Maryland Accident Law Blog

In Maryland, Accidental Drowning Of Anne Arundel County 5-Year Old Renews Calls For Greater Pool Safety

October 13, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The June 22 death of 5-Year-Old Connor Freed is causing residents and lawmakers to reevaluate whether there should be more monitoring and regulating of Maryland’s swimming pools.

Freed drowned this past summer at the Crofton Country Club. His parents later filed a $20 million wrongful death suit against the club and its pool management company. The suit claims that the club and company did not do enough to make sure there were enough experienced lifeguards on site.

Freed’s family has established the Connor Cares Foundation and hopes to persuade lawmakers to create new laws that will ensure stricter safety and security around pools in Maryland.

Maryland To Revoke Driver’s Licenses Of Underage Drunk Drivers For One Year

October 9, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Beginning October 1, 2006, underage drivers who are charged with drunk driving will lose their driver’s license for 12 months. According to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, there were 9,090 motor vehicle-related accidents caused by drunk drivers in 2003. 12% of those accidents involved teen drivers. The previous penalty for underage drivers arrested for drunk driving was the revocation of their license for 6 months.

The tougher penalties were approved by the Maryland General Assembly in April 2006.

In 2003, according to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

Hagerstown Woman Injured During 2005 Car Accident Files A Personal Injury Lawsuit Against The Maryland Symphony Orchestra

October 6, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In Washington County Circuit Court last week, attorneys for Elisa Devore filed a personal injury lawsuit against The Maryland Symphony Orchestra, Inc., Orchestra Manager Sharon Ahrens, and Ahren’s insurance company.

Devore says that on April 19, 2005, she was forced to swerve into a guardrail after Ahrens crossed a median on Interstate 70, west of Md. 66, and hit another car in a head on collision. Devore says she swerved into the guardrail to avoid hitting the two-car collision. She is also suing the MSO because Ahrens had just returned from a rehearsal with the symphony. Devore claims that she injured most of her body parts in the accident and that Ahrens’s insurance policy did not cover all the injuries she sustained. She is asking for $100,000.

According to the Maryland DMV.org, the state of Maryland requires three types of insurance coverage:

In Maryland City, Three People Are Injured As Police Chase Stolen Truck

October 5, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In Maryland City last week, three people were injured on September 27 when a stolen Dodge Durango that was being chased by police hit two vehicles on Brock Bridge Road. Police say the truck hit a Honda minivan and a Mercury minivan. The driver of the Honda minivan, Lavinia Ann Solan and her passenger Beverly Gales sustained critical injuries. The driver of the Mercury Minivan, Monalisa Gribble, was treated for her nonfatal injuries at Laurel Regional Hospital.

The driver of the Durango, a 17-year-old male, has been charged with multiple traffic violations and felony theft. Anne Arundel County police say he was speeding at 46 mph in a 25 mph zone.

A person who has been critically injured in a car accident due to the negligence of another driver may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit. Involvement in a hit and run accident or drunk driving incident may also make you eligible to file a claim.

In Washington D.C.,A 7-Year-Old Child Is Hit By A Car On Stanton Road

October 4, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Yesterday, A 7-year-old child was hit by a motor vehicle after she ran onto the 2900 block of Stanton Road. According to police, the child is being treated for bruises and scrapes. This is the second child pedestrian-related accident on a D.C. street in the last few days.Just five days ago, 4-year-old girl was killed by a truck.

In 2005, According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA):

· 64, 000 pedestrians were injured.

Maryland Pedestrian Files A Multi-Million Dollar Personal Injury Lawsuit Against Pizza Delivery Driver and the State Highway Administration

September 29, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

An Ocean City pedestrian has filed a personal injury lawsuit against the pizza delivery driver who was operating the truck that hit him, the pizza delivery company, and the state of Maryland.

In 2003, Kevin Houck was crossing the Coastal Highway with friends near 93rd street when Houck and a woman were hit by a delivery truck. Andrew Caldwell, the driver of the pizza delivery truck ,who was employed by Domino’s Pizza at the time, is named as one of the defendants in the lawsuit. Houck is seeking $1 million in damages from Caldwell for allegedly negligent driving. Houck is also asking the pizza delivery company for $1 million. In addition, Houck is suing the state of Maryland, The State Highway Administration (SHA), and the Department of Transportation for $1 million because of the allegedly faulty design of a median located in an area of the highway where it is allegedly not safe for pedestrians to cross the road.

The State Highway Administration (SHA) offers the following Pedestrian Statistics from 2003:

Maryland Women Among The 500 Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch Victims That Are Suing Johnson & Johnson

September 27, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Maryland women are among the 500 claimants who have filed personal injury lawsuits related to injuries and deaths that were caused by using the Ortho Evra birth control patch. According to legal analysts, however, thousands of women around the world have suffered heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots as a result of using the patch but do not know that the patch was the reason. Many families are believed to have lost loved ones for the same reason.

The FDA announced last week that it had updated the label on the Ortho Evra birth control patch to include the results from one study that reported that women who used the patch were twice as likely to sustain a blood clot than women using the pill. Another test indicated that there was no difference in risk factors between women using both kinds of birth control.

The FDA offers the following Patient Information Sheet for women using Ortho Evra:

National Transportation Safety Board Says There Was An Increase In Transportation-Related Fatalities in 2005

September 22, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The National Transportation Safety Board is reporting that there was an increase in transportation-related fatalities in 2005.

According to preliminary figures released by the NTSB this week, from 2004-2005:

· Deaths from transportation-related accidents went up from 45,092 to 45,636.

In Ocean City, Maryland, The Sixth Annual Delmarva Biker Week Wraps Up

September 21, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Over 100,000 attended the Sixth Annual Delmarva Biker week that took place from September 14-17. The number of attendees from last year was slightly down due to bad weather.

The following motorcycle accidents took place over the weekend in Ocean City:

· Jason Bowen, 24, of Harrington suffered serious injuries while performing tricks on his bike on Friday, September 15, near 85th Street. He was flung into the air and traveled 82 feet before hitting a median.

In Cecil County, Maryland, A 16-Year-Old Elkton Boy Is Critically Injured In Tubing Accident On The Elk River

September 20, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police say that a 16-year-old Elkton boy was critically injured last week after the tube that he was being towed in hit the floating pier at 55 Knollwood Road on the Elk River. Susan Archibald was operating the personal watercraft (PWC) that was towing the tube on Tuesday, September 12. The teenager was taken to Maryland Trauma Shock Center where he was treated for injuries. The NRP are investigating the incident and deciding whether to press charges.

According to the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation’s website:

· 12,290 people were treated in emergency rooms due to PWC-related injuries.