Harford County Bicyclist Driving Under the Influence

If a motorist is riding his vehicle on the public highways under the influence of alcohol and causes an accident, should he be arrested for  "driving under the influence"?  Should these same laws apply to an individual riding his bicycle on the public highways?  If motorists  are forced to share the roads with bicycles, then perhaps they should be held accountable for obeying the laws of the highways and the same penalties and consequences should apply.

In a recent Harford County accident, a 33 year old man was leaving a bar in Bel Air on his bicycle on Thursday, August 12, 2010, when he ran into a motor vehicle.  The bicyclist, Matthew Parker was flown to Maryland Shock Trauma for head injuries.  The injuries appeared not to be life-threatening.    

According to Bel Air Police Chief, Leo Matrangola, they suspect Mr. Parker was riding his bicycle under the influence of alcohol and charges are currently pending.  The question especially arises when the intoxicated bicyclist causes an injury to someone other than himself.  Bicyclists currently advocate for laws that provide safety for themselves.  However, due to their increasing numbers we should not ignore certain safety issues that now arise for the automobile driver.  Perhaps a law change should only apply to a bicyclist who causes an accident that leads to an injury of the automobile driver.

If you, a family member or someone you know has been involved in a bike accident or car accident or you need more information on car and bike accidents, please contact Portner & Shure for a free consultation with one of our Maryland personal injury lawyers.

$145 Million Wrongful Death Suit filed in Harford County, Maryland

The family of Dwight Jerome Madison, a 48 year old Navy veteran, filed a civil suit against Harford County and the Harford County Sheriff's office after Mr. Madison died as a result of being Tasered.  

The suit filed in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore alleges that Mr. Madison was assaulted by three correction officers and a civilian jail employee.  During the assault, Mr. Madison struck his head and became seriously injured nevertheless, the correction officers continued to "fire thousands of volts of electricity into Mr. Madison, causing his death."

Mr. Madison was initially taken to Upper Chesapeake Hospital in Harford County but later transferred to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center where he died on June 13th.  

The suit claims that the actions of the correction officers violated Mr. Madison's civil rights, directly causing his death.  

Recent studies indicate Tasers could potentially cause ventricular fibrillation.  During ventricular fibrillation, the heart goes into overdrive.  Instead of pumping blood in the normal sequence, the heart writhes uncontrollably, potentially causing sudden death.  Further, studies have shown that Tasers interrupt brain signals.  Tasing could cause the nerve cells in the brain to fire signals in a fast, rhythmic pattern, triggering a seizure, which could possibly lead to secondary injuries and potentially lethal outcomes such as suffocation.

If you, a family member, or someone you know has sustained injuries or wrongful death as the result the negligence of another person or persons, or you would like more information on wrongful death claims, please contact Portner & Shure for a free consultation..

Hazardous Road Conditions in Harford County Contribute to Accident.

The first of the major snow storms to hit Maryland had just started to fall on Friday, February 5, 2010, when a 2002 Chevrolet Ventura being operated by Carrie Ann Brown drifted to the right and struck a 1987 Mack dump truck. The dump truck, which was under contract with the Maryland State Highway Administration and being operated by Robert Singleton, Jr. of Forest Hill, was parked on the shoulder of the road on standby for the pending snow storm. The accident occurred on Paradise Road in Aberdeen near the I-95 overpass.

The driver of the Chevrolet and her 15 year old daughter were both taken to Bayview Hospital in Baltimore City in serious condition. Brown's two other children were also transported to nearby medical facilities for less serious injuries. Hazardous road conditions were believed to be the cause of the accident.

As the record snow fall for Maryland continues to grow, so does hazardous and icy road conditions that are the cause of the growing number of accidents over the last couple of weeks. In situations when an accident is due to poor road and/or weather conditions it can be hard to prove negligence, unless the person who caused the accident was not driving in accordance with the proper precaution for the poor weather conditions. What constitutes proper precaution is normally common sense. It is important to seek the advice of an attorney to assist you with accidents that occur in hazardous weather conditions, since different rules do apply.

If you, a family member or someone you know has been injured in an automobile accident that was the result of icy or snow covered roads or any other weather or poor road conditions you can contact Portner & Shure for a free consultation.