May 2015 Case Result

              Recently, Portner & Shure settled a workers’ compensation case for $100,000 for its client who was injured in 2010 while working on a deck using a nail gun.  Our client suffered an eye injury when a nail bounced up, struck his safety goggles, and broke a piece of plastic that went into his eye.  Doctor examinations revealed a scratched cornea and eventually he needed surgery because his blurry vision was not improving.  After surgery, he was out of work for three months.  Doctors found our client to have 100% permanent loss of visual function in his left eye as a result of the accident.

Two Dead in Devastating Accident in Arnold

         Tuesday night, two vehicles were involved in a crash on northbound Ritchie Highway at College Parkway in Arnold, Maryland.  After investigating the accident scene, police officers determined that one of the vehicles, a Nissan Sentra, was on the southbound portion of Ritchie Highway with a red left turn arrow, but the driver proceeded to turn left towards College Parkway.  While making the illegal left turn, his vehicle was now in the direct path of an oncoming GMC Suburban truck that was driving down Ritchie Highway.  The truck crashed into the passenger side of the Nissan causing the car to overturn, and the truck pushed the car into a “traffic signal support pole.”  The driver of the Nissan was crushed in the crash and did not survive.  The driver in the GMC was ejected from his truck, possibly the result of not wearing a seatbelt, and taken to Maryland’s Shock Trauma Center.  Unfortunately, he did not survive either.

            The cause of the crash was determined to be the driver of the Nissan making an illegal left turn disobeying a red turn signal.  Police also believe alcohol on the part of the Nissan driver contributed to the crash, which would explain why he tried to turn on a red signal.

            Remember, if you are in an accident and are seriously injured follow these three steps protect your claim and maximize your potential recovery:

1)     Do Not Speak: It is important to understand that when the insurance company calls to speak with you, they are working against your claim. This means that the information that you give them is information that can be used against you. As a lay person, you may not realize what kind of information is harmful or helpful to your case. Because of this, it is essential that you find the help of an experienced Maryland personal injury attorney who can advise you. Your personal injury lawyer will speak to the insurance company for you so that you will not make the mistake of revealing too much information.  Not speaking to the insurance company is especially important for those who do not speak English fluently or speak English as a second language. The insurance company may take advantage of the language barrier to obtain information they can use against you.

2)     Focus on Treatment: It is very important that you seek medical treatment for your injuries.  When you are treating for your injuries, you must listen to the advice of your doctor. Do not attempt self-diagnosis or stop treatment before your doctor advises you discontinue treatment. Some clients make the mistake of ending their treatment process early and later discover that they are not fully recovered. By this time, it may be too late for those clients to make a claim for the treatment they subsequently receive. Do not make this mistake and risk your claim.  Instead, listen to the advice of your doctor.

3)     Do Not Rush: The settlement process takes time. Our experienced Maryland personal injury attorneys are skilled in negotiation. Oftentimes, this includes waiting out the insurance company to make them nervous. Because of this, it is important for clients to be patient and allow the attorney to obtain the most for your claim. 

            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 personal injury attorney for free, contact us 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/

Maryland & Virginia Traffic Cutters Cause Accidents

          We have all done it before, we see other drivers do it all the time as well, and it frustrates everyone who is stuck sitting in traffic.  Some refer to the move as “dive-bombing” because a driver will get in an exit only lane or on the shoulder and then cut back over to get ahead of the traffic.  Cars will “dive” in and out of traffic in an aggressive, and often illegal, manner.  If a driver takes the exit only lane all the way to the end and cuts back over across double white lines, it is illegal and the driver can be ticketed.  The biggest issue with this maneuver is the safety implication.  When cars are “pulling out of heavy traffic, speeding up, and then cutting back into the lane,” the risk of an accident increases substantially.  Stop and go traffic is already dangerous enough with sudden stops and starts, but when drivers are suddenly cutting over from exit lanes or shoulders, an accident is almost guaranteed to occur.  This dangerous maneuver also creates a problem for those drivers who are actually trying to exit, but the car in front of them is blocking the lane because they tried to sneak ahead of the traffic and cannot back over.

            Commuters in Maryland and Virginia have voiced their disapproval and anger over these moves, saying it is “unsafe and unfair.”  However, there are some who are defending the maneuver as a “good move because drivers are spreading out and using all available asphalt.  Traffic engineers argue that it is effective for drivers to use all parts of the roadway in terms of alleviating traffic.  As a result, highway officials are allowing drivers onto the shoulders during peak travel times to “expand” the highway without physically making any changes to the road.  For example, Maryland started opening up the shoulders on route 29 to bus traffic at peak travel periods, and Virginia did the same move on I-66 inside the Capital Beltway.  Green arrows will illuminate over the shoulders when it is legal to drive on them.  The use of shoulders on the inner loop of I-66 will be coming later this spring.  In addition, areas of I-95 in Maryland and I-66 in Virginia are increasing the length of merge lanes to help with traffic, but as a result, these lanes will have a more drastic cut off for drivers to get over.

            While there will always be drivers throughout Maryland and Virginia that use this maneuver to get ahead in heavy traffic, other drivers should be reminded to be extra cautious when driving in traffic.  Not only do drivers need to watch for sudden stops by cars ahead of them, they also need to be on the lookout for cars to their left and right who might look like they are exiting, but will suddenly cut in front of them.

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