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546518_baltimore_city_3Greetings from Maryland, and welcome to our Maryland Injury Attorney Blog! My name is Jeff Butschky, and I will be your host and (hopefully) your source of practical help and information from within the Maryland Legal Community.

Perhaps nothing affects an individual or family more than a sudden accident or injury — whether due to a motor vehicle accident, a work-related accident, or some other unforeseen incident. When we are hurt, we understand that there will be hospitals and doctors, pain, stress and inconvenience. What isn’t often appreciated is the fact that the injured person must also now deal with (gulp) lawyers and (even worse) the insurance industry. Like visiting the dentist, filing taxes or other mild forms of torture, no one wants to do this, and I don’t blame you.

This blog will untangle and demystify the frustrating and complicated world of injury claims. As a practicing attorney in Baltimore County, Maryland, for more than 20 years, I’m going to do my best to make this as easy as I can. So let’s get started!

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Summer has once again gone by too fast, and — to the chagrin of Maryland’s school-aged children — school is back in session.

For Maryland kids and parents, back to school means adjusting to new schedules, getting used to new teachers, reconnecting with classmates, and growing up just a little bit more. For Maryland motorists, it also means being aware of school buses back on the road and children walking to and from school, moving quickly on and off the sidewalks.

Unfortunately, in the U.S., school transportation-related traffic accidents account for an average 111 deaths a year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Young pedestrians are particularly vulnerable: Between 2012 and 2021, more than half (53 percent) of school-aged pedestrians killed in school transportation-related crashes were between 5 and 10 years old.

Maryland school zones and school buses have a specific set of traffic regulations to ensure school children get to and from school safely. Let’s take a look at some current Maryland traffic laws designed to protect school children on and off the school bus and in and around school zones.

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Seems like summers in Maryland are getting hotter and hotter, and most of us can’t wait to escape into the comfort of air conditioning. However, many workers do not have that luxury. That includes a number of professions including emergency personnel (police officers, EMTs, and firefighters), construction workers and other contractors, utility workers, agricultural workers, transportation workers, housekeepers, and others laboring outdoors and in non-air-conditioned environments.

Heat-related illness can take a range of forms leading to work-related injury and death, including heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat syncope (fainting and/or dizziness), and heat cramps. Fatigue and disorientation brought on by heat can lead to serious accidents on the job.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed federal workplace standards to protect workers in the heat, however those may take months to pass (and could be delayed depending on the election results). Only five states have heat-related regulations to protect workers, and none in our region.

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School’s out! And that means more teenaged and inexperienced drivers on our Maryland highways, city and suburban streets, and rural backroads. Public safety officials describe the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day as “the 100 deadliest days of summer” – due to the historical increase in motor vehicle accidents involving younger, inexperienced drivers.

Traffic crashes remain the number-one cause of death among teenagers. Let’s take a look at some of the statistics and factors contributing to this serious public safety problem.

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No one expects their loved one to leave for work one day and never come back, or to suffer injuries or illness on the job that lead to an early death. But sadly, this is the case for some 80 workers a year in Maryland who die due to work-related injuries.

As experienced Maryland Workers Compensation attorneys, we’re well aware of the risks inherent in certain occupations, including those in the construction and transportation industries. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics breaks down its most recent data on fatal occupational injuries for Maryland as follows:

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Most Maryland drivers have found themselves in this frightening situation. You’re slowly backing out of a parking space, watching your surroundings, when suddenly – a pedestrian walks directly behind your vehicle. You slam on your brakes to avoid an accident. Or maybe you have an automatic emergency rear braking system that stops the vehicle for you, or a system with rear-cross traffic warning that warns of people or other objects behind the automobile.

Backup cameras have been mandatory for all new vehicles manufactured since 2018. So how effective are new automotive safety technologies in preventing pedestrian accidents that occur while the vehicle is backing up? AAA has released reports on backup cameras and other rear-view safety features with interesting findings.

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The Maryland Department of Transportation reports the number of motor vehicle accident fatalities on our state’s highways and roadways continues to grow. According to Zero Deaths Maryland, a public safety program of the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA), car crash deaths are expected to surpass 600 fatalities for 2023 — the highest number of roadway fatalities in decades.

Zero Deaths Maryland reports that most Maryland car crash deaths are caused by the following driving behaviors:
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Pedestrians are at a serious disadvantage when they are involved in motor vehicle accidents. Even when a pedestrian is struck by a slow-moving vehicle, serious injuries and fatalities can occur. This includes people who are hit while walking, running, standing or simply getting out of their vehicle. The risk of serious pedestrian injury and fatality increases the faster the vehicle involved is going.

In Maryland, roughly 3,000 traffic accidents a year involve pedestrians. Over the last five years, on average, 125 people die annually in Maryland pedestrian accidents involving at least one motor vehicle.

Zero Deaths Maryland — a public safety initiative of the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Motor Vehicle Administration — compiles data related to all traffic crashes in the state. The top causes and contributing factors in Maryland fatal pedestrian accidents are as follows:

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The allure of motorcycling is unmistakable. Motorcycle enthusiasts describe a feeling of freedom, being close to the environment, and enjoying the open road. It’s all about the ride. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) estimates the number of registered motorcycles in the U.S. doubled from 4.3 million in 2002 to 8.6 million in 2021.

Unfortunately, what makes motorcycling so appealing also creates serious risks for motorcyclists and their passengers when they’re involved in traffic accidents. Unlike motorists in passenger vehicles, who are surrounded by reinforced steel, motorcycle riders are exposed and vulnerable when involved in a crash with a car, truck or SUV. This means motorcyclists are at higher risk for injury or death when involved in traffic accidents.

As Maryland motorcycle accident attorneys, we know too well what can happen when a motorcycle and an automobile collide on the road, or when a motorcycle goes off the road and crashes. Zero Deaths Maryland reports that in 2020, nearly 1,300 motorcycle-involved crashes occurred statewide, with more than 75 percent resulting in injury or death. Between 2016 and 2020, motorcycle-related crashes accounted for about 14 percent of Maryland’s traffic crash-related deaths. Read on for more Maryland motorcycle accident statistics and characteristics.
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Maryland and many other parts of the country are sweating under oppressive heat this summer, with Baltimore temperatures bumping up against 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and the area heat index (a combination of heat and humidity) expected to reach as high as 110.

Extreme heat makes construction, landscaping, agriculture, and other outdoor work even more dangerous, as heat-related illness — which can lead to death — can overtake the body quickly. Maryland recently reported its first heat-related death of 2023; in last year’s extreme heat, our state saw five heat-related deaths.

As Maryland Workers’ Compensation lawyers, we’re concerned about the safety and well-being of all our state’s workers. Let’s take a look at what the Maryland Department of Health and the U.S. Department of Labor – Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) want employers and workers to know about avoiding heat illness this summer.

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The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reports that nationally, a total of 4,714 people died in traffic accidents involving large trucks in 2021 — a 17-percent increase over 2020.

Passenger vehicle occupants are more likely to die in crashes with large commercial trucks. The main reason seems obvious: Automobiles are significantly outsized by large commercial tractor-trailer trucks, with the risk of cars going underneath trucks (underriding) in highway accidents. Many factors contribute to large commercial truck accidents, including the following:
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Contact Information
Sparks Office
909 Ridgebrook Rd, #200
Sparks, MD 21152
Local: (410) 472-3651
Toll Free: (800) 722-6616
Baltimore Office
210 E Lexington St, #406
Baltimore, MD 21202
Local: (410) 625-1121
Toll Free: (800) 722-6616

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