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Winter Weather Conditions And Car Accidents | Maryland Car Accident Lawyer
Car Accident Hazard: Drunk Driving | Maryland, Virginia, And DC Car Accident Lawyers
Dangers of Driving on the Capital Beltway & Washington DC
Car Accidents
Distracted Driving - Know the Law
Distracted Driving, like driving with a cell phone or hand-held device, causes crashes everywhere. Know the law and be safe.Snow Responsible For Fatal Accident On I-68 Involving Maryland Man
An unidentified man was killed on I-68 when his car failed to negotiate a curve on snowy roads. Two other people were injured in this deadly winter weather car crash. Cameras Catch 8,800 Speeding Maryland Residents In 6 Weeks
In a bid to reduce the number of car accidents and road worker injuries in Maryland, the state police have used camera speed enforcement for the past six weeks. The result was 8,800 citations since November -- and hopefully many more aware drivers.Rate Of Fatal DUI Car Accidents Down In Maryland
The rate of fatal drunk driving accidents has fallen in Maryland in 2008, according to a new report. However, the number of drunk driving incidents so far in 2009 does not bode well for a two-year drop in DUI accidents.DC Stops Car Safety Inspections In Order To Save Money
Do car safety inspection prevent car accidents? Unfortunately, no one has done a conclusive study. Now Washington DC is cutting required car inspections in order to save money - but will it cause more car accidents and car accident injuries?National Transportation Safety Board Officials Told Not To Text And Drive
Although new laws about texting while driving and using a cell phone while driving have not gone national, and while they have not affected most drivers in the Washington, DC, area, they have hit the National Transportation Safety Board. The new chair woman of the NTSB announced after her swearing in ceremony that NTSB members in Washington, DC, would no longer be allowed to text or talk on the phone while driving on official business. Board members will also be disallowed from talking on or using their work cell phones while driving their personal cars.The chairwoman, Deborah Hersman, cited recent studies that link car accidents with texting and talking on the phone. Earlier, the recommended that government and transit agencies ban the use of cellphones and other wireless devices for city workers who drive, young people, and train operators who may cause harm with their distracted driving.
6 Things We Should Not Have to Tell You Not To Do While Driving A Car
Six Things We Should Not Have To Tell You Not To Do While Driving
(taken from our actual cases)
6. Don’t drive if you are blind; (actual case)
5. Don’t drive if you are so intoxicated you cannot walk; (actual case)
4. Don’t drive if you don’t know how to drive; (actual case)
3. Don’t drive a car into a lake, they cannot float; (actual case)
2. Don’t drive into a building, and (actual case)
1. Don’t engage in sex acts while driving. (2 actual cases)
Maryland Doctor Seriously Injured In Pittsville Car Accident
According to the Associated Press, the chief of pediatrics at Peninsula Regional Medical Center, Dr. Jose Alvarado, has been involved in a serious Maryland car crash.The doctor, who also has a popular Lower Shore private practice, was driving his sports car on Route 50 in Pittsville when he slammed into the back of a tractor-trailer truck that was sitting on the shoulder of the highway. Emergency workers flew the pediatrician to University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, Maryland, where he was listed in critical condition, although he was first transported to Peninsula Regional Medical Center by Pittsville EMS. Maryland State Police told the media that he was in critical condition as of Wednesday at 10 PM.
Alvarado, who lives in Ocean City and who was driving a 2009 Mercedes convertible, has been a doctor in the Salisbury area since 1988.
Bowie, MD, Father And Daughter Killed In Antique Car Crash
The Associated Press reports that a Bowie, Maryland, man and his daughter were killed while driving their antique car on Interstate 70 in Howard County, MD.The car, a 1929 Model A Ford, was being driven by 62-year-old Richard Dashiell, who was accompanied by his daughter, Amelia. The antique car had a sticker on the back window warning approaching cars that his vehicle was slow moving, but the car was struck from behind by a 2007 Dodge.
Dashiell and Amelia were both thrown from the car - which was not equipped with seatbelts, as many antique cars lack modern day safety options. The driver of the Dodge, Paul Davis of Glen Burnie, was not injured in the crash. Maryland State Police say that the antique Ford was traveling at about 50 miles per hour when it was hit from behind by the truck in Lisbon on I-70.
The Maryland car accident is still under investigation, and no charges have been filed at this time.
Pro Baseball Rising Star And Maryland Native Nick Adenhart Dies In Car Crash
A two-car hit-and-run accident resulted in three fatalities and possible murder charges, according to ABC Channel 2 News. One of the crash victims was 22-year-old Nick Adenhart - a rookie with the Los Angeles Angels who grew up in Maryland.The fatal car crash occurred when 22-year-old Andrew Gallo ran a stoplight at an intersection, crashing his minivan into a car containing Adenhart and three others. Adenhart was rushed to the hospital but died during surgery. Two other passengers in his car died at the scene of the accident. The driver of the minivan fled the scene on foot, but was caught by police. Gallo could face vehicular homicide charges as well as hit-and-run charges.
Adenhart was born in Silver Springs, Maryland, and lived in Baltimore during the off-season. He attended Williamsport High School in Hagerstown and trained at the B.A.T.T Academy at Glen Burnie, Maryland.
In the season opener against Oakland, and the only pro game in which he will ever play, Adenhart threw six scoreless innings.
Woman With Epilepsy Convicted Of Manslaughter After Fatal Beltway Car Accident
In 2007, 28-year-old Michele Bosley blacked out while driving on the Beltway due either to her epilepsy or to her epilepsy medication. Her car crashed into the car of Kirk Mercer of Ellicott City, who died from the injuries sustained in the crash.This week, Bosley was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 30 weekends in jail, 10 months of house arrest, and five years of probation. She will also not be able to drive a car during this time. No one before in Maryland has been convicted of manslaughter after a crash involving their epilepsy condition.
Bosley allegedly has a history of epilepsy-related car accidents. About 90 car accidents a year across the country are caused by epileptic seizures, while many more are caused by those having heart attacks.
In Maryland, the law states that you must be seizure-free for three months before driving if you have epilepsy, and that any medical updates be reported to the Maryland Motor Vehicle Association.
Drivers Using Cell Phones Cause Accidents; David Tompkins interviewed on WUSA9
David Tompkins, partner at Lewis & Tompkins was interviewed by WUSA9 news on the safety of drivers using cell phones. Talking on a cell phone or texting while driving in Washington, DC is illegal. Watch the video below for more information:Safety Inspections for Your Car are NOT Optional
Yes, getting your car inspected every year is time consuming. And yes, getting your car inspected can be expensive, especially if it turns out that your car needs several things repaired in order for it to pass.
But how would you feel if you caused an accident or, even worse, caused someone to get seriously hurt because you didn’t bother to get your car inspected? What if your brakes fail? What if your horn doesn’t work? What if your tires aren’t good enough? What if your blinkers don’t work?
A better way to look at it would be to reverse that situation. What if you got hit by a driver who didn’t bother to have his car inspected? Or didn’t bother to fix what was wrong?
In Maryland, Virginia and D.C., getting your car inspected is the law. Don’t put it off and don’t delay getting needed repairs.
As always, if you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident in the D.C. area, contact the law offices of Lewis and Tompkins for a free legal consultation today.
Personal Injury Protection is Crucial
There is a perfectly logical tendency among Americans to cut back on their insurance coverage once they have paid off their cars.
It makes sense. Why continue to pay for total coverage when the overall value of the car is worth less than the cost of repairs?
But when you have your car paid off, and when you call your insurance company to cut your coverage back down to simple liability coverage, you should make sure that you still have Personal Injury Protection (PIP).
PIP coverage will protect your finances in the event that you get into an accident and are found liable. This is truly a smart way for you to cover yourself. If you reduce the amount of your coverage, MAKE SURE that you still have PIP.
If you have been injured in a DC car accident, contact the law offices of Lewis and Tompkins for a free legal consultation today.
Careful with those 15 passenger vans
With gas being as expensive as it is, you would think that less people would be driving this summer. But regardless of price, summer is the time for vacations and driving and sponsored trips.
The NHTSA has released a study showing that those 15 passenger vans used by churches and boyscout troops can roll over pretty easily.
Follow the link below for more information.
D.C. Has an Embarrasingly High Car Accident Rate
According to a recent study by Allstate, D.C.s drivers rank among the worst in the nation. And by "among," we mean "the worst."
Our drivers average one accident every 5.4 years. This is not something to be proud of.
To see an article about this, follow the link below.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/369342_caronline06.html
2007 Crash Statistics are Out
The 2007 statistics are a little more promising than 2006. The overall crash rate is going down nationwide, but here in DC the number of people who were killed in car accidents actually went up 19%.To view the report, follow the link below.
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811017.PDF
DC Remains Static on DUI Fatalities
The NHTSA has recently released its 2007 statistics for DUI fatalities.To read the report, follow the link below.
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811016.PDF
New Black Box Feature Can Work For You
If you follow this link:http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1105364095740
you will find an article from Law.com that describes how the readings from a cars "black box" data recorder can be admissable as evidence in a murder trial.
The "black box" records lots of data, including the speed limit that a car was going when the airbags deployed.
This could prove to be an interesting development in accident cases. Quite often, car accident cases get stalled based on insurance company denials and stalling tactics, and the readings from a black box could conceivably help prove the car accident cases of accident victims.
As accident attorneys in DC, it's important for us to gather as much data as we can to help prove the cases of our clients. Black box data can certainly be an important part of this process.
New Safety Features in Cars
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/09/17/aa.avoiding.a.crash/By following that link, you will be able to read an article that describes the latest in safety advances in automobiles. While we applaud any advancement in safety technology, we still can't help but notice that the number of crashes in Virginia, Maryland and DC have remained more or less static. As DC car accident lawyers, we think that in addition to new safety features, there should also be a focus on safer driver behavior.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident in the DC area, contact Lewis and Tompkins for a free legal consultation today.
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