Horrific Multiple-Car Crash Injures Several People in Baltimore, Maryland

Friday night, five vehicles in total were involved in a massive collision at the intersection of Keyworth and Park Heights Avenues.  Two people from the crash were ejected from their vehicles and four others were injured.  The two who were ejected are in critical condition.  It is unknown if the severity of the accident caused them to be ejected, or if it was a lack of seatbelt use.  The four others who were injured only suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

            

            Based on witness statements, the cause of the crash appears to be as speeding vehicle that ran a red light and hit another vehicle, which then ran over a pedestrian after being forced over the center line.  This second vehicle then hit another vehicle, which then led to a fifth vehicle flipping over and trapping the people inside.  People nearby who witnessed the crash tried to rescue occupants in the vehicle, but they were not able to help.  First responders and other emergency personnel eventually arrived and helped pull these people to safety.

            

            This accident is just another example showing how dangerous it is to speed when driving.  The consequences can be life-threatening, especially when you are speeding and running red lights at a major intersection.  Seatbelt use is another important issue that could also have played a role in the severity of some of the injuries in this crash.  Seatbelts save lives; it is that simple.  When you are wearing your seatbelt when in a vehicle, and you are involved in an accident, you are more likely than not going to be protected from fatal injuries.  It does not make sense to risk your life by choosing not to wear your seatbelt.

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 Baltimore or throughout Maryland or visit us online at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Auto-Accidents/Car-Accidents/Fatal-Car-Accidents.shtml

Columbia, Maryland Car Accident Lawyer: Employee Spotlight November 2015

              Shonta Johnson, our newest receptionist and legal assistant, has now joined the growing Portner & Shure family.  Shonta has lived in Maryland her whole life.  She was born in Baltimore and raised in Columbia.  Shonta graduated from Hammond High School in 2010, and is now pursuing her education with a goal of attending law school in order to become an attorney.  Shonta’s role at the firm has expanded greatly in her short time here because she is eager to learn different aspects of the law.  In her free time, Shonta loves to sing, choreograph dances, read, travel, and cheer on the Baltimore Ravens.  

Portner & Shure, P.A. Opens New Office in Frederick, Maryland

           Portner & Shure now has a brand new fully operational and fully-staffed office in Frederick, Maryland.  This allows our clients in Frederick and other surrounding counties to easily access our attorneys and paralegals in an office that is conveniently located for them.

            

           Frederick has been the fastest growing city in Maryland, with the population jumping nearly 25% since 2000.  Another important distinction is the huge jump in the Hispanic community population over the same period.  The number of Spanish speaking people in Frederick has quadrupled, and now comprises 7% of the total population in Frederick County, Maryland.  Portner & Shure’s Spanish speaking paralegals will be able to assist anyone who speaks Spanish and has been injured in an automobile accident or needs help defending criminal charges such as DUI, assault, and theft.  Portner & Shure attorneys have been working with clients in the Hispanic community for over 20 years in Maryland and Virginia, and want to expand our presence in Frederick.

            

          We continue to point out the three most important things to remember in order to maximize your recovery in your accident injury case in Frederick, Maryland.  First, you must set your defense when dealing with the insurance companies.  While it may seem like the insurance company is on your side and working for you, they are only worried about two things: settling your claim as quickly as possible and paying as little money as possible for your claim.  The best thing to do is not speak to the insurance company.  Second, you must go on offense and you cannot just sit back and let things happen on their own.  You must seek treatment when your are injured in an accident because in order to battle the billion dollar insurance companies, you need medical documents to be able to show the extent of your injuries.  Third, it is necessary to have a top-of-the-line case management system.  You need a firm that communicates with you on a regular basis to keep you updated on everything going on.  You need a firm that has numerous offices that are easily accessible.  And you need a law firm with a staff that is reachable all the time in order to answer any questions you may have. 

Young Boy Seriously Injured in Hit and Run Accident in Baltimore, Maryland

           Early Saturday evening, 13 year old Dannard Claiborne was crossing Hillsdale Road when a Chrysler 300 ran him over and kept driving.  Dannard was on his way to a vigil being held in honor of his great aunt.  One of his family members had stopped traffic to allow everyone to safely cross the road.  Traffic was stopped for a time, but one car, the Chrysler 300, started revving its engine and plowed right over Dannard without ever stopping.  Dannard suffered serious injuries in the accident, but doctors believe he will make full recovery.

            

           License plate information or any identifying characteristics of the driver are unknown at this time.  However, witnesses describe the car as being either silver or gold.  The vehicle was last seen heading north on Hillsdale Road.  Baltimore Police are asking anyone with any information regarding the whereabouts of this vehicle or its driver to call them at 410-396-2606.

            

           Hit and run accidents are devastating no matter who the victim is.  How somebody can run a young boy over and keep driving is unimaginable.  While the driver of the Chrysler vehicle can be charged with a hit and run for hitting poor Dennard and driving off, it is not as clear as to whether Dannard is able to collect any compensation from the driver for the injuries suffered.  Maryland is a contributory negligence state, which means that if somebody is injured, but the cause of their injuries is due in part to some negligent action they took themselves, they cannot recover any compensation.  Even someone who is 1% negligent cannot recover any compensation if they are injured in an accident that is 99% caused by another party.  We do not know any of the circumstances surrounding this case, so we can only speculate at this time.

If you or a family member have been injured or killed in a Maryland pedestrian accident and would like to consult an experienced personal injury attorney for free, contact our office at (410) 995-1515 to schedule an appointment at one of our office locations in Baltimore or throughout Maryland or visit us online at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Personal-Injury/

Pedestrian Crossing Against Signal and Hit by Car in Crofton, MD

            On Wednesday night, a pedestrian was struck as she tried to cross Crane Highway through gaps in traffic.  She was with a group of friends when she attempted to cross the highway.  A car had just merged onto the southbound portion of the highway when it struck the girl.  As a result of the impact, the pedestrian was thrown forward and landed in the middle of the road.  She suffered life-threatening head injuries and remains in serious condition after being transported to Shock Trauma.  The driver of the car was not injured, and police determined there was no fault on the part of the driver.  The teenage girl tried to cross the highway without yielding the right of way to oncoming traffic, which is required when someone is crossing a road outside of any crosswalk.  This is commonly known as jaywalking.

            

           Pedestrian accidents occur on a daily basis throughout Maryland and the rest of the country.  The most important thing to keep in mind if you or someone you know is injured in a pedestrian accident is whether you or the person you know was lawfully crossing the road.  Lawfully crossing the road means that the pedestrian was inside of a marked crosswalk and there is a crossing signal illuminated.  If not, and you or someone you know is crossing outside of a crosswalk or crossing the street when the signal is telling you not to cross, then you can be found to be contributorily negligent, which means your actions contributed to the accident and the resulting injuries.  Maryland is a contributory negligence state, which means that if you are even just 1% negligent in causing the accident, you cannot recover any compensation for injuries suffered. 

            

           There are so many pedestrian accident cases where a pedestrian is hit by a car, but the pedestrian was partly at fault because he was texting on his cell phone, crossing against the signal, or crossing the street where there is no marked crosswalk.  In this circumstances, the pedestrian cannot recover anything.  Nighttime is the worst for pedestrian accidents because the darkness makes it extremely difficult for drivers to spot pedestrians.  This accident happened at night, and the pedestrian tried crossing the street even though she was not in a crosswalk and there were oncoming cars travelling at a high speed.

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

Accident Involving School Bus in Frederick, Maryland Injures Three

            Yesterday, a school bus and another vehicle crashed in Frederick, Maryland at Route 355 and New Technology Way.  Three people were injured as a result of the accident.  Fortunately, none of the injured included children because the bus was empty at the time of the accident.  The exact cause of the accident is still under investigation.

            

            This is yet another accident involving a school bus, which is a phenomenon that continues to increase in frequency.  Currently, there is much debate going on concerning seatbelts on school buses.  Many parents and officials believe that school buses should have seatbelts because they transport children of all ages who can easily be injured if the bus is involved in an accident.  Without seatbelts on school buses, when a bus is involved in an accident, there is absolutely nothing to keep the children from being flung all over the bus.  Just recently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the first time is recommending school buses install three-point seatbelts.  In prior years, officials at the NHTSA had a firm stance that seatbelts were not necessary on school buses because they were safe without them.  There still is no federal law requiring seatbelts on school buses, but this change in the stance of the NHTSA on seatbelts in school buses is important to acknowledge.  It is certainly a step in the right direction to better protect our children on school buses. 

            

           Right now, it is up to individual states and school district to decide whether to install seatbelts on buses.  While the cost is high to add seatbelts to all school buses, it is small in comparison to the loss of innocent children’s’ lives.  It will be interesting to see how states respond to this change on the idea of seatbelts on school buses.  Maryland officials have indicated they do not have plans to require seatbelts on school buses any time soon.  As more and more accidents involving school buses occur across the state, and more and more children are injured or killed in these accidents, maybe Maryland officials will change their stance on seatbelts as well.

            

          If you have a child that has been injured or killed in a school bus accident due to the negligence or fault 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 Frederick or throughout Maryland or visit us online at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Auto-Accidents/Bus-Accidents.shtml