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Posted On: August 30, 2010

Man Files $12 Million Maryland Personal Injury Lawsuit Against Prince George’s Hospital Alleging False Imprisonment

Joseph Wheeler is suing Prince George's Hospital Center for Maryland personal injury. He is seeking over $12 million—$9.5 million in punitive damages and $3.2 million in compensatory damages. He is also seeking damages from Broadway Security and hospital guards Donovan Scott and William Reese.

The 46-year-old Inigoes, Maryland man had been admitted to the Upper Marlboro hospital for treatment of shoulder and torso injuries he sustained following a July 23 car accident. Wheeler contends that when he woke up the following day he was told by a nurse that he couldn’t eat because he had to undergo surgery.

The hospital ID bracelet he was wearing explained that he was about to have a “potentially cancerous mass” taken out of his chest. However, the bracelet had what appeared to a female name on it belonging to a person who was born 13 years before Wheeler's birth year.

Wheeler and his wife tried to leave but security arrived to detain him. He claims that they pushed him into a wall and metal railing and cussed at him.

The two guards are also accused of putting on black padded gloves before they approached Wheeler. While the security lieutenant acknowledged there had been an ID mix-up, he reportedly told the guards to prevent Wheeler from leaving unless the bracelet was returned. Following the incident, Wheeler was admitted to St. Mary's Hospital for three days where he was treated for a concussion, a sprained shoulder, and a ruptured spleen.

Wheeler and his wife are claiming damages for false imprisonment, emotional distress, and assault and battery.

Maryland Personal Injury
With discovery rule, you have three years to file a Prince George's County personal injury lawsuit. Your best chance of obtaining the maximum recovery possible is to get experienced legal representation.

Man alleges false imprisonment, sues hospital for $12M, WTOP, August 30, 2010

Accident Victim Says He Was Assaulted by Hospital Guards, MyFoxTampaBay, August 26, 2010

Nightmarish Hospital Visit Capped by Beating, Accident Victim Says, Courthouse News, August 25, 2010

Related Web Resource:
Prince George's Hospital Center, DimensionsHealth

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Posted In: Personal Injury

Posted On: August 27, 2010

Pedestrian and Bicyclist Killed in Baltimore Tractor-Trailer Accidents

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Police have identified the pedestrian killed in Thursday’s Baltimore tractor-trailer crash on Interstate 95 as Michael A. Coll, 36.The cause of the Maryland traffic crash is still under investigation. Following the deadly collision, all northbound roads were temporarily closed.

Coll’s death comes just two days after New Windsor bicyclist John Martin Jr.,51, was fatally struck in Union Bridge on Route 75 by a semi-truck that was making a right turn. According to a preliminary probe, trucker Anthony Edward Woodie failed to yield to the bicyclist when turning. He may face criminal charges.

Our Baltimore truck crash lawyers want to remind you that it is important that you not speak with the other party’s insurer without exploring your legal options first. Many trucking companies will take persuasive action to get you to settle for less than you may be owed for your injuries or a loved one’s death. It is important that you have a Maryland personal injury law firm advocating on your behalf.

In other recent Maryland truck accident news, the driver of a Corvette was injured on August 20 when his vehicle was mangled during a collision with a tractor-trailer on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Police have said that they believe the truck rear-ended the car.

Our Owing Mills truck accident law firm represents vehicle occupants, pedestrians, bicyclists, and truck drivers injured in Maryland traffic crashes. We represent Maryland injury victims from all towns, cities, and counties. Your first consultation with Lebowitz & Mzhen is free.

Police identify man struck, killed by tractor-trailer on I-95 in Dundalk, The Baltimore Sun, August 27, 2010

Carroll Co. cyclist killed after collision with truck, The Baltimore Sun, August 25, 2010

Tractor Trailer Rear Ends Car On Bay Bridge, WJZ, August 20, 2010

UNION BRIDGE: Man dies after being struck by tractor-trailer, Carroll County Times, August 24, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

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Posted In: Bicycle Accidents , Car Accidents , Pedestrian Accident , Truck Accidents

Posted On: August 20, 2010

Mother’s $30 Million Maryland Wrongful Death Lawsuit Accuses Baltimore County Police of Excessive Force

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Gwendolyn Cann is suing Baltimore County and six of its police officers for her son’s Maryland wrongful death. She is seeking over $30 million because she says that Baltimore police brutality resulted in the fatal shooting of 25-year-old Taevon G. Cann.

According to her Baltimore wrongful death complaint, Taevon was at the BP gas station at Merritt Boulevard and Dunman Way when two men in plain clothes “rushed” at him with handguns pointed. Taevon then placed his car in reverse to protect himself and that is when a Baltimore County police vehicle struck his car. The officers then surrounded him and shot him with over 70 bullets even though his arms were raised in surrender. One of the officers even shot Taevon in the back of the head. He was pronounced dead at the shooting site.

Police offered the Baltimore Sun a different account in 2008. They claimed that they had been following Taevon’s vehicle as part of a criminal probe and that when they ordered Cann out of the vehicle, he placed it in reverse and tried to hit a cop. His vehicle then hit a patrol car, causing an officer trying to get out of the vehicle to fall to the ground. The officers have said that this is when they started shooting the suspect.

Now, Gwendolyn is seeking compensatory and punitive damages for the emotional pain, mental anguish, and suffering she has experienced from losing the “protection, attention, advice, counsel, and love of her son.” She also claims that the cops took $1, 784 from her son’s body and ”refused” to give her or her son’s estate the money back.

Baltimore County Police Brutality
At no time are police officers ever authorized excessive use of force even when detaining a subject. Excessive use of police force is a form of police brutality, an abuse of police power, and a violation of one’s civil rights. Many people don’t realize that police cannot verbally abuse, threaten, physical assault, emotional violate, sexually assault, or inflict injury on them just because they have been detained, arrested, charged, or convicted for a crime.

Woman sues Baltimore County police over son's death, The Baltimore Sun, August 16, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Baltimore County Police Department, Maryland County Police Department

Police Use of Force, National Institute of Justice

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Posted In: Wrongful Death

Posted On: August 16, 2010

Maryland Fall Accident?: Police Probe Death of Man Discovered in Trash Chute

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An autopsy conducted on the body of a man found in a downtown Baltimore apartment building trash chute indicates his injuries are “consistent with a bad fall,” says the police department and reports the Baltimore Sun. Also, police spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi says that if another person had inserted the body into the chute, there would have been “more signs {of a struggle} on the body.” Homicide detectives and the state medical examiner are continuing to investigate his death.

Building employees found the man's body on Thursday morning. According to police, the man seems to have fallen into the chute from around the 20th floor. The 26-floor building, located on N. Charles Street, houses offices and apartment units.

According to ex- and current tenants, each of the building’s trash chutes have a spring mounted door that must be pulled. The chute opening is approximately 3 feet high by 2 feet wide. It opens at an angle. One resident says that he usually must “push a little” to get a regular-sized garbage bag to go through the chute opening.

Trash Chute Accidents
In the event that someone falls through a garbage chute because it was poorly designed or faulty in some other way, the injured party may have grounds for a Maryland products liability and/or Baltimore premises liability. Property owners must make sure that there are no hazards on the premise that could cause serious Baltimore personal injuries.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time that someone has been injured from falling down a trash chute. In February, a 38-year-old man accidentally fell into his apartment complex trash chute. According to the county coroner, the man was trapped upside down in the chute for a long time and died from suffocation. Last year, another man died after falling down a narrow garbage chute. He was drunk at the time.

Police: Man found dead in trash chute may have fallen, Baltimore Sun, August 13, 2010

Central IL man's trash chute death an accident, KMOV, February 5, 2010

Jersey City man plunges 25 stories to death down NYC trash chute, NJ.com, April 13, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Products Liability, Nolo

Premises Liability, Justia

Continue reading " Maryland Fall Accident?: Police Probe Death of Man Discovered in Trash Chute " »

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Posted In: Premises Liability , Products Liability

Posted On: August 9, 2010

Family Members on Bike Ride Injured in Anne Arundel County Car Crash Because Motorist Allegedly Lost Control of Vehicle

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Three members of a family of four who were on a bicycle ride on Sunday morning were injured in Anne Arundel County when they were hit by a car driven by a Laurel woman who lost control of her 2001 Nissan Altima. The driver of the vehicle, 63-year-old Laurel resident Romota Olumemisi Koletowo, died from her Maryland car accident injuries. She had to be extricated from her car, which had rolled over.

According to police, Koletowo drove her vehicle off the road, struck a light pole, and crossed a bike path before hitting the bench where 36-year-old Franz Clementschitsch was sitting. He was thrown some 38 feet and had to be rushed to the hospital for treatment of his life-threatening injuries.

Clementschitsch’s wife, Susanne, 38, and one of their 4-year-old twin sons, sustained injuries from the flying debris. All three of them were taken to Maryland hospitals, where they were admitted in serious condition.

The Anne Arundel car accident happened as Koleweto was driving home from work after completing a graveyard shift. Police are trying to determine whether a medical emergency or driver exhaustion played a role in the Maryland injury accident.

Maryland Car Accidents
There are many reasons why a motorist might lose control of a vehicle. Sudden unintended acceleration caused by an auto defect, drunk driving, distracted driving, driver fatigue, driving under the influence of drugs or prescription medication, driver inattention, driver inexperience, and overcorrecting a vehicle too much are several examples of these reasons. In some cases, the driver’s negligence or carelessness can be grounds for an Anne Arundel County personal injury or wrongful death case. There also may be other parties, such as the manufacturer of a defective vehicle part or a car repair store whose maintenance work was inadequate, who should be sued.

1 dead, 3 hurt when car crashes into family on bicycle ride, The Baltimore Sun, August 8, 2010

Woman killed, family injured in Laurel crash, Hometown Annapolis, August 9, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Current Bicycle Laws, Maryland Department of Transportation

Pedestrian Injuries, Prevent Injury.org (PDF)

Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

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Posted In: Bicycle Accidents , Car Accidents , Injuries to Minors

Posted On: August 3, 2010

Anne Arundel County Wrongful Death Lawsuit Claims 911 and Police Officers Botched Emergency Call

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A botched 911 call and the alleged failure by Anne Arundel County police to immediately help an unconscious woman at the scene of a medical emergency are two of the reasons cited in the Maryland wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Asha Clark. The 22-year-old mother of five died last summer.

According to the Anne Arundel County wrongful death complaint, on June 25, 2009, Clark’s boyfriend Maurice Brown called 911 because she was having a seizure. He says that he was placed on hold for three minutes. Clark fell unconscious. Police eventually arrived at the apartment building, but rather than tending to her immediately they first stopped to arrest someone in the hallway for allegedly dealing drugs.

Errors or negligence on the part of a 911 operator, paramedics, police officers, or fire fighters that arrive at the scene of a medical emergency can prove catastrophic. A 911 dispatcher neglecting to send emergency help right away or Maryland paramedic malpractice are just some reasons the entity that they work for might be sued for Maryland personal injury or wrongful death.

It was just in 2006 that the family of Yvette Beakes settled its Maryland wrongful death case with Anne Arundel County. The 26-year-old woman was kidnapped and murdered by the occupants of the van that rear-ended her vehicle on August 8, 2001. Someone called 911 but because of human error and a computer software mistake, the data was linked to an earlier 911 hang-up call. As a result, police were never notified about the attack and no one went searching for her.

Beakes' body was found in Baltimore the next day. The Glen Burnie wrongful death complaint contends that if police had gone looking for her, they may have found her before she was killed.

Lawsuit blames 911 for death of woman, HometownGlenBurnie, July 31, 2010

Murder victim's family sues county Suit claims 911 center, BNET, June 22, 2005

Related Web Resources:
Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Summary of State Wrongful Death and Intestacy Statutes, Justice.gov (PDF)

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Posted In: Medical Malpractice , Wrongful Death

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