Baltimore Personal Injury Lawyer - Motor Vehicle Acidents

Woman Dies in Baltimore Beltway Crash

Shannon Weidemann — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 17:13:53 GMT

A 46-year-old woman from Towson was killed in an accident on the Baltimore Beltway on Wednesday evening. She died from her injuries at St. Joseph Medical Center.

The victim

was driving east on the inner loop of the Baltimore Beltway between Dulaney Valley and Providence roads about 8 p.m. Wednesday when she lost control of a 2001 Toyota Highlander, state police said.
The car struck another vehicle and hit a barrier next to the fast lane, county police said.

The police are still investigating the accident to determine the cause. If you or a loved one have been involved in a car accident and would like to speak with an attorney, please use the contact form on the right.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Mayor Hit by Unlicensed Driver

Shannon Weidemann — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 23:13:24 GMT

Mayor Sheila Dixon was on her way to her son's basketball game when the SUV she was a passenger in was hit by another car. The driver of the other car did not have a driver's license.

He was trying to make a right-hand turn from Clifton Avenue onto Denison Street around 1:30 p.m. when he struck the right front bumper of the 2004 Ford Expedition carrying the mayor, according to a police report.
The mayor's SUV was driven by Stephen Coughlan, a city police officer and member of her executive protection team. Her car was stopped at the intersection when the accident occurred, according to the report.
The mayor was wearing her seatbelt and was not injured.

There was snow on the road at the time of the accident. The driver of the car is facing three charges against him due to the accident.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Teen Killed in Fiery Single Car Accident

Shannon Weidemann — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 22:21:46 GMT

A 17-year-old Ogletown teen was killed when the SUV she was driving struck a tree and burst into flames.

The 2004 Jeep Liberty was being driven by the girl on Old Cooch's Bridge Road east of Iron Hill. High speeds, as it went around a curve, was probably a factor. The posted speed limit for the curve is 15 mph. She was wearing her seat belt and paramedics had to pull her from the burning wreckage. The unidentified teen was pronounced dead at the scene.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Contributory Negligence Doctrine Bars Many Maryland Personal Injury Claims

Steve Silverman — Wed, 24 May 2006 13:56:52 GMT

Personal Injury law in Maryland is vastly different then other states due to the Doctrine of Contributory Negligence. Contributory negligence means that if a person is found to be 1% or more at fault, that person is 100% barred from making any recovery. For example, if you are the victim of a rear end collision and the judge or jury finds you contributed to the accident by stopping too quickly, you can not recover for any of your medical bills, lost wages or other damages.

Often in slip and fall cases, a Maryland plaintiff will be barred from recovery because a jury determines the plaintiff is partially at fault for not watching where she was going. This is the case even if the store owner left an oil spill on the floor for 5 hours and failed to warn the customers! Such unjust results can be devastating to an individual who accumulates hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills, and the defendant is mostly to blame.

The Contributory Negligence Doctrine is unique to Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and the District of Columbia. The net effect is that it invites litigation and clogs the court system because at-fault parties often believe that they can duck liability if they can show the defendant was 1% at-fault.

Because of the unique burden of proof required in Maryland, personally injury victims need too choose their attorney wisely and with great caution. Sadly, often the success of a case is determined by a very thin margin. For this reason, experience and trial skills are critical.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Silverman

Car Accident Injures School Official

Steve Silverman — Wed, 10 May 2006 16:04:51 GMT

Nancy Mann, the interim Superintendent of Anne Arundel County schools was involved in a wreck Monday. Mann ran a red light on her way to a meeting and crashed into another car which was passing through the intersection. She was treated at Baltimore Washington Medical Center and released.

According to the Baltimore Sun:

Myshawn Ball, 34, of the 500 block of Millshire Drive of Millersville and Jordan Brown, 2, of the same address were not seriously injured, police said. Ball could not be reached for comment yesterday

Mann is serving as interim superintendent while the Board of Education interviews potential replacements for Eric J. Smith who resigned in November. The job is expected to be offered to one of the candidates by the end of May.

Read the full car accident article.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Silverman

Baltimore County Wrongful Death Lawsuit Tentatively Settled

Staff Writer — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 10:39:05 GMT

Bonnie Pappas was killed January 8th when her car was broadsided by a police officer responding to a 911 call. Patrol officer Ray Pabon was traveling at least 85 mph without emergency lights or siren when he crested a hill and smashed into Pappas who was crossing Pulaski Highway.

The terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but the family was seeking $1 million for Pappas' estate and $50 million for her children. Testimony during the investigation and a local store's surveillance tape reveled the first officer who responded to the accident ran to Papon's car and turned on his emergency lights.

Sue A. Schenning, a deputy state's attorney for Baltimore County, said prosecutors decided not to file automobile manslaughter charges against Pabon after determining there was not enough evidence to prove that the officer acted with gross negligence, a legal standard defined in Maryland as the conscious disregard for a high risk to others.
"In a situation like this, where the officer was responding to a call of domestic violence, that would mitigate the situation and prevent us from proving the highest level of negligence that we would need to prove," she said.

Read the full wrongful death lawsuit article.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer