Automobile Accidents

May 15, 2009

Cecil County, Maryland Truck Driver Dies in Conn. Highway Accident

A trucker from Cecil County has been killed in a commercial truck accident on Connecticut’s Interstate 95. According to news reports, Woodrow Phelps Jr., 68, of Elkton, Maryland, was killed May 13 when his tractor-trailer rig, heading northbound on I-95 in Milton, Connecticut, around 5:30 a.m., struck an SUV, setting off a chain-reaction.

News reports say six vehicles were involved in the chain reaction accident, including one other tractor trailer. According to State Police, Phelps, who had been driving a 2005 Freightliner for Penske Truck Leasing, struck an SUV that was merging onto the highway from a right-lane on-ramp. Phelps was pronounced dead at the scene. The SUV driver, who complained of leg pain, was taken to an area hospital.

The Associated Press reported that stretch of highway where the fatal motor vehicle crash occurred was undergoing work by the Department of Transportation, with traffic reduced to one lane. Police reported that the work crew was picking up from an overnight project when the accident occurred. Highway traffic was closed for eight hours following the crash. State police are investigating this fatal highway accident.

May 8, 2009

Baltimore County Single-Vehicle Accidents: Causes and Fatalities

by Jeff Butschky

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that single-vehicle traffic deaths in Baltimore County, Maryland have declined in recent years — 45 deaths in 2007, as compared to 51 deaths in 2003. (Source: NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts for Baltimore County 2003-2007).

Single motor vehicle crashes may be caused by a number of factors, including

driving under the influence

April 14, 2009

Baltimore County Motor Vehicle Accidents: Fatalities Down for Cars & Trucks (But Up for Motorcycles and DUIs)

by Jeff Butschky

Last week, NHTSA announced that projected numbers of motor vehicle fatalities across the U.S. in 2008 will fall to a near 50-year low (the actual counts will be released this August). A continued drop in Maryland traffic accident deaths is expected, in keeping with trends across the country. Let’s look at some Maryland car crash statistics available today:

In 2007, a total of 614 people died in motor vehicle accidents in Maryland, down from 650 fatalities in 2003.
Of those 614 fatalities, 179 involved alcohol-impaired driving and 216 involved speeding.

April 7, 2009

Maryland Car Accident Statistics: NHTSA Reports Fatalities Down to 1961 Level

by Jeff Butschky

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) predicts that the nation’s motor vehicle traffic fatalities for 2008 will have declined to a level not seen since 1961. NHTSA projects that the total number of traffic-related fatalities for the U.S. in 2008 will be 37,313 deaths — down 9.1 percent from the 2007 statistic of 41,059 fatalities. (NHTSA will report the actual numbers in August 2009.)

NHTSA attributes the decline in car crash deaths to a number of factors, including…

improvements in motor vehicle technology

March 25, 2009

Maryland Motorcycle Helmet Law Debate

by Jeff Butschky

Some Maryland motorcycle riders would like the state to relax its mandatory helmet law, which was enacted in 1992 to decrease the rate of Maryland motorcycle crash fatalities. Senator John Astle (D-Annapolis), who is himself a biker, is behind the latest push in the General Assembly to allow exemptions to the helmet law for some cyclists.

Sen. Astle presented a proposal to the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee in Annapolis, Maryland, earlier this month which would allow a helmet law exemption for motorcycle riders aged 21 or older who have been licensed to operate a motorcycle for at least two years, or who have completed a safety course approved by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation or the Motor Vehicle Administration.

Maryland Fatal Motorcycle Crash Statistics

March 5, 2009

Maryland Teen Driver Safety and Accident Statistics

by Jeff Butschky

The AAA has a new report on the hazards of teen driving, not only for the young drivers behind the wheel but to their passengers, people in other cars, and pedestrians. The report states that in fatal auto accidents involving teenage drivers, the majority of people killed are passengers and others involved besides the young drivers themselves.

As Baltimore Maryland injury lawyers, my partners and I are aware of what can go wrong when a young driver makes a mistake in judgment or loses control when operating a motor vehicle. Some national statistics from the AAA report:

In the U.S. between 1998-2007, crashes with drivers aged 15 to 17 resulted in the deaths of 28,138 people.

February 19, 2009

Maryland Car Accident Emergency Responses Questioned after Fatal State Helicopter Crash

by Jeff Butschky

Have you ever been stopped in highway traffic while a medical helicopter lands to transport victims of a Maryland car crash to the hospital? It’s a heart-stopping sight, and we can only hope that the helicopter gets the victims to the hospital in time. Now Maryland lawmakers are reevaluating the state’s emergency medical services since a crash involving a state helicopter claimed four lives last fall.

The Maryland State Police medical helicopter program has been under scrutiny since a Sept. 27, 2008 crash killed four people in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The helicopter was on its way to a hospital 25 miles away when it was diverted to Andrews Air Force Base in foul weather and crashed — killing the pilot, a paramedic, a medical technician, and one of the car accident victims. An 18-year-old injured in the Charles County Maryland traffic accident survived the helicopter crash. Legislation is now being proposed that would separate Maryland law enforcement from rescue functions.

The subject of medical helicopter accidents has received national attention lately, as such accidents have been on the rise since the 1990s due in part to the closing of emergency rooms in rural areas and an aging US population. National and state safety officials are reconsidering whether some patients would be safer and just as well served by using regular ground ambulance transports. Triaging methods used by emergency responders are also being questioned.

January 15, 2009

Fatal Baltimore Beltway I-695 Ramp Van Accident Claims Two Lives

by Jeff Butschky

A fiery single-vehicle auto accident on a Baltimore Beltway interstate 695 exit ramp has claimed the lives of two people. The accident occurred at 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 9 as a 2002 Ford van drove off the Baltimore Beltway exit ramp for westbound Baltimore National Pike. The van hit a pole and a tree and caught fire. Tragically, the occupants were killed. As of our blog publication, the names of the two deceased people had not been released.

Highway ramp safety is a critical concern on the Baltimore Beltway and other highways in Maryland, Delaware, Washington DC, and around the USA. Highway on-ramps and off-ramps are frequently the sites of serious car and truck accidents. Drivers exiting the highway too fast can quickly lose control of their vehicles when hitting the curves and grades of highway off-ramps. And motorists who enter highways from on-ramps too fast or too slow, or who fail to yield to the flow of oncoming highway traffic, can also cause motor vehicle accidents.

Maryland car accident lawyers like my partner and I read about far too many bad accidents on the Baltimore Beltway and other Mid-Atlantic highways, such as this terrible case. A routine drive to work, to school, or to go shopping can turn tragic in a heartbeat. When you’re taking a ramp on the Baltimore Beltway or any highway, be aware of the road, the traffic around you, and take it slow. Your life and the lives of your passengers depend on it.

January 12, 2009

Maryland, Delaware, and Washington DC Listed in Nissan Recall of Truck Airbag Sensors

by Jeff Butschky

Maryland and other Mid-Atlantic drivers who own a Nissan Frontier, Pathfinder, or Xterra, model years 2005 through 2009, should drive carefully to their nearest dealership. Your driver and passenger airbags might not deploy if you’re in a truck accident with your Nissan.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), Office of Defects Investigation, reported that Nissan North America is recalling nearly a quarter of a million Nissan Frontiers, Pathfinders, and Xterras due to a faulty air bag sensor. Vehicles affected were sold or registered in 20 cold weather states — including Maryland, Delaware, the District of Columbia, and West Virginia.

According to the NHTSA website, a problem could occur if rock salt used to treat slippery roads, along with snow and water, gets into the Nissans’ front crash zone sensor housing. This could cause rusting and signal interruption — which could result in the airbags not opening in a motor vehicle accident. Air bag failure in the event of a crash could lead to personal injury or death.

December 10, 2008

Accused Maryland Driver Walks in Fatal Motorcycle Accident Case: Court Scheduling Error Blamed

by Jeff Butschky

Charges against a Port Republic, Maryland driver blamed in a fatal motorcycle crash were dropped Nov. 5, because the State Trooper who made the traffic violation charges against her was not present at the trial due to a court scheduling error.

In Calvert County District Court, Sarah E. Brown, 50, faced charges of negligent driving, failure to yield right of way, and failure to secure a child under 8 in a safety seat in a collision on Aug. 1 that killed motorcycle rider Larry G. Hogan II, 43.

Also a resident of Port Republic, Maryland, Hogan worked for Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative for over two decades. He volunteered for the Dunkirk and St. Leonard fire departments and he enjoyed bowling. He was also a motorcycle enthusiast. Hogan was riding his motorcycle when motorist Sarah E. Brown turned her vehicle left onto Broomes Island Road and failed to yield to the motorcyclist. Hogan’s bike hit the rear of her vehicle and he suffered fatal injuries.