Maryland Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog

Baltimore Co. Continues Work on Plans for Safer Bicycle and Pedestrian Access to County Roads

March 31, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Back in the halcyon days of the automobile, it’s safe to say that many people were more concerned about making way for the new horseless carriages and less worried for the pedestrians who were quickly becoming outnumbered by those new “motor vehicles.” With few vehicles on the roads, traffic accidents were also an infrequent occurrence, though occasionally just as deadly as today’s car, bus and commercial trucking wrecks.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we understand how circumstances can place a pedestrian, cyclist or passenger car occupant in a serious traffic accident. While persons who are riding in a vehicle have a relatively good chance of surviving a roadway collision, those on foot or riding a bicycle have the odds stacked against them. Road accidents take many innocent lives every year in cities like Annapolis, Gaithersburg and the District. All we can do is advise caution at all times whenever you are in or near motor vehicle traffic.

For a while now, the planners for Baltimore County have been working on better and safer access for joggers, runners, bicyclists and all other pedestrians who share the road with cars and trucks. With input from numerous private citizens and other concerned parties, the county has been drafting the Western Baltimore County Pedestrian and Bicycle Access Plan.

Biker Accident News: Three Separate Bike Crashes Illustrate the Dangers of Motorcycling in Maryland

March 26, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

We won’t argue that riding a motorcycle anywhere in the U.S. can be a risky proposition; however, we do understand that everyone is free to make that choice for themselves. As a biker, just as any motorist, an individual relies on the rules of the road to help protect him or her from accidents or other roadway mishaps. Unfortunately, nobody lives in a perfect world, and as such traffic accidents, bodily injuries and fatalities can and do occur with alarming rapidity.

Knowing that motorcyclists deserve the protection under the law, as Maryland personal injury attorneys and auto accident lawyers, I and my legal staff are prepared to represent those people who have been hurt in automobile, motorcycle, and commercial trucking wrecks. In cases where the rider died as a result of another person’s negligence, we typically represent the family of the deceased when they file a wrongful death lawsuit or other legal action against the negligent party or parties.

Now, it’s all well and good to say that individuals who ride a Harley-Davidson, Ducatti, Yamaha or Vespa take their lives into their own hands when venturing out onto the streets, but just as a rider accepts the consequences of his or her own actions, any driver who knowingly flouts the law or acts in a reckless manner on a public roadway must, too, be prepared to answer for any injuries or fatalities he may have caused while doing so.

Maryland Personal Injury News: Police Match Vehicle to July 2011 Hit-and-Run Bicycle Accident

March 16, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

There is no need to go into great detail on the dangers of riding a bicycle in busy urban areas, such as Baltimore, Annapolis, the District and Gaithersburg. The point we make here is that when you mix large motor vehicles with lightweight and relatively flimsy bikes, there is not much margin for error.

Bicyclists know this, and for the most part, cyclists do what they can to protect themselves from serious injury as a result of a crash with a passenger vehicle, commercial delivery truck or city bus. Pedestrians, as well, should be vigilant when walking or standing near busy intersections or when traversing crosswalks, but bicycles and their riders by the very nature of the sport must inevitably travel side-by-side with motor vehicle traffic. Sadly, accidents are bound to occur.

Given the relative frequency of car-bike and bicycle-truck collisions, its no surprise that state and municipal roadway engineers and civic planners are trying to create safer traffic arrangements in some parts of our cities and communities. With luck, these changes may go a long way toward alleviating the near-constant danger that some cyclists experience every time they venture out on their bikes.

Maryland Motorcycle Safety News: Repealing Mandatory Helmet Laws a Good Idea from a Personal Injury Standpoint?

March 9, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Numerous states across the nation have mandatory helmet laws for motorcycle riders, yet others have none. While the argument continues between safety advocates on one side and those who hold individual rights in high esteem on the other, one thing is certain: the debate will likely continue for some time to come.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my colleagues have first-hand experience in representing individuals hurt as a result of highway traffic wrecks. Since a percentage of motor vehicle collisions involve people on motorcycles, there are numerous news stories every year illustrating the dangers of being hit by a car or commercial truck while operating a Harley, Honda, Yamaha or Kawasaki.

Whatever one’s personal feelings about the using a motorcycle helmet, riders in Baltimore, Annapolis, Gaithersburg and even in Washington, D.C., are required by law to wear an approved helmet at all times while on public roads. It’s a fair bet that most of the driving public believes that a helmet can help protect a biker from serious head injury — such as closed-head trauma — in the event of a bad motorcycle crash.

Maryland Injury Accident News: Family of Deceased Cyclist Opposes Proposed 8-Year Drivers License Renewal Term

February 29, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

For most of us, it likely that we cannot see a day, too soon, that will spell an end to our driving a car to get around. Even for those in there 50s and 60s, we can imagine another couple decades of “automotive independence” ahead of us. But despite eternal optimism, some individuals who are driving today may find themselves with a challenge before long; that challenge may come in the form of a family member sitting down and talking frankly about giving up one’s driver’s license voluntarily.

This discussion is not hypothetical, it happens every day to many people across this country who have reached the point of being unable, either physically or mentally, to control a motor vehicle safely — at least in the eyes of their family; others, who either do not have caring family member living nearby, or through some type of serious traffic mishap, may be forced by the state to relinquish their driver’s license.

For many drivers, it must be said that losing one’s license due to incapacity may be one of the more difficult chapters in the aging process. The term between Maryland driver’s license renewals is what one might call a sweet spot — a time when, as long as we cause no serious car accidents or receive too many citations for traffic infractions — each of us can relax and not worry about being retested until our next operator’s license renewal.

Baltimore Biking Accident News: Pasadena, MD, Minivan Driver Charged in Hit-and-Run Bicycle Collision

February 21, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Every year across the nation more a half million people are hurt in bicycle-related accidents; about 700 of those individual die each year from injuries received while on a bike. As Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my colleagues are well aware of the seriousness of some traffic-related accidents that involve a car or truck and a person riding his or her bicycle.

When we hear of biking-related injuries, it’s natural to think immediately of children. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control in Washington, D.C., youngsters under 15 years of age typically account for more than half of the bike-related injuries every year; based on statistics from 2001, 59 percent of emergency room cases involving a bicycle injury happened to a child 15 years or under.

When cyclists mix with motor vehicle traffic, the stakes increase for the bicycle rider many times over, if only because larger and heavier cars and commercial trucks are less forgiving than another bicycle or a pedestrian. Based on figures from 2009, 630 bicyclists died as a result of a car or trucking-related traffic accident. That’s almost two cyclists a day, every day, killed by a motor vehicle.

Annapolis, MD, Bar Faces Fines, License Suspension in Wake of Underage Customers’ Fatal Motorcycle Crash

February 9, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Amidst the finger-pointing and official investigation following the tragic deaths of two young people in a drunken-driving-related motorcycle accident last summer, the Annapolis bar that sold the two underage victims was “slapped” with a $6,000 fine and two-week license suspension from the city’s liquor control board. While the action against Acme Bar and Grill is one of the more serious that the Annapolis Alcoholic Beverage Control Board has ever taken against an establishment that serves liquor to the public, some people may be wondering if the penalties do justice to the accident victims or their families.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers, we understand that alcohol regulating authorities can only do so much within the law, which is why we have civil courts and personal injury law. Whether one lives in Baltimore, Rockville, Howie or the District, underage drinking is wide-ranging problem. But many would argue that it doesn’t need to be exacerbated by the apparently lax standards and loose policies demonstrated by some drinking establishments across this nation.

Not only do bars, pubs, restaurants and convenience stores have a responsibility to follow state laws against serving liquor to underage individuals, their actions (or inaction) can result in greater consequences than simply that of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. As evidenced by this particular story, many underage kids possess driver’s licenses and regularly operate motor vehicles on public roads.

Baltimore Personal Injury News: Maryland Teacher, Seriously Injured in Traffic Accident, Returns to Work

February 3, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Recovering from any injury accident can be a challenge, especially if it was severe, such as a passenger car or trucking-related traffic accident. Therefore, it goes without saying that most individuals who receive serious injuries due to a bicycle-related traffic accident might have an even harder time recovering from such a collision. This goes not only for the initial medical treatment, but also for the inevitable rehabilitation period needed to get oneself back to a relatively normal level; that of one’s pre-crash health, if that is even possible.

Never mind the sometimes incredible cost of medical care and rehab expenses, a person injured as a result of a car-bicycle collision can suffer from extreme bodily distress, including compound fractures of the arms or legs, spinal cord damage, internal injuries and, many times worst of all, closed-head trauma (also known as traumatic brain injury).

As Maryland personal injury attorneys representing individuals injured or killed as a result of another person’s negligence, I and my staff know the pain and discomfort that comes in the wake of a devastating car, truck or motorcycle crash. Pedestrians and bicycle riders are not immune to such incidents, since they also share the road from time to time with other, larger motor vehicles.

Baltimore Traffic Accident Update: How Maryland Personal Injury Lawyers can Help Motorcycle Accident Victims — Part Two

January 31, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As mentioned previously, when it comes to motorcycle accidents involving a second motor vehicle, it is quite common that the automobile or truck driver behind the wheel of the other vehicle may actually be the negligent party. This is due to the all-too-common problem of the smaller profile that motorcycles present in traffic. And to make matters worse, a motorcyclist is at least 20 times more likely to die in a traffic accident than an occupant of a passenger car.

While not always a valid excuse, the fact is that when a driver fails to recognize a nearby rider in traffic, the potential resulting accident can turn out to be very serious to the point of being life-threatening. After a bike crash, the needed medical treatment and potential rehab, which may also be required, can add up to extensive hospital bills. A rider who incurs such costs following an accident caused by another negligent driver should consult a qualified personal injury lawyer to better understand his or her options vis-à-vis recouping those medical costs from the responsible party or parties.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we have the skills and training to handle motorcycle-related accident cases, which we have already established can often be due to the negligence of another driver in a car- or truck-related accident. Furthermore, it’s a fair assumption that the majority of motorcycle riders are safety conscious despite the negative stereotypes typically portrayed on television and in the movies.

Baltimore Traffic Accident News: Maryland Biker Hospitalized following Crash with Howard County Police Cruiser

January 24, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Motorcyclists have a touch time of it, we know. While their mode of transport offers a wonderful feeling of freedom and ease of travel, the very nature of a motorcycle — be it a so-called crotch rocket, standard bike, cruiser or chopper — is that these motor vehicles are small and not easy to notice in traffic, at least this is the complaint of most drivers who get into accidents with bikers.

Add to their slim profile, most bikes are fairly fast and even quick to stop, putting less-than-inattentive drivers of four-wheeled passenger cars and 18-wheel commercial trucks in danger of running into them both coming and going. Insurance companies understand the dangers of motorcycles, to the point of making their policies less than attractive, or even placing certain motorcycle models on a list of “uninsurable” vehicles.

For anyone who hasn’t had a close call with a motorcyclist, as Maryland personal injury attorneys who represent bikers injured in traffic collisions, we can say that even the best drivers can be caught unaware by the “sudden” appearance of a bike in the roadway ahead of them. But it is conceivable that even police officers who have been trained in all manner of traffic safety, defensive driving and emergency situations, could from time to time be surprised by a motorcyclist.

Late last year, a news article described an accident between a biker and a marked police cruiser in the North Laurel, MD, area. According to news reports, a 43-year-old rider was sent to the hospital after a collision with a police car on Rte 216 near the Leishear Rd. intersection.