Deadly Head-On Accident in Glen Burnie, Maryland

           Early Wednesday evening, a Volkswagen Passat and a Toyota 4Runner crashed head on into one another.  Sadly, the driver of the 4Runner did not survive the crash after his SUV overturned on Furnace Brand Road.  The driver and three children passengers in the other vehicle only suffered minor injuries.

            

           After examining the accident scene, police believe that the SUV was driving east on Furnace Branch Road when he drifted over the center line into oncoming traffic.  Based on that information, police have announced that the official preliminary cause of the crash appears to be the SUV driver’s failure to stay within his lane of travel.  Police did not find any evidence of speeding or alcohol contributing to the accident, and everyone in the two vehicles was wearing a seatbelt. 

Fatal car accidents happen far too often throughout Maryland.  The state’s Department of Transportation continues to have a goal of zero deaths on Maryland’s roadways and is working tirelessly to improve the roads and make them safer for everyone.   Losing a loved one in a fatal car accident is devastating for any family.  No amount of money will ever replace losing that person.  In a wrongful death case, the law allows for surviving estates to collect a financial recovery when a negligent party is held liable for the cause of the death.  Compensation for damages can include: loss of services, loss of future income, mental anguish, medical expenses, funeral expenses, and punitive damages.  In this accident, it appears that the negligent party was also the one who did not survive the accident.

           

            If you or a family member has been injured or killed in an accident caused by the fault or negligence of another person and would like to consult an experienced Maryland personal injury attorney for free, contact us at (301) 854-9000 to schedule an appointment at one of our office locations in Glen Burnie or throughout Maryland or visit us online at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Auto-Accidents/Car-Accidents/Fatal-Car-Accidents.shtml

Maryland Auto Accident Lawyer: Recent Case Result September 2015

           Recently, Portner & Shure settled an auto accident case from November 2013 for $122,500 for our client who was severely injured in a crash in Carroll County, Maryland.  Our client was a passenger in a car that was making a left turn and was hit by a speeding car.  The insurance company for the driver of the car which our client was in had an expert who stated that if the defendant was not speeding, the car our client was in would have been able to complete the left turn without an accident. 

            

           There was over $36,000 in medical costs for our client, who suffered a displaced fracture in his femur, was taken to Shock Trauma, and still has some residual pain from the accident.  The negotiation process in this case lasted well over one year, and was finally able to settle this month.  Lora Hatton worked tirelessly negotiating with the insurance carriers to obtain a great settlement for our client.

Greenbelt, Maryland Car Accident Attorney: Litigation News September 2015

               On September 10, 2015, Portner & Shure attorney, Kevin Ruby, helped his client win a $21,000 verdict for a multi-car accident that occurred in Prince George’s County, Maryland.  Our client was rear-ended, and as a result of her injuries, she accumulated medical bills over $13,000.  The insurance carrier involved in negotiating a settlement prior to trial was State Farm.  Pre-trial, the top settlement offer made by State Farm was $13,000.  The Court found the Defendant liable and our client received a great result in trial, nearly doubling State Farm’s top offer.  Our client was extremely happy with the result in her case.

Ocean City Bike Week: Motorcycle Safety Accident Awareness

            Yesterday, Ocean City Bike Week 2015 kicked off, meaning thousands of motorcyclists were on the roads making their way to Ocean City, Maryland.  To celebrate the start of this year’s festivities, a parade of bikers drove down Coastal Highway from 27^th Street to the inlet.  Some of the attendees this year drove their motorcycles all the way from California and Arizona.  Bike Week events will last through the end of the weekend.  Fortunately, weather for the duration of the event is expected to be perfect, which means driving conditions should be ideal for the motorcyclists.

            

            With thousands of bikers on the road in Ocean City the next few days, we want to remind everyone about safety risks with motorcycles when involved in an accident.  Motorcycles are always at a higher risk of getting into a serious accident that results in severe injuries because of the lack of protection that the bikes offer.  In addition, other vehicles on the road, especially large trucks forget to take extra precautions when a motorcycle is driving in front of or next to them.  Cars, trucks, and buses on the road must double their following distance of a motorcycle to assure that there is enough space to stop suddenly without hitting the bike.  While a rear-end collision between two vehicles (i.e. cars, trucks, buses) rarely results in serious or fatal injuries, the same type of accident almost always results in extremely serious or even fatal injuries for a motorcyclist. 

The biggest difference between cars and motorcycles is in terms of safety mechanisms to prevent injury in an accident.  Automobiles have several safety features that prevent serious injury when accidents occur, such as seatbelts, airbags, and a windshield.  There are no seatbelts to restrain motorcyclists, there are no airbags to limit impact in a crash, and there is no windshield or any other similar device to prevent the rider from flipping over the handlebars of the motorcycle.  Motorcyclists must wear helmets and other protective gear and clothing to limit injury as much as possible if involved in a crash.

We hope that all the motorcyclists in Ocean City for Bike Week 2015 enjoy their time and do not fall victim to a serious accident injury.  However, if you or someone you love has been injured or killed in a Maryland motorcycle accident that is caused by the negligence or fault of another driver, please contact us to schedule an appointment at our Ocean City location or one of our other office locations throughout Maryland for a free case evaluation.  Call our office today at (301) 854-9000 or visit us online to learn more about Maryland motorcycle accidents: http://www.portnerandshure.com/Auto-Accidents/Motorcycle-Accidents.shtml

Fatal Rear-End Collision in Howard County, Maryland

          Tuesday morning, a 72 year old man from Marriottsville, Maryland was involved in a crash with another vehicle around 8:15am during the morning rush hour.  The accident occurred on Route 144 at Homeland Way when the driver of a van began slowing down because of traffic.  Then, the 72 year old man rear-ended the van and unfortunately, he did not survive the crash.

            

          After conducting a preliminary investigation of the accident, police determined that speed and alcohol were not contributing factors to the accident.  A majority of rear-end collisions occur because a driver is not paying attention (i.e. changing the radio station, texting, talking on the phone, falling asleep) to the road while they are driving.  Other times, a rear-end car accident is caused by a sudden stop in traffic, and due to tailgating, there is not enough space to allow the car to stop before hitting the car in front.  Police will have to continue investigating that exact cause of this fatal rear-end crash.   

 One of the most common types of accidents is a rear-end collision.  These types of accidents happen every day on Maryland’s roadways, but many of them are not too serious and actually occur at low driving speeds.  However, sometimes a rear-end collision can result in major property damage and serious injuries or death.  Many rear-end accidents occur during rush hour when there is stop and go traffic or sudden stops and drivers take their eyes off the road for one second.  That one second reduces a driver’s reaction time to a sudden stop in front of them and an accident occurs.  Fortunately for victims of rear-end crashes, fault is usually quite obvious and easy to prove.  In these cases, your experienced personal injury attorney can focus his efforts solely on obtaining just compensation that the victim deserves. 

If you or a family member have been injured or killed in a car accident and would like to consult an experienced Maryland personal injury attorney for free, contact our office at (301) 854-9000 to schedule an appointment at one of our office locations in Columbia or throughout Maryland or visit us online at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Auto-Accidents/Car-Accidents/Fatal-Car-Accidents.shtml

Baltimore Trying to Bring Back Bike-Share Program

            Several years ago, Baltimore City tried having a bike-sharing program, but it quickly fizzled out and disappeared.  Now, there are plans in the work to bring back a bike-share program to the city.  Other major cities nearby, including Washington, D.C. have bike-share programs that have grown significantly in popularity.  For example, in June of this year, close to 315,000 trips were taken on the bike-share bicycles in DC, which is more than double the number in June 2011.

            

             These bike-sharing systems are seen as a fun and healthy way to get around in a city, as well as an easy way to explore new areas.  A person can pick up a bike in one area and can return it in another area.  Assuming the program does start again in Baltimore, initially there would be at least 250 bikes and 25 stations throughout the city.

            

              If this program takes off, it would mean more bicyclists on Baltimore’s roads.  Cities are always dangerous driving environments for drivers, pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists.  With more bicyclists on city streets, the risk of accidents increases significantly.  Drivers often cannot see a bicyclist that is riding next to them, and since bicyclists have no way to protect themselves from a car hitting them, serious injury results.  While a bike-share program would greatly benefit the city and its residents, the number of car, truck, and bus accidents involving a bicyclist will likely increase.  Anyone who rides a bike must wear a helmet, and other protective gear, such as arm pads and knee pads, should be worn as well.

If you or someone you love has been injured or killed in a Maryland bicycle accident that is caused by the negligence or fault of another driver, please contact us to schedule an appointment at one of our office locations in Baltimore and throughout Maryland for a free case evaluation.  Call our office today at (301) 854-9000 or visit us online to learn more about Maryland motorcycle accidents: http://www.portnerandshure.com/Auto-Accidents/Motorcycle-Accidents.shtml

Gaithersburg Woman Struck and Killed by a Car as She Crossed the Street

Early Monday morning, a Gaithersburg woman, Muivembet Gelaw, was crossing the street at the intersection of South Frederick Avenue and South Westland Drive when she was hit by a car driven by Rodolfo Guillen.  Ms. Gelaw was walking to a bus stop with her daughter to go to church.  Unlike many drivers who hit pedestrians and keep driving, this driver remained at the scene.  Sadly, Ms. Gelaw did not survive the accident.

            

          A majority of pedestrian-involved accidents occur when people are crossing a street without a crosswalk.  However, the location of this accident is a major intersection with crosswalks and traffic-control signals for pedestrians.  Currently, police do not know if Ms. Gelaw was crossing with the signal or against the signal, but they are investigating to find out that information.  Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed this accident to come forward because many details remain unknown at this time.

Unfortunately, thousands of pedestrians are killed each year in accidents and actually the numbers have been increasing nationwide in recent years.  2010 data from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) placed Maryland as the seventh most dangerous state for pedestrians with 1.75 fatalities per 100,000 residents.  However, the most recent statistics do not have Maryland ranked in the top ten for worst states for pedestrians.  According to the NHTSA, nearly 3 out of 4 pedestrian deaths occur in urban environments, at intersections, during the nighttime.

In a Maryland pedestrian accident case, it must be determined whether the pedestrian was lawfully crossing the street at the time of the crash.  In other words, was the pedestrian crossing the street against the signal, crossing outside the crosswalk, or texting while crossing, or was the pedestrian crossing with the “walk” signal and inside the crosswalk.  Because Maryland is a contributory negligence state, if the victim pedestrian is negligent in any way, they cannot recover in a civil lawsuit.

           If you or a family member has been injured or killed by a driver as a pedestrian and would like to consult an experienced Maryland personal injury attorney for free, contact our office at (301) 854-9000 to schedule an appointment at one of our office locations in Rockville or throughout Maryland or visit us online at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Personal-Injury/