Maryland Truck Accident Lawyer: Fatal Tractor Trailer Accident in Westminster

            Last Friday, a tractor trailer collided with a car on Route 27 in Westminster.  Both vehicles quickly caught fire and the driver of the car could not make it out in time.  The truck hit the car in the intersection of Route 27 and Kate Wagner/Chapel Road. 

            

            Preliminary investigations do not reveal any alcohol involvement or defective maintenance of the tractor trailer as possible causes of the accident.  Although the truck initiated the collision, it still has not been determined who was at fault or the accident.

Truck-involved accidents will almost always result in serious injuries or death.  Due to the size and power of tractor trailers, it is difficult for truck drivers to bring their rigs to a quick stop.  All drivers on the roads and highways should always be extra cautious when driving near, next to, or in front of tractor trailers because there is a greater risk for a serious accident.

            

            Remember, the actions you take immediately after an auto accident will affect your personal injury recovery.  Most crash victims do not understand that an auto accident entails complicated issues, including:

   

   ·         What should never be discussed with the Adjuster;

   ·         The two critical guidelines to follow when seeking medical treatment;

   ·         The method to “get more” for your property damage and an immediate rental car;

   ·         The one document always needed for your lost wage recovery, and other critical accident related         proof;

   ·         The three essentials for building and evaluating the case for pain and suffering compensation.

If you or a family member has been injured or killed in a truck 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 Westminster or throughout Maryland or visit us online at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Auto-Accidents/Truck-Accidents/

Maryland Car Accident Attorney: Employee Spotlight February 2016

Mandy Liu, one of our bilingual legal assistants, has been at Portner & Shure for more than 6 months.  Mandy is originally from Guangdong, China before she moved to the United States in 1997.  She speaks both Mandarin and Cantonese dialects of the Chinese language, in addition to English.  Mandy works closely with our Chinese Department paralegals to be able to assist our growing Chinese client base.

Mandy graduated from Towson University with a Bachelor of Science degree for healthcare management.  Recently in 2014, she was married.  Travelling and learning different languages are two things Mandy enjoys.  In addition, she loves playing badminton and watching her favorite television shows.

Maryland Auto Accident Attorney: Recent Case Result February 2016

A case that began about one year ago finally settled this month.  In February last year, our client was crossing Lost Knife Road in Gaithersburg, Montgomery County, Maryland.  She was in a well-established crosswalk when the Defendant driver failed to pay proper time and attention and struck our client.  With the force of the impact, she fell to the ground and began experiencing intense excruciating pain throughout her whole body.  As a result of her injuries, she was rushed to the hospital and quickly transferred to Shock Trauma due to the severity of her injuries.

            

            Preliminary examination revealed numerous fractures.  Our client endured surgical procedures to repair her injuries, and was forced to stay at Shock Trauma in recovery. 

            

            With well over $100,000 in medical expenses and substantial pain and suffering, Mr. Portner and our paralegal on the case, Christine Airey, worked tirelessly in negotiations with the insurance company.  Ultimately, typical crosswalk liability issues were resolved, and the carrier offered the amount of the policy: $250,000.

           

             Ms. Airey spent weeks going back and forth with doctors and hospitals to try and reduce the medical bills for our client.  After a tremendous amount of work negotiating, Ms. Airey lowered our client’s medical expenses by more than $50,000.  In other words, in addition to any recovery from the $250,000 settlement, our firm was able to net our client an additional $50,000 from bill reductions.  Mr. Portner notes, “Oftentimes, this part of the case is the most difficult and is overlooked by less experienced personal injury lawyers.”        

Maryland Car Accident Attorney: What Clients Are Saying February 2016

“Thank you so very much Mr. Portner and Mrs. Ruhl....not to mention Rebecca Dean. I got more than I ever thought possible when I stepped into their firm they told me I would be taken care of and they followed through with that. My company I was working for was covering up the fact they had put a claim out and made my own insurance company pay for the accident I had while working for them. Portner and Shure got me the income I needed for my family and so I can start a life again. Thank you so very much.”

This case was handled by our Paralegal, Rebecca Dean, who works out of our Columbia, MD Office.

Maryland Car Accident Lawyer: MD State Plow Driver Seriously Injured in Accident with SUV

           Last night, a Maryland State Highway Administration snow plow driver was standing outside his truck at Ridge Road and Hoffman Drive.  An SUV was driving by and hit the plow driver, resulting in life threatening injuries.  Police are still investigating the cause of the accident to determine who was at fault and if any charges need to be filed against the SUV driver.

           

           It is unclear where exactly the plow driver was standing when he was hit—was he standing on the side of the road, was he standing in the middle of the road.  These types of accidents happen far too frequently on highways when drivers are pulled over on the shoulder, get outside of their car, and another driver hits them.  Even when something like this occurs on a main road as opposed to a highway, the effects are just as bad.  A driver standing outside of his or her vehicle is never safe and should always stand as far away from travel lanes as possible.

            

          It is also unknown whether the SUV driver was distracted while driving, under the influence of alcohol, or simply just did not see the truck driver.  The police investigation will make these determinations.

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 Columbia or throughout Maryland or visit us online at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Personal-Injury/