Articles Posted in Personal Injury

In an earlier post, our Maryland car accident lawyers explained why we believed Marylanders should vote to pass Question 2 which increased Maryland District Court’s jurisdiction to $15,000.00. On November 2, 2010, 1,542,546 Marylanders cast a vote on the issue presented in Question 2. Of that number, 1,010,640, or 66% voted in favor of the increase. With the ballot initiative passed, we wondered when Maryland law would change to reflect the favorable vote on the ballot question.

It became clear to us the answer to “when does it take effect” was not clear. We called the office of Senator Mike Miller, President of the Maryland Senate. We spoke to an assistant of Senator Miller who patiently explained what she knew. We were informed that a number of steps need to take place before the change in law will become effective.

Based upon the telephone call, our understanding is that both the Maryland House and the Senate still need to develop and pass the final language of the law before it takes effect.

In Carroll County Circuit court, Baltimore resident Nicholas Fickel is suing Baugher’s Orchard and Farm for Maryland personal injury. Fickel says he became ill after consuming Baugher’s unpasteurized apple cider last month.

Fickel says that his E. coli infection caused him to experience uncomfortable symptoms, including bloody diarrhea and painful stomach cramping. As his condition grew worse, he had to seek medical help. A lab test confirmed that Fickel was suffering from E. coli O157:H7.

Fickel isn’t the only one to complain of food poisoning after consuming Baugher’s apple cider. Health officials in Maryland say there are at least seven E. coli cases linked to the cider. Three people had to be hospitalized for their food poisoning. One person may now possibly have Hemolytic-Urenia Syndrome, which a type of kidney failure linked to E. coli poisoning.

Joseph Wheeler is suing Prince George’s Hospital Center for Maryland personal injury. He is seeking over $12 million—$9.5 million in punitive damages and $3.2 million in compensatory damages. He is also seeking damages from Broadway Security and hospital guards Donovan Scott and William Reese.

The 46-year-old Inigoes, Maryland man had been admitted to the Upper Marlboro hospital for treatment of shoulder and torso injuries he sustained following a July 23 car accident. Wheeler contends that when he woke up the following day he was told by a nurse that he couldn’t eat because he had to undergo surgery.

The hospital ID bracelet he was wearing explained that he was about to have a “potentially cancerous mass” taken out of his chest. However, the bracelet had what appeared to a female name on it belonging to a person who was born 13 years before Wheeler’s birth year.

More than 20 Ruth’s Chris workers who say they suffered serious injuries because they were exposed to carbon monoxide at the Pier Five Hotel in 2008 have been awarded a $34 million Baltimore personal injury verdict. The steak restaurant, which is not considered at fault, is located at the downtown hotel. The workers contend that the exposure left them with permanent brain damage that have resulted in attention problems, memory problems, and personality changes.

Firefighters had to evacuate the restaurant after workers and customers fell ill. During the civil trial, the rescuers affirmed that the levels of carbon monoxide on the premises could have proved fatal. According to the plaintiffs’ Baltimore injury lawyers, fumes entered through cracks in the hotel’s walls over a four- to five-month period. The safety device for detecting carbon monoxide was shut off on several occasions. On February 2, 2008, that a pipe cap came off, resulting in the carbon monoxide leak.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

The grandmother of a Leith Walk Elementary boy is suing the Baltimore public school system, the city school board, the city government, and the Northeast Baltimore school for Maryland injuries to a minor. The child, age 9, tried to commit suicide last September after his teacher refused to pay attention to his complaints that he was being bullied.

The 9-year-old, who attends a special education class and has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, reportedly had been bullied since he started studying at the school. The Baltimore personal injury complaint accuses the boy’s teacher of gross negligence, claiming that before rushing to save the boy, who was hanging from the classroom door coat hanger with the chair kicked from underneath him, she first stopped to take photos of him with the camera on her phone.

Bullying

Candace Williams is suing Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs for Maryland personal injury. Candace Williams, 26, is seeking $70 million: $50 million in punitive damages and $20 million in compensatory damages.

Williams claims that Suggs physically abused her twice last month. She contends that on November 3, the football player broke her nose when he hit her face. Williams alleges that on November 29, Suggs poured chemical bleach on her body and threatened to drown her in the strong liquid.

She filed a restraining order against him last week. On Friday, a judge granted an order preventing Suggs from contacting Williams.