Car Accidents

In Hit-And-Run Dragging Death Of 3-Year-Old Maryland Boy, Woman Could Face 5 Years In Prison

December 8, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A Towson, Maryland district court judge has reduced the bail of the woman charged in the hit-and-run dragging death of three-year-old Elijah Cozart in Baltimore County to $250,000. Cozart’s grandmother had been pushing him in a stroller across Goucher Boulevard when a 1999 Dodge Ram pickup truck, driven by Lazara Arellano de Hogue, struck Cozart, and his grandmother, Marjorie Thomas, 55 as they were crossing the street. The pickup truck continued down the road, dragging the boy underneath it for nearly 3/4ths of a mile before he tumbled free. He was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Thomas is still in the hospital.

Arellano de Hogue, who was arrested on Castle Drive at a home that she shares with her boyfriend, was held at the Baltimore County Detention Center on $2 million bail over the weekend. She claims that she didn’t know she had hit the toddler—only the grandmother, whom she claims she had swerved to avoid.

According to police, however, Arellano de Hogue was seen getting out of the vehicle, pulling the stroller out from under the pickup truck, and driving away.

USA Safekids.org says that:

· In 2002, 599 children ages 14 and under died from pedestrian injuries.

· Of these, 460 died in motor vehicle-related traffic crashes.

· In 2003, nearly 38,400 children ages 14 and under were treated in hospital emergency rooms for pedestrian-related injuries.

· In 2002, 599 children ages 14 and under died from pedestrian injuries.

· Of these, 460 died in motor vehicle-related traffic crashes.

· In 2003, nearly 38,400 children ages 14 and under were treated in hospital emergency rooms for pedestrian-related injuries.

· Children ages 14 and under are more likely to suffer pedestrian injuries in areas with high traffic volume, a higher number of parked vehicles on the street, higher posted speed limits, no divided highways, few pedestrian-control devices, and few alternative play areas.

· Child pedestrian injuries occur more often in residential areas and on local roads that are straight, paved, and dry.

· Children ages 4 and under are at the greatest risk from child pedestrian death.

· In 2002, children ages 4 and under accounted for more than 40 percent of pedestrian injury-related deaths.

· Nearly 10 percent of all child pedestrian-related injuries occur in driveways.

· Children ages 4 and under account for 80 percent of these driveway-related pedestrian injuries.

· Toddlers (ages 1 to 2) sustain the highest number of pedestrian injuries.

· More than half of all toddler pedestrian injuries occur when a vehicle is backing up.

· Children from birth to age 2 are also more likely to suffer pedestrian injuries in parking lots and on sidewalks.

· Nearly two-thirds of child pedestrian deaths are among males.

· African-American children have a pedestrian injury death rate almost twice that of white children.

Drunk Driver’s Blood Alcohol Level Was 4X Over The Legal Limit In Car Accident That Killed U.S. Marine In Columbia, Maryland

December 6, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Police in Maryland say that the 25-year-old driver whose vehicle crashed right into the back of a Toyota Corolla, killing two people on Thanksgiving night, was driving under the influence with a blood alcohol level that was four times over the legal limit. The blood alcohol test was given to Eduardo Raul Morales-Soriano at a police station, where his alcohol level registered at .32.

The car accident, which took place at the intersection of route 175 and 108 in Colombia, Maryland killed 21-year-old Marine Corporal Brian Matthews of Colombia and Jennifer Bower, 24, of Montgomery Village. Their Corolla had been standing still at a red light when the rear-end collision forced their car off the road.

According to U.S. police, Morales-Soriano is a Mexican national who is in the United States illegally. His prior criminal record includes a drunk driving charge that was dismissed by a court and reckless driving. He now faces charges for negligent manslaughter, negligent homicide, and drunk driving. Morales-Soriano could face up to 36 years in prison and be forced to pay a $30,000 fine.

In Maryland, drivers with a .08 BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) and higher are considered to be driving under the influence. A DUI offense leads to the immediate suspension of your license.

Maryland DUI (driving under the influence): For a first offense, penalties include up to one year in jail, up to a $1000 fine, and a minimum license suspension of 45 days.

For a second offense, penalties are two years in jail and a $2,000 fine. Every time a person is convicted of drunk driving, their license will be suspended.

Maryland DWI (driving while impaired under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs): For a first offense, penalties include 8 points on the Maryland Driver’s license record, two months in jail, a license suspension of up to 60 days, and a fine of up to $500.

For a second offense, penalties can include up to one year in jail and a $500 fine. Refusing to take the breath test can result in a person’s driver’s license being suspended for up to 120 days.

DUI and DWI arrests of persons from other states will still require a Maryland MVA Hearing to protect their driving privileges. Maryland is a member of the Interstate Driver’s License Compact, which shares information about DUI convictions and driver’s license actions with other member states. There are 45 states that belong to this compact.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) calculates that the average alcohol-related fatality in Maryland costs $3.6 million: $1.1 million in monetary costs and $2.5 million in quality of life losses. Also, motor vehicle accidents involving alcohol set the state back an astounding $1.9 billion in the year 2000.

Through Drive 2 Survive Program, Southern Maryland Teenagers Will Get Crash Course In Advanced Safety and Collision Avoidance Training

December 1, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A number of Calvert County organizations have teamed together to bring Southern Maryland young drivers the Drive 2 Survive training program. The Drive 2 Survive course will focus on giving teen drivers the “real world skills” to deal with unexpected situations they might experience on the road.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Board says:

· Teenagers are just 7% of all drivers.
· Teen drivers are responsible for 20% of all vehicle-related collisions.

· Young drivers are responsible for 14% of all vehicle-related deaths.

According to the program’s founders, Drive 2 Survive goes beyond basic driver’s education and is an advanced safety and collision avoidance training course.

Enrolling in the program costs $200 and is open to any teenager living in the tri-county, southern Maryland area who has a learner’s permit and has taken Maryland’s mandated classroom and in-car training. You can click on the link below to register and find out more information.

The Maryland Rookie Driver Program is a graduated licensing program that allows teen drivers to build their skills before earning their driver’s license.

1) The learner’s permit lets a new driver drive while accompanied by a supervised adult driver.
2) After completing the driver education course, driving with an adult for a minimum of 60 hours, and passing a skills test, a teen driver is given a provisional license. The teen driver must be at least 16 years and 3 months old.

3) In order to earn their full license, the driver must be at least 17 years and 9 months old and have held a provisional license for at least 18 months (conviction free).

The Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association provides the following teen driving statistics on their website:

· Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers.
· 16 year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age.
· It is estimated that 16-year-olds are 3 times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than adult drivers.
· 3,657 drivers age 15-20 died in car crashes in 2003, making up 14% of all driver involved in fatal crashes and 18% of all drivers involved in police-reported crashes (NHTSA).
· 25% of teen drivers killed in 2003 had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or greater. A BAC of .08 is the level which all states use to define drunk driving.
· $40.8 billion was the estimated economic impact of auto accidents involving 15-20 year old drivers in 2002 (NHTSA).
· Inexperience behind the wheel is the leading cause of teenage crashes.
· In 2001, two thirds of teens killed in auto accidents were not wearing seat belts.
· Almost half of the crash deaths involving 16-year-old drivers in 2003 occurred when beginner drivers were driving with teen passengers (IIHS).
· Statistics show that 16 and 17-year-old driver death rates increase with each additional passenger (IIHS).

· Graduated drivers license programs appear to be making a difference. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that the overall number of 16-year-old drivers fell from 1,084 in 1993 to 938 in 2003 despite an 18% increase in the 16-year-old population.

Car Accident In Washington County, Maryland, Seriously Injures Two Children

November 17, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In Smithsburg, Maryland two children were seriously injured this week in a car accident at the intersection of Smithsburg Leitersburg Road and Rowe Road.

Audrey Marie Partlow, 41, was driving the car that the children, along with another juvenile passenger, were riding in when their vehicle collided with another vehicle, driven by Douglas Allen McCall II, 34.

Partlow, McCall, and the three juveniles, a 5-year-old, a 10-year-old, and an 8-year old were treated at Washington County Hospital.

In Baltimore, A Police Officer And Another Driver Are Injured In A Car Collision

November 14, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In Maryland last week, Baltimore police officer Channon Rankin sustained a concussion and a fractured leg when the police car that she was driving collided with another vehicle at Belvedere and Beaufort avenues in the Pimlico section in Northwest Baltimore. The driver of the other vehicle, Omar Mooring, sustained the same types of injuries. Ranking was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center for treatment, while Mooring was attended to at Sinai Hospital. Both cars were severely damaged.

According to Baltimore police, Officer Rankin had been rushing to a call at the time of the accident, and her car lights and police siren were activated.

Whether you were involved in a vehicle-related accident where someone was injured or if you witnessed an accident where someone was injured, here are some suggestions for what you can do.

In Maryland, Car Accident Involving Ambulance Injures Patient And Ambulance Workers

November 10, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Last week, two Crisfield ambulance attendants and their patient were injured on the way to Peninsula Regional Medical Center when the ambulance they were riding in was hit by another vehicle at the Cedar Lane intersection on U.S. 13.

Lower Somerset County Ambulance and Rescue Squad’s ambulance 802 had just come from Marion Station where they had picked up their patient who had been involved in a vehicle-related accident. The ambulance workers, Angela Cvetko and Tim Collins, were also treated at Peninsula Regional Medical Center.

Common causes for vehicle-related accidents:

In Maryland, Family Of Mother Hit By A Police Car Fear They Could Loose Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against The City of Baltimore

November 8, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The family of Mary Jones, a mother who was killed when a police officer ran a red light on Northern Parkway on November 13, are worried that they could lose a lawsuit they filed against the city of Baltimore.

Police reports say that Baltimore City Police officer Antonio Reyes-Rodriguez was traveling between 62-82 miles per hour in a 30-mile zone when he ran a red light. Witnesses say that they did not hear a police siren during this time. The report concluded that Officer Reyes had violated Maryland Criminal Law by driving in a grossly negligent manner, which caused Jones’s death.

Just two months ago, however, the Assistant State Attorney wrote Jones’s family to say that there wasn’t any negligence involved on the part of Reyes-Rodriguez—who had been dismissed from the police force after the incident—and that the manslaughter charges were being dropped against him.

In Maryland And Other U.S. States, New AAA Report Says 3 to 5 P.M. on Mondays Through Fridays Are Among The Most Deadly Driving Hours For Teen Drivers

November 3, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Crash data from a new AAA Mid-Atlantic report says that licensed, underaged drivers, ages 16-17, are just as likely to get into deadly car crashes from Monday through Friday between 3 and 5 p.m. as they are between 9 p.m. 2 a.m on weekend nights.

Data shows that between 2002 and 2005:

· 1,100 underaged, teen drivers were killed in the hours right after school.

School Bus Accident In Sykesville, Maryland Ends With Nine Kids Treated In A Carroll County Hospital

October 30, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Last week, nine school kids were treated and released at the Carroll Hospital Center in Sykesville, Maryland, after their school bus and a 1992 Buick collided with one another near Linton Springs Elementary School. The bus had been 100 yards away from the unloading zone at the elementary school when the Buick pulled out in front of the bus from a side parking lot. About 50 school kids were on the bus at the time of the accident.

· There are 585,000 school buses in the U.S.

· 20 students are killed in bus accidents each year (5 while on the bus and 15 are run while getting off or on buses).

Maryland Transportation Authority Says Pink Panels On Bay Bridge In Stevensville Are Reducing Rear-End Collisions And Causing Drivers To “Pace Your Space”

October 27, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The Maryland Transportation Authority says that, according to the latest statistics, the bright pink panels that have been placed along the eastbound span of the Bay Bridge are decreasing auto accidents by helping drivers keep their distance from one another.

According to the MdTA, previous studies had shown that:

· 58% of the auto accidents that occured on the Bay Bridge were rear-end collisions.