Montgomery County Police Increasing Patrols to Catch Marylanders Texting and Driving

         A Montgomery County police officer dressed up as a homeless man to try and catch drivers off guard.  The officer was holding a sign that read, “I am not homeless.  I am a Montgomery County police officer looking for cell phone texting violations.  There has been a dramatic increase in distracted-driving-related deaths in Maryland of late.  Police officers are trying to take steps to crack down on this major issue.

           

          A majority of the distracted driving related deaths can be attributed to cell phone use, especially texting while driving.  The “homeless” officer and eight other officers issued 56 tickets county-wide on Tuesday.  Of these, 31 tickets were for texting and driving, as well as 9 warnings being issued.

            

           Maryland State Highway Administration officials have made it very clear that their goal is to have zero deaths on Maryland’s highways.  One step toward achieving that goal is for police to crack down on one of the major causes of fatal accidents: distracted driving (i.e. talking on cell phones and texting while driving).

            

            If you or a family member has been injured or killed in an accident caused by another driver being distracted by their cell phone 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 Rockville or throughout Maryland or visit us online at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Auto-Accidents/Car-Accidents/Fatal-Car-Accidents.shtml

What Clients Are Saying October 2015

“I scheduled a consultation with Portner & Shure at their Columbia, MD location. We were quickly taken care of by Norma, who listened and documented what occurred during our auto accident. After hearing our story and where we were in the process, she consulted with an attorney colleague and they both advised us that it was simply not in our best interest to have them handle the case - we would make more money by settling it ourselves. I admired their transparency and they advised us how to best negotiate with the Auto Insurer. Johnathan Portner, the Managing Partner, even came in and sat down with us to explain his view on the matter. The man probably bills out at $800+ dollars an hour, but he was willing to sit down and talk to us all day! If anything ever happens, god forbid, this is where I will seek out representation - without a doubt.”

This case was handled by our Spanish Paralegal, Norma Guevara.

Silver Spring Doctor Who Broke Wrist in Hospital is Awarded $4.4 Million by Jury

             An incident dating back to November 2010, when Dr. Vikramaditya Reddy slipped and fell on a waxed floor at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring.  According to Reddy’s attorneys, there were no signs visible that warned him of a slippery, just-waxed floor.  Reddy brought suit against Crothall Healthcare, Inc., the company responsible for training and supervising hospital employees in proper maintenance of the facility.  The largest part of the damage award is for future lost wages because as a result of the injuries sustained in the fall, Dr. Reddy can no longer perform the types of surgeries as part of his medical practice.  The award was calculated as follows: $3.7 million for future lost wages, $561,000 for past lost wages, $39,000 for past medical expenses, and $33,000 for noneconomic damages. 

The jury found that Crothall Healthcare failed in warning about the hazard of freshly waxed floors and the risk of injury associated with it.  Crothall Healthcare continued to deny any responsibility for causing the accident, but the jury found that because they were responsible for training hospital employees in proper facility maintenance they should be the ones held liable for the lack of warning signs for waxed floors.

Property owners have a responsibility to maintain safe premises for others who are on their property and a duty to warn visitors of potentially hazardous conditions.  When they fail to keep their property safe and fail to warn of unsafe conditions, such as a waxed floor, they can be held accountable for injuries that result.  In this case and in most cases just like it, the victim is often awarded significant damages as compensation for injuries.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a slip and fall or has died as a result of their injury suffered in a Maryland accident, and would like more information, please call us at (301) 854-9000 to schedule an appointment for a free case evaluation at our Silver Spring office or one of our many other offices located throughout Maryland, or visit us online at: http://www.portnerandshure.com/Personal-Injury/Premises-Liability.shtml