Death, WBALTV.com, April 19, 2010


Related Web Resources:
Avoiding Everyday Choking Hazards, Parent Giving

Nursing Home Awareness Campaigns: Nutrition Care Alerts, Medicare.gov

Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog

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Posted In: Nursing Home Abuse and Negligence , Wrongful Death

Posted On: April 21, 2010

Maryland Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed by Families of Two Coal Miners Killed in 2007 Mine Collapse

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The families of Michael Wilt and Dale Jones have filed their Maryland wrongful death lawsuit against Tri-Star Mining Inc., its owner George Beener, the land owner of the mine, BTC Trucking, BTC Developments, consulting firm Dugan Associates, Western Maryland Associates, Bituminous Safety Services, Inc., and Highland Engineering and Surveying Inc. The plaintiffs are seeking $8 million for the wrongful deaths of coal miners Jones and Wilton during a mine collapse.

The two men were fatally crushed on April 17, 2007 when one of the mine walls at Tri-Star Mining Inc. collapsed. The wall was comprised of thousands of tons of rock.

The plaintiffs contend that the Maryland mine collapse happened because of recklessly unsafe conditions at the workplace. They are accusing the defendants of negligence, including telling miners that it was safe to work at the bottom of the 275-foot high wall.

The US Mine Safety and Health Administration had to issue several citation after the catastrophic coal mining accident because a full inspection of the wall hadn’t been conducted. According to the Alleghany County, Maryland wrongful death complaint, an inspection would have found that the wall was not stable and that the four days of rain that happened prior to the collapse made the wall’s condition worse.

Coal miners expose themselves to dangerous conditions on the job on a regular basis, which is why it is so important that mining companies and those involved with overseeing any projects ensure that all safety measures are in place. Earlier this month, 29 workers from an explosion at Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch mine. The deadly blast is being called the worst coal mining disaster in the US in four decades. One widow, Marlene Griffith, has already filed a wrongful death lawsuit seeking compensation after her husband William was killed in the Massey mining blast.

According to the US Labor Department, Massey was cited 515 times last year violations at the mine and already has received over 100 violations in 2010. In the week following the deadly blast, investigators discovered over 60 serious safety violations.

Families of 2 Maryland Miners File Wrongful Death Suit, Insurance Journal, April 20, 2010

Massey Mine Had ‘Significant History’ of Violations, Business Week, April 15, 2010

Widow files wrongful death lawsuit, WKYT, April 19, 2010


Related Web Resources:
US Mine Safety and Health Administration

Coal Mining Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities in 2006, US Department of Labor

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Posted In: Wrongful Death

Posted On: April 15, 2010

Crofton Family to File $10 Million Maryland Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Anne Arundel County School Board and Parents of Teens Convicted of 14-Year-Old’s Fatal Beating

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The parents of Christopher Jones are filing a $10 million Maryland wrongful death lawsuit against the Anne Arundel County School Board, five teenagers, and one adult. Jones, 14, sustained a fatal head injury last May when he fell to the ground during a beating. Police say the incident was a youth gang beating.

Jones did not belong to any gang. His mother accused gang members at the school he attended of assaulting her son.

Two teens were convicted of manslaughter in Jones’s beating death. Jones' family is to seek $8 million in Anne Arundel County wrongful death compensation from the teens' parents and $200,000 from the school board.

Maryland Wrongful Death
If someone you love died because he or she became the victim of a violent crime, you may have grounds for filing a Maryland wrongful death lawsuit. Even if your loved one knew the assailant, the attacker never intended to kill the victim, prosecutors decided not to file criminal charges, or the defendant was acquitted in criminal court, you can still pursue a separate case seeking compensation for your loss, pain, and suffering.

Violent crimes that can be grounds for a Maryland injury lawsuit if someone gets hurt or dies:

• Murder
• Rape
• Assault and battery
• Domestic violence crimes
• Molestation
• Sexual assault
• Shooting crimes
• Stabbing incidents

In Maryland, you have three years from the date of the victim’s death to file your wrongful death complaint. Although nothing can make up for losing someone you love, you can hold the responsible party liable for their actions and your losses.

Parents of slain Crofton teen to file $10 million lawsuit, The Baltimore Sun, April 12, 2010

Parents of Slain Teen File $10 Million Lawsuit, WJLA, April 10, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Maryland Wrongful Death and Intestacy Statutes (PDF)

Wrongful Death, Nolo

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Posted In: Injuries to Minors , Wrongful Death

Posted On: April 13, 2010

$1.44 Million Baltimore County Medical Malpractice Verdict Over Man Who Died From Sepsis at a Towson Hospital

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A Maryland jury has awarded the family of Thomas Murphy $1.44 million for his Baltimore County wrongful death. Murphy died of sepsis on June 11, 2007, one day after he was admitted to St. Joseph Medical Center.

Murphy’s family is alleging Maryland medical malpractice. They claim that the 59-year-old did not receive the proper medical care.

According to ABC-2.com, despite having Murphy undergo several tests, including a CAT scan and an X-ray, doctors did not diagnose him as suffering from sepsis. Instead, Dr. Richard Murphy, one of the defendants, thought the patient was suffering from an infection and prescribed a broad-spectrum antibiotic before admitting him to the hospital.

Other wrongful death defendants in this case include the hospital and two other doctors.

St. Joseph’s has recently come under fire over heart stents that may have been unnecessarily implanted in hundreds of people. More than 530 patients may have been affected.

A number of patients have come forward complaining that Dr. Mark Midei told them they had coronary blockages that were severe when the blockages actually were either too minor to require the insertion of a permanent stent or didn’t even exist. A number of Baltimore County medical malpractice lawsuits have already been filed over these mistakes.

Wrong Diagnosis
Incorrect diagnosis of a patient’s health issue can cause a complications, infections, or death, and may result in unnecessary surgeries, implants, or other invasive medical procedures. If you are the victim of delayed diagnosis, failure to diagnose, or wrong diagnosis, you may have grounds for filing a Maryland medical malpractice case.

$1.44 Million Awarded in Sepsis Death Case, ABC2, March 31, 2010

Jury awards $1.44 million to family of patient who died of sepsis at St. Joseph, Baltimore Sun, March 31, 2010

Maryland Medical Malpractice?: 369 Patients May Have Received Unnecessary Stents, Maryland Accident Law Blog, January 18, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Wrong Diagnosis

Sepsis, National Institutes of Health

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Posted In: Medical Malpractice , Wrongful Death

Posted On: April 5, 2010

Prince George’s County and Frederick County Settle Maryland Injury Lawsuits

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If you’ve been the victim of police brutality or police negligence, there are legal remedies that allow you to seek Maryland personal injury compensation. Many victims of police violence or negligence are too scared to report the incident for fear of repercussion or because they are unaware that what happened to them was wrong. As with other negligent parties that cause injuries or deaths, law enforcement officers can be held liable for their reckless actions.

Recently, the family of Justin Lihvarcik settled its Maryland wrongful death lawsuit accusing Frederick County police of negligence. On June 10, 2009, Lihvarcik, who was 26 at the time, was placed in a holding cell at the Frederick County Adult Detention Center at around 2:30am after he was charged with second-degree assault during a dispute with his girlfriend. At around 5:30am, correctional officers found him hanging from the top bunk. He had used his shoelaces to make a noose.

In her Frederick County wrongful death complaint, Lihvarcik’s mother, Nancy Fether, accused the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office of neglect.

Following an investigation, two correctional officers were disciplined and policy changes were made so that shoelaces can no longer be taken into holding cells. Officers tasked with checking on inmates must now sign a checkoff sheet at the end of each hallway.

In other Maryland news, a Prince George’s County police brutality lawsuit was recently settled with the victim Rafel A. Rodriguez. The county agreed to pay $125,000 to the 31-year-old.

Rodriguez has accused Cpl. Scott Wilson and Cpl. John Wynkoop of committing police violence against him at College Park in 2008 and making a false arrest. The cops had detained him because they thought his vehicle had an illegal blue-tinted turn-signal light.

Video footage from a device in the vehicle captures the cops making fun of the plaintiff’s El Salvadorean accent, pulling Rodriguez out of the car, slamming him against the vehicle, cuffing him, spraying him with pepper spray, and striking him several times on the head with a baton. Even though Rodriguez didn’t try to hit the cops, they charged him with two counts of assault.

Prince George's to pay man who accused police of assault, The Washington Post, March 12, 2010

Parties reach $50,000 settlement in hanging at jail, FrederickNewsPost, March 23, 2010


Related Web Resources:
Frederick County Sheriff’s Office

Prince George’s County Police Department

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Posted In: Police Brutality , Wrongful Death

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