Maryland Accident Law Blog

A four-vehicle automobile accident in Benedict, Maryland, around noon on Friday, September 9, 2011 killed two local senior citizens and injured at least three others. Franz and Evelyn Isabelle Sommer, a married couple, were driving east on Route 231 in their Ford Focus near the Patuxent River Bridge when a Penske rental truck rear-ended their vehicle. The collision caused the Sommers’ vehicle to veer into the westbound lane of Route 231, where it collided head-on with a Mitsubishi Galant. The Penske truck went on to strike a Saturn L200 in the westbound lane. The Sommers’ car and the Saturn L200 were wedged under the Penske truck.

Five people were taken to the hospital for injuries: Deborah Ellen Parkinson, the driver of the Galant; Kimberly Leighanne Garcia, the driver of the Saturn and two children who were in her car; and Michael Anthony Duckett, the driver of the Penske truck. Police report that none of the injuries were life-threatening. A passenger in the truck was unharmed, according to police on the scene. According to witnesses, Parkinson’s vehicle flipped over in the accident, and she had to be pulled out by firefighters.

Investigators have concluded that Duckett’s failure to control the speed of the truck caused the accident, and that alcohol was not a factor. Criminal charges have not yet been filed, pending the completion of the investigation. Duckett could potentially face up to ten years in prison if he is charged under Maryland’s “manslaughter by vehicle” statute, which covers deaths resulting from “driving, operating, or controlling a vehicle or vessel in a grossly negligent manner.”

In addition to any potential criminal charges, the driver of the truck could also face civil liability to all of the people injured in the accident, from a wrongful death claim by relatives of the Sommers to injury claims by the other drivers and their passengers. The driver of the truck is responsible not only for the actual rear-end collision of his truck and the Sommers’ vehicle, but for every collision directly caused by that collision. At least three collisions occurred in this case, causing multiple injuries.

A popular notion is that a driver who rear-ends another driver is by definition “at fault.” This is not always the case, but it is a useful principle. If the driver of the rear-ended vehicle behaved negligently, such as braking abruptly without good cause, then both drivers may be at fault. If a driver swerves into a lane of traffic and is rear-ended by a car already in that lane, the swerving driver is probably 100% at fault. A driver who rear ends a vehicle because he was pushed into the car after being rear-ended himself should not be liable, but the driver doing the original rear-ending might be liable for all collisions in that situation. A better general principle to apply to rear-end collisions might be that the driver who creates the conditions leading to the rear-end collision should be primarily liable, and that the driver is liable for injuries caused by those collisions.

Continue reading "Two Senior Citizens Killed in Benedict, Maryland, Car Accident" »

A Montgomery County jury has awarded the family of Xiufeng Wang and Yunshu Li $2.032 million for Wang’s Maryland personal injuries and Li’s wrongful death. The elderly couple were hit by a dump truck in a backover accident On October 9, 2008.

Wang, 78, fractured his back and wrist. His wife Li, 74, was pronounced dead at the Germantown truck accident site. The couple were walking in a crossed traffic lane at a road construction site when the truck struck them.

In their Montgomery County truck accident complaint, their family sought damages from multiple parties involved in the construction project. They contend that Hakes Contracting Incorporated and Milestone Construction Services Inc. did not give pedestrians a safe alternative route in the construction area after taking off a portion of the sidewalk. They also accused the dump truck operator of negligence.

Backover Accidents
A vehicle that runs over pedestrians while backing up can cause serious personal injuries. The motor vehicle doesn’t have to be going at a fast speed for a fatality to occur. Skateboarders, elderly persons, small kids, joggers, and bicyclists are among those at high risk of getting hurt in a Maryland backover crash. Backover accidents most often occur when a motor vehicle is backing out of a driveway, alley, or parking spot. The drivers of large vehicles with huge blind spots must be especially careful to check to make sure there is no one behind them when backing up.

The Maryland backover accident that injured Wang and Killed Li is a case of how sometimes more than one party can and should be held liable for Montgomery County personal injury and wrongful death. The parties responsible for the construction site should have made sure that all safety precautions were implemented so that motor vehicle crashes and pedestrian accidents don't happen.

Successful Lawsuit Sees Jury Award Over $2 Million in Compensation, News4Us, August 2, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Trucking Accidents, Nolo

Backover Crashes, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

More Blog Posts:
Maryland Commercial Trucking Accident News: Cement Mixer Truck Overturns on I-270; Four People Seriously Injured, Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog, July 8, 2011

Maryland Injury Accident News: Local HS Coach Seriously Hurt in Head-on Crash with Dump Truck, Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog, May 31, 2011

Family of Baltimore Bicyclist Settles Maryland Tanker Truck Accident Lawsuit Over His Wrongful Death, Maryland Accident Law Blog, December 2, 2010

According to Maryland lawmaker James Malone, the state’s law regarding handheld cell phones while driving is not tough enough. Delegate Malone, a Democrat from Baltimore County, is supporting a bill that would make using a handheld cell phone while operating a motor vehicle a primary offense. Hopefully, such a bill will stop more people from distracted driving with their phone or PDA so that they don’t cause a Maryland car crash.

Under the current law, talking on a handheld phone while driving is a secondary offense, which means that the ban can only be enforced if the driver is being cited for another violation. Also, although drivers are banned from sending text messages, they are allowed to retrieve and read them. Malone and others also want to make the text messaging ban tougher. Sen. Jim Brochin, D-Baltimore County is sponsoring a bill in the Senate that would make it illegal to also read texts while driving.

According to the Maryland State Highway Administration, in the past five years, there have been over 380 distracted driving fatalities in the state. Distracted driving, as described by US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, is an epidemic. It was the cause of 5500 fatalities in the US in 2009—yet many people, when they can get away with it, continue to text, talk on the phone, send emails, surf the Internet, or play games on their cell phone while driving. Although talking on a handheld device is not safe either, at least the driver has both hands on the steering wheel.

A distracted driver can be held liable for Baltimore County personal injury or wrongful death if his/her failure to pay attention caused a catastrophic Maryland car accident. There are steps that an experienced Baltimore personal injury law firm can take to prove that a driver was distracted when the Maryland traffic crash happened. For example, there may be phone records that can be obtained to match up when the crash happened and when a call was taking place. A witness may have observed the distracted driver texting.

Md. Bill to Tighten Cell Phone Use While Driving, ABC News/AP, February 16, 2011

Distracted driving epidemic: U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood calls issue a 'personal crusade', Sea Coast Online, October 24, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Cellphone Laws, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Distraction.gov

Related Blog Posts:
US DOT Holds Second Annual Distracted Driving Summit in Washington DC, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, September 22, 2010

Maryland Injury News: Distracted Driving Blamed for Increasing Number of Fatal Teenage Automobile Accidents, Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog, July 17, 2010

Maryland Auto Injury News: Distracted Driving Blamed in Baltimore Woman’s Death following Fatal Howard County Crash, Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog, June 26, 2010

Continue reading "The Fight Against Distracted Driving: Baltimore County Lawmaker Pushes for Tougher Cell Phone Driving Law" »

The family of John R. "Jack" Yates has settled their Baltimore truck accident lawsuit with Potts & Callahan Inc. and tanker truck driver Michael Dale Chandler. Yates, 67, died on August 4, 2009 when his bicycle got stuck in the truck’s large wheels. The terms of the Maryland wrongful death lawsuit are confidential.

Yates’s family had initially sought $5 million from the defendants. They had accused the excavation, demolition, and equipment rental company for negligence. Investigators, however, found that Yates was at fault in the Baltimore bicycle accident and charges were not filed against the trucker, who failed to stop at the Maryland truck crash site. Police did not think that Chandler knew he had struck Yates.

However, the family’s Maryland wrongful death lawyer has called the investigation “one of the sloppiest” involving a death that he has seen in a long time. He claims there was evidence that Chandler failed to signal before turning and that this was not included in the police report. Also, the intersection where the crash happened had two large signs warning that there were bicyclists in the area.

Maryland Large Truck Accidents
The chances of a bicyclist getting seriously hurt when involved in a large truck crash are incredibly high. Truck drivers must exercise caution when on the road. Distracted driving, failure to obey traffic signs, drowsy driving, distracted driving, speeding, and driver inattention can prove fatal. It is usually the bicyclist, who lacks any buffer to serve as protection from the impact of colliding with an 18-wheeler truck, semi-truck, tractor-trailer, tanker truck, garbage truck, big rig truck, or delivery truck that will end up the worse for wear.

Family of cyclist killed in crash settles with truck driver, employer, The Baltimore Sun, December 1, 2010

Baltimore, Maryland Truck Accident Lawsuit Seeks $5 Million for Family of Bicyclist, Maryland Accident Law Blog, March 7, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently issued its 2009 Traffic Safety Facts Research Note, which includes its motor vehicle traffic crash statistics for the year. According to the NHTSA, 33,808 people were killed in auto collisions in the US, which was a 9.7% drop from the 37,423 people that died in traffic crashes in 2008. This is the lowest number of US highway deaths to occur in a year since 1950.

The drop in traffic deaths happened even as estimated vehicle miles traveled went up by 0.2% in the past two years. NHTSA also says that the lowest injury and fatality rates at 1.13 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled occurred last year.

Locally, our Maryland motor vehicle crash lawyers and Washington DC car accident attorneys are happy to report that there also was a decline in the number of traffic deaths for the year. There were 549 Maryland traffic fatalities last year—down from the 591 motor vehicle deaths in 2008 and 29 Washington DC auto crash deaths in 2009—a drop from the 34 Washington DC motor vehicle traffic deaths the year before.

The nation also saw a reverse in the yearly increase in motorcyclist deaths, which has been on the rise for 11 years. In 2009, there were 4.462 US motorcyclist fatalities. Compare that to 2008 when there were 5,312 motorcyclist deaths.

More 2009 US Traffic Facts:
• 23,382 passenger vehicle deaths
• 503 large truck crash fatalities
• 4,092 pedestrian accident deaths
• 630 pedalcyclist crash fatalities
• 2,217,000 traffic crash injuries
• 1,976,0000 passenger vehicle injuries
• 17,000 large truck injuries
• 90,000 motorcyclist injuries
• 59,000 pedestrian injuries
• 51,000 pedalcyclist injuries
• 10,839 drunk driving deaths
• 162 Maryland drunk driving deaths
• 10 Washington DC drunk driving deaths

Highlights of 2009 Motor Vehicle Crashes, Traffic Safety Facts (PDF)

2009 Data Show Major Across-the-Board Declines in all Categories
Despite a Slight Increase in Road Travel, NHTSA, November 9, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Maryland Department of Transportation

District Department of Transportation

Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Maryland Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog

Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

Continue reading "NHTSA Reports 547 Maryland Traffic Fatalities and 29 Washington DC Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths in 2009" »

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

Two truck drivers were injured during rush hour today in a Baltimore truck collision involving a box truck and a tractor-trailer. According to Maryland State Police, the traffic collision happened when a box truck rear-ended the semi-truck on the Inner Loop close to Baltimore National Pike.

One of the truck drivers reportedly fell asleep while driving. Following the Maryland tractor-trailer accident, box truck driver Michael Ocasio was taken to Shock Trauma and admitted in serious condition. The semi-truck driver was treated at the hospital for nonfatal injuries.

Drowsy Truck Driving
Because of all the hours they spend behind the steering wheel of a large truck—often at odd times of the day and night, with little rest, and while having to navigate through some very long routes—truck drivers are at higher risk than most other motorists of falling asleep while driving. It doesn’t help in the event that a trucker is suffering from sleep apnea—especially when his/her condition has not been diagnosed.

Unfortunately, many motorists don’t realize that driving while drowsy or exhausted puts them at risk of causing a serious Maryland car crash. The National Sleep Foundation says that 60% of Americans polled say that they’ve driven when sleepy and 37% say that they’ve fallen asleep while driving. Sometimes a motorist can fall asleep while driving for just a few seconds. At other times, what may feel like just a blink of an eye may last long enough for the motorist to unknowingly drive off the road or, worse yet, into oncoming traffic or the back of another vehicle.

Drowsy driving can be grounds for a Maryland injury lawsuit if another party is hurt as a result.

Signs that you may be too drowsy to drive safely:
• Heavy eyelids
• Frequent blinking to keep your eyelids from closing
• Not being able to remember the last few miles that you just drove
• Constant yawning
• Lane drifting
• Missing your exit
• Your mind feels foggy and you are having a hard time thinking clearly

Truck Driver Falls Asleep And Crashes On 695, WJZ, July 20, 2010

Two lanes of Beltway Inner Loop reopen after crash, Baltimore Sun, July 20, 2010

Drowsy Driving, National Sleep Foundation

Related Web Resources:
Obesity Linked To Dangerous Sleep Apnea In Truck Drivers, Science Daily, March 12, 2009

Sleep Problems Linked To Truck Drivers' Performance Behind The Wheel, Medical News Today, August 15, 2006

Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

Continue reading "Baltimore Tractor-Trailer Crash Caused by Allegedly Drowsy Truck Driver" »

The family and estate of Rodney Jennings has been awarded a $2.025 Maryland wrongful death verdict against dump truck driver Wayne Goss and the state of Maryland, Jennings, 28, died in August 2007 after he was hit by a dump truck on Interstate 495.

At the time, Jennings was an inmate serving time for a drug-related charge. The Prince George’s County dump truck accident happened while he picking up trash. Jennings was part of a work detail working under the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

On the morning of August 23, 2007, Jennings was struck by Goss’s 39-ton dump truck as he and other inmates on the work crew tired crossing the Exit 17 ramp for Route 202. His legs were crushed during the Maryland truck accident and, according to the family’s Prince George’s County wrongful death lawyer, Jennings experienced severe pain for about 45 minutes prior to his passing.

The plaintiffs have accused Goss of improperly crossing a solid white line while driving too fast in an attempt to overtake a tractor-trailer. Their Maryland truck accident lawsuit also claims that there were inadequate work signs set up at the off- ramp work area. They blame the Department of Corrections and State Highway Administration for failing to ensure Jennings’ safety. Their Maryland wrongful death attorney says the department should have made sure that the inmates crossed the area where Jennings’s was struck by the truck in a van rather than on foot. He also says that the state workers that were supposed to monitor the inmate crew were inadequately trained. Since the tragic Prince George’s County truck accident that claimed Jennings’ life, inmates are now driven across similar ramps in a van.

In Maryland, many civil verdicts have a $680,000 noneconomic damages cap. However, since there were two defendants, the family will likely receive close to $1.4 million.

Jury awards $2 million to family of Md. inmate killed by truck, The Washington Post, June 25, 2010

Jury awards $2 million in highway death of Md. inmate, The Baltimore Sun, June 24, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services

Maryland State Highway Administration

The family of John R. “Jack” Yates is suing a truck driver and his employer for the 67-year-old’s Baltimore wrongful death. Yates was cycling in the Charles North neighborhood on Maryland Avenue behind the truck driven by Michael Dale Chandler on August 4 when he got trapped under the loaded fuel tanker’s tires and was run over.

The truck kept going because Chandler does not appear to have realized that he had driven over anyone. Yates was pronounced dead at the crash site.

Now, Yates’ daughter and wife are suing the truck driver and Potts & Callahan Inc. for $5 million. Following an investigation into the Baltimore truck crash, the bicyclist was found responsible for the tragic accident since he was riding in the parking lane and tried to overtake the truck from the right. However, the plaintiffs’ legal team is adamant that Yates wasn’t at fault. Under Maryland law, bicyclists must keep up with the flow of traffic and make sure their bicycles stay to the right.

Chandler has not been criminally charged over the Maryland truck collision.

Maryland Truck Crashes
It is devastating to know that someone you loved died in a tragic accident. Not only must surviving family members cope with losing someone they love and the effects that this unexpected, premature death will have on their lives, but there is also the trauma of imagining what your loved one may have had to endure prior to death. For bicyclists that survive large truck crashes, they may be left to struggle with traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, burn injuries, or disfigurement.

Even if a negligent motorist isn’t charged in criminal court, you can sue them for the Maryland wrongful death of your loved one in civil court.

Family of bicyclist killed in city accident files $5 million lawsuit, The Baltimore Sun, March 5, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Senate wants drivers to move over for cyclists, Maryland Politics, The Baltimore Sun, February 11, 2010

Maryland Bicycle Laws and Regulations, College Park Area Bicycle Coalition

A Harford, Maryland tractor-trailer crash has killed one man while critically injuring his wife. Leonard Clark, 38, and his wife Kimberly, 39, were standing next to I-95 on the night of February 24 when they where hit by a semi-truck.

The seriously injured couple was transported to Maryland Shock Trauma Center where Leonard was pronounced dead. As of last Friday, Kimberly’s condition was considered very serious.

Our Maryland tractor-trailer crash attorneys extend our sympathies to the Clark family. Losing someone you love and/or getting seriously hurt in a semi-truck crash is catastrophic. Tractor-trailers are so huge in size and heavy and weight that anyone struck by a semi-truck is at high risk of sustaining serious injuries and/or dying.

Just the day before the Maryland truck accident involving the Clarks, 22-year-old Boonsboro pedestrian Anthony Allen McChesney died when he was hit by a United Parcel Service semi-truck on I-81. The Hagerstown truck crash occurred at around 4:31 am.

Also last month, during the early afternoon of February 11, a State Highway Administration worker got hurt when a tractor-trailer hit his truck as he warned motorists that a crew was removing snow off the Baltimore Beltway. The SHA worker, James Flutka, sustained injuries. Truck driver Robert Scolaro, who was transporting diapers, was not injured. He did receive a traffic citation for failure to control speed.

D.C. man killed, wife injured in accident, The Washington Post, February 25, 2010

Boonsboro man struck and killed by tractor-trailer on I-81, The Herald-Mail, February 23, 2010

Even with the worst of two severe winter storms behind them, state police and roads officials are warning against complacency on the part of drivers, Carroll County Times, February 12, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Maryland State Highway Administration

Continue reading "Maryland Semi-Truck Crash Kills Husband and Seriously Injures His Wife" »

University of Utah psychologists are saying that texting while driving increases a motorist’s crash risk by six times. The study can be found in the latest edition of Human Factors, a journal.

According to the researchers, texting presents a 50% greater car crash risk than talking does. One reason for this is that reading or writing texts takes a driver’s attention completely off the road. Meantime, talking on the cell phone while driving at the same time divides the motorist’s attention between both tasks. However, this is not to say that it is safe to talk on the phone while operating an auto.

The study’s lead psychologist, Frank Drews, says that he and other researchers asked 20 motorists, ages 19 to 23, to drive in a “high fidelity driving simulator.” All of the participant drivers were seasoned texters.

The researchers say that compared to drivers who did not text or talk on the cell phone, motorists’ median reaction time went up 30% while they texted. Drivers’ median reaction time rose by 9% when talking on a cell phone. The study also reports that it is more distracting to read text messages than it is to compose them.

Distracted Driving Accidents
This past year, federal and state transportation safety officials have stepped up their efforts to make sure motorists are aware of how dangerous it is to text while driving. In September, Maryland’s statewide ban on sending texts while driving went into effect. Also that month, federal transportation officials kicked off a two-day distracted driving summit in Washington DC. This week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched it’s distracted driving Web site, and President Obama’s executive order banning all federal workers from texting when driving goes into effect today.

Unfortunately, distracted driving continues to be a leading cause of Maryland car crashes. Like drunk driving accidents, distracted driving crashes are preventable.

Research: Texting while driving leads to six-fold increase in accidents, TopNews, December 22, 2009

Texting While Driving Raises Crash Risk Sixfold, BusinessWeek, December 21, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Cell Phone Driving Laws, Governors Highway Safety Association

Distraction.gov

Human Factors and Ergonomics Society

Continue reading "Texting While Driving Increases Maryland Car Crash Risks, Confirm Psychologists" »

The family of truck driver John Short has amended their Maryland wrongful death complaint to include the state as a defendant. Short died in a truck crash in August 2008 when he swerved his tractor-trailer to avoid another vehicle, crashed into a bridge wall, and drove off the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

In June, the 57-year-old trucker’s family filed a $7 million Maryland wrongful death lawsuit against 19-year-old Candy Lynn Baldwin, who had fallen asleep while driving.

While Baldwin, who had been drinking before the tragic Maryland truck crash, did not have a blood alcohol level high enough for her to be charged with drunk driving, Short’s family says her results would have been different if authorities had tested her BAC right after the truck collision. They have pointed to her MySpace page, which included pictures of Baldwin, a minor, drinking alcohol. One photo shows her holding a bottle of alcohol while she’s seated in the driver’s seat of a motor vehicle.

Now, Short’s family is also suing the state of Maryland for wrongful death. They are citing poor maintenance and inspection of the bridge. While the walls are there as a protective barrier, they obviously weren’t enough to keep Short’s large truck from crashing into the water. Their wrongful death complaint also contends that the two-way traffic allowed the bridge has led to a number of fatalities.

Since the fatal truck collision that claimed Short’s life, Maryland has spent $3 million repairing and inspecting the bridge’s sidewalls.

Truck Accidents Involving Truck Driver Victims
While the majority of truck accident fatalities are the people who weren’t riding in the large trucks when the catastrophic traffic collisions happened, truck drivers do get injured or killed in truck crashes that are caused by other negligent parties.

Md. Named In Fatal Bay Bridge Crash Suit, WJZ, December 12, 2009

Trucker's Family Sues Over Bay Bridge Fatal Crash, ABC2News.com

Related Web Resources:
Maryland

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Miriam Frankl, 20, died on October 17 from the serious head wounds and other injuries she sustained during a Baltimore hit and run accident that occurred the day before. Frankl, a Johns Hopkins University student, was struck by a white Ford F-250 moving at a high speed on St. Paul Street during a hit and run Maryland truck crash. Witnesses say that the driver of the truck, a man, did not stop. Instead, he allegedly made an illegal left turn onto East University Parkway.

Frankl was placed on life support at Maryland Shock Trauma Center where she died at 2:30am the next day. Thomas Meighan Jr., the 39-year-old truck owner, was initially arrested on at least 18 driving offenses.

Witnesses say that Meighan’s truck drove erratically for hours that day, tailgating, attempting to cut off other motorists, making abrupt lane changes, running several red lights, driving at high speeds on small roads and driving the wrong way.

Most of the lesser charges have been dropped. The remaining charges against Meighan include driving on a suspended license, failure to remain at the scene of an accident involving death, failure to stop vehicle at bodily injury accident, failure to stop vehicle at death accident scene, failure to render reasonable assistance to injured person, failure to furnish required ID and license, failure to stop after accident involving vehicle damage, and failure to remain at scene of vehicle damage accident.

Police are trying to figure out whether they can charge Meighan with vehicular manslaughter in the hit-and-run death of Frankl. Meighan claims he was not driving his car on the day of the deadly Baltimore car crash that claimed the 20-year-old’s life.

Prior to the October 16 Maryland pedestrian accident, Meighan already had 21 motor vehicle convictions. 8 of those convictions were for drunk driving. Over six of the offenses took place in Carroll County.

Driver's truck terrorized Baltimore before killing student from Wilmette, Chicago Tribune, October 27, 2009

Charges pared in hit-and-run, The Baltimore Sun, October 28, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Hit and Run Maryland, Deadly Roads

Maryland Department of Transportation

Continue reading "John Hopkins University Student Dies from Injuries Sustained During Baltimore Pedestrian Accident involving Hit and Run Pickup Truck" »

In Baltimore County, the business editor of the Baltimore Sun died last week when the car he and his nine-year old daughter were riding in was involved in a Maryland truck accident with a UPS vehicle. Tim Wheatley, 48, died at the traffic site. His daughter, Sarah, was seriously injured and was transported to a hospital.

Police are investigating the truck accident to see if anyone involved ran a red light and if charges should be filed.

Truck Accident Cases
Our Maryland truck accident lawyers know how hard it is to cope with the loss of your loved one and/or your own injuries. The last thing you probably want to do right now is deal with insurers and trucking companies and police. This is why it is so important that you contact a Baltimore County injury law firm immediately. Your Maryland accident lawyers can begin the claims and investigation process for you because you will likely need to avail of your financial recovery to cover medical expenses, funeral expenses, lost wages, and other damages. Traffic accident recovery also gives you the chance to hold all liable parties responsible.

In August, a Maryland jury awarded Baltimore truck crash victim Shannon Brown over $1 million for injuries she sustained in July 2006. Brown’s right leg was crushed in a Maryland truck accident with a tanker truck. Luckily, her baby boy who was in the vehicle with her did not get hurt.

On September 26, a young child sustained serious burn injuries to his neck, torso, and face when the car he was riding in burst into flames after it was struck in a Maryland tractor-trailer crash on Interstate-95. A pregnant woman and a man were trapped in the car with him.

Baltimore Sun business editor killed in crash, Chicago Sun-Times, October 5, 2009

Family Rescued After Crash with Tractor-Trailer, ABC2, September 26, 2009

Related Web Resource:
Trucking Accidents, Nolo

A Harford County woman has died after the sport-utility vehicle she was driving collided with a semi-truck on Sunday morning. Linda Buckland, 57, was pronounced dead at Maryland Shock Trauma. Her husband, 62-year-old Charles Buckland, sustained critical injuries.

Buckland was reportedly driving a Chevy Tracker west on Pulaski Expressway when the semi-truck crash happened. The Kenworth tractor driver, Irvine Jones, was charged with multiple violations.

Involvement in any kind of large truck crash can be overwhelming and frightening. This is not the kind of Maryland injury case that you want to handle alone. An experienced Maryland truck accident attorney can help you explore your legal options. In the meantime, there are steps that you or your loved one can take to help your case, including:

• Get medical help as soon as possible.
• Do not admit fault or apologize for the truck crash.
• Take pictures of the crash site or ask someone else to do it for you.
• Do not talk to representatives from the trucking company or their insurance company until you talk to a Maryland injury lawyer.
• Document as much as you can about what happened during and after the accident.
• Collect witness contact information and document their accounts.
• Let your insurer know you were involved in a truck crash.
• Contact a Maryland truck crash law firm as soon as possible.

There may be multiple responsible parties that can be held liable for causing your Maryland truck accident. An experienced Baltimore County truck crash law firm will know how to determine who these parties are and how they may have contributed to causing your semi-truck collision.

One killed in truck-SUV crash in White Marsh, The Baltimore Sun, October 12, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Trucking Accidents, Nolo

Truck Accidents Overview, Justia

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports even though more car accidents happened in urban areas, 56% of the 37,261 traffic deaths that occurred in 2008 took place on rural roads. There were 20,905 rural traffic deaths last year.

One reason for the number of deaths that occur in rural areas is that people tend to drive faster on roads that are not as designed and engineered as well as they are in urban areas. Two of the other reasons that rural auto accident deaths happen is people failing to use seat belts or driving drunk. It can also take longer for medical help to arrive at a rural car accident site. 222 of the 591 Maryland traffic fatalities in 2008 occurred in rural areas.

Findings from another traffic accident study, recently discussed in ScienceDaily.com, affirmed the NHTSA’s findings that driving in rural areas is not safer than driving in urban areas. The study, conducted by researchers abroad, reports that:

• Fatality crash risk in surrounding districts is 40% more than for city dwellers.
• Country inhabitants have a crash risk that is up to three times higher.
• The chance of sustaining serious injuries during a rural car crash is 70-100% greater than in cities.

Many people may harbor the misconception that driving in a metropolitan area is more dangerous. This may cause them to drive more cautiously than they would when driving on a rural road where there is less traffic. Obviously, this is not the case.

A driver whose negligence causes a catastrophic Maryland car crash can be held liable for personal injury or wrongful death—not to mention that he or she could end up serving time in jail while having to cope with the guilt of knowing that his or her careless or reckless acts contributed to someone getting seriously hurt or dying.

Our Maryland injury lawyers represent traffic crash victims who were injured in motorcycle accidents, truck crashes, bus collisions, pedestrian accidents, and bicycle collisions in both rural and metropolitan areas throughout the state. Contact Lebowitz & Mzhen today.

More Motorists Die on Rural Roads, USA Today, October 7, 2009

Cities Less Dangerous Than Rural Regions, Traffic Accident Study Shows, Science Daily, September 8, 2009

Related Web Resources:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Maryland State Highway Administration

In Maryland, Shannon Brown was awarded $1,063,807.37 for the Baltimore City truck accident injuries that she sustained on July 13, 2006. Brown fractured her leg and her right leg was crushed when a gas tanker truck ran a red light and struck the car that she was in. Fortunately, her baby, Elijah, was not injured even though he was in the car with her.

Brown had two undergo two surgeries for her fracture. A medical team inserted 18 screws and a plate in the leg that was crushed.

The Maryland truck accident lawsuit was filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court. The plaintiffs and defendants had disagreed over who was at fault in causing the Baltimore City truck collision. The jury, however, decided that an 11-year-old witness who testified that Brown was the one with the green light was the most credible. They also found the truck driver liable for causing the traffic crash. Prior to going to trial, Eastern Petroleum, the trucking company that was a defendant in the lawsuit, tried offering Brown a $25,000 Maryland personal injury settlement.

$1 million of the verdict is for pain and suffering. Brown’s noneconomic damages, however, will go down to under $729,000 because of Maryland’s cap on damages.

Traffic violations, such as running a red light, not stopping at a red light, failing to signal, and failing to obey the speed limit, can lead to catastrophic consequences if the driver ends up hitting another vehicle. As we reported earlier this month, on August 4, John R “Jack” Yates died when a truck struck his bicycle at an intersection in downtown Baltimore in a hit-and-run crash. Surveillance footage shows the vehicle making an abrupt right turn without signaling. The 67-year-old bicyclist got tangled under the truck’s rear tires and died at the Maryland truck accident site. Police are trying to find the truck driver.

Baltimore City Truck Accident Lawsuit Results in $1M Verdict, About Lawsuits, August 19, 2009

Attorney: Video of collision that killed cyclist shows truck at fault, Baltimore Sun, August 13, 2009

Continue reading "Maryland Woman Injured in Baltimore City Truck Accident Awarded $1 Million " »

A 67-year-old Baltimore bicyclist is dead after he was fatally struck in a Maryland truck accident. Police are currently searching for the hit-and-run trucker, who left the crash site.

The deadly Maryland bicycle accident occurred at the intersection of West Lafayette and Maryland Avenues. Investigators say that the truck struck Yates as it turned left on West Lafayette. According to witnesses, the cyclist appears to have gotten stuck beneath the truck’s back wheels.

Yates’s fatal injuries included massive trauma to his left leg and abdomen. His wife Ellen said he was on his bike running errands when the deadly Baltimore truck crash happened.

Police are still searching for the box truck driver.

According to Maryland’s State Highway Administration, from 2005 – 2008 about 7 people a year have died in Maryland bicycle accidents.

Proving liability in any kind of Maryland motor vehicle case can be tough and you will need all of the legal help that you can get. Often, when a bicyclist is involved in a traffic crash with another vehicle, it is the cyclist who will have sustained the most serious injuries.

In many cases, these injuries will be catastrophic if not fatal. In addition to medical costs for hospital stays, medical procedures, and rehabilitation expenses, there will also be lost wages to consider for time taken off work, property damage, and possible loss of future earning potential and benefits. It is also impossible to disregard the mental and emotional anguish and trauma that can affect the victim as well as family members.

Whether the responsible party is a driver who remained at the scene or a hit-and-run motorist, you are entitled to the maximum Maryland personal injury recovery possible.

Bicyclist killed in accident identified, Baltimore Sun, August 5, 2009

Cyclist Struck And Killed In Baltimore, WJZ, August 6, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Bicycles, NHTSA

Maryland State Highway Administration

Continue reading "Maryland Bicyclist Killed in Baltimore Box Truck Accident Involving Hit and Run Driver" »

Findings released from a new study this week report that texting while driving increases the chance that a truck driver will be involved in a truck crash or near-accident by 23 times. Researches from Virginia Tech’s Transportation Institute looked at commercial trucking information from two studies—one in 2003 and the other in 2007. 203 truck drivers who drove over 3 million miles took part in the studies. The institute studied 4,452 events considered “safety-critical,” including 197 near accidents and 21 truck crashes.

Video cameras were installed in large trucks that were used to shoot footage of truck drivers’ facial reactions in the final seconds right before a near miss truck crash or an actual truck accident. The footage showed that the main reason texting while driving is so dangerous for truck drivers is that they have to take their eyes off the road.

The institute’s Center for Truck and Bus Safety Rich Hanowski says that taking one’s eyes off the road when driving for more than two seconds is dangerous. Yet in the last six seconds right before these truck accidents and near collisions, a number of the truckers spent 4.6 seconds with their eyes on their communication device rather than the road. In that length of time, a truck moving at 55mph will have traveled a football field’s length.

Hanowski also said it was important to note that texting while driving isn’t just dangerous for truck drivers, it’s a safety risk for all drivers who do it. While it will be illegal for all Maryland motorists to text while driving October 2009—this isn’t always enough to get drivers to stop texting while driving. Yet the consequences can be catastrophic, such as when a large tractor-trailer ends up slamming into a small passenger car because a trucker was busy checking messages.

Texting while driving riskier than thought, study finds, Chicago Tribune, July 29, 2009

Texting and Driving Don't Mix, The Washington Post, July 29, 2009

New Data from VTTI Provides Insight into Cell Phone Use and Driving Distraction, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, July 27, 2009 (PDF)

Related Web Resources:
Cell Phone Driving Laws, GHSA, July 2009

Continue reading "Maryland Truck Accidents 23 times more likely When Truck Drivers are Texting" »

Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration introduced new braking standards for truck tractors. Whereas the old standard required tractor-trailers moving at 60 mph come to a full stop within 355 feet, the new standard mandates a complete stop within 250 feet.

The federal agency estimates that this new standard will decrease the number of US truck accidents each year, preventing 300 serious injuries and saving 227 lives each year while reducing property damage expenses by more than $169 million a year. The new standard will be phased in over a four-year period starting with 2012 models and will hopefully accelerate the implementation of the newest brake technology into the country’s freight hauling fleets. According to the NHTSA, truck tractors make up about 99% of the fleets.

The NHTSA says there are several simple solutions that truck manufacturers can put into place to satisfy the final rule requirement, including using air disc brakes, enhanced drum brakes, or hybrid disc systems. The new truck brake requirement will hopefully play a role in continuing the overall decline in US truck crashes that occurred last year when 4,299 people died in large truck crashes—a 12% drop from the 4,822 truck accident fatalities that occurred in 2007.

Large truck crashes continue to claim too many lives in Maryland and the rest of the US. Because of this, many trucking companies are prepared to minimize liability over their alleged role in causing a Maryland truck accident. This is why it is important that you have your own Maryland personal injury team in place that will know how to protect your rights to recovery.

Tough New Braking Rules For Large Trucks Will Save Hundreds of Lives Annually, NHTSA, July 24, 2009

NHTSA to require trucks cut stopping distance, Tire Business, July 24, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Read the Final Rule (PDF)

2008 Traffic Safety Annual Assessment, NHTSA, June 2009 (PDF)