Baltimore Personal Injury Attorneys Blog | Silver Spring Car Accident Lawyers

Head-on collisions are a growing problem in Maryland

On behalf of Engel & Engel, P.A. posted in Car Accidents on Wednesday, May 15, 2013.

Head-on crashes involving a motorist driving the wrong way on a highway is an ever growing problem in Maryland. In fact, the National Transportation Safety Board recently undertook a study to learn more about the statistics surrounding these often deadly accidents. It found that in the last few years, close to 12 people in Maryland have been the victim of a car accident involving a head-on collision, and 360 have perished this way across the United States. Wrong way crashes occur most commonly on Friday and Saturday nights, and one in five accidents are fatal. Not surprisingly, 60% of the drivers who cause this type of accident are drunk.

Maryland transportation authorities agree that they would like to see an end to wrong way driving accidents, and they are looking into better highway signage and tougher patrolling for drunk drivers. However, they point out that money concerns currently dictate against the NTSB's other recommendations which include requiring breathalyzer devices in all cars; instituting a GPS alarm in the event a driver is on the wrong side of the road, and re-designing on-ramps.

Fall into hole in sidewalk results in $160,000 payment

On behalf of Engel & Engel, P.A. posted in Premises Liability on Monday, May 6, 2013.

Most people look straight ahead or at the surrounding scenery during a walk on paved sidewalks. They do not watch their feet because sidewalks are expected to be mostly smooth and uniform, or at least unchanged from day to day. Accordingly, when a construction crew digs up a sidewalk and fails to alert the general public, unsuspecting pedestrians can be the victim of a slip-and-fall accident resulting in painful injuries.

A 60-year old woman can personally relate to the serious nature of a fall into an unmarked hole in the sidewalk. After her tumble, the woman could not leave her residence for close to thirty days during which time damage to her foot, ankle, and back had to heal. The woman filed a lawsuit against a telephone company and a utility company claiming that they should have closed off or marked the unforeseen pit in the sidewalk following construction work.

Baltimore car accident causes injuries, deaths

On behalf of Engel & Engel, P.A. posted in Car Accidents on Thursday, May 2, 2013.

It happens all the time. A group of friends goes out for a night of fun on the town. At the end of the festivities, one member of the group assures the rest that he or she is no longer drunk and volunteers to pilot the car. When fatal car accidents result, authorities often determine that the driver was actually under the influence.

This all too common situation appears to have happened recently in Baltimore County. The 22-year old driver of a Ford Mustang killed two passengers in his car and injured a third when he crashed his car. The accident occurred on a Sunday morning, at 6:30 a.m., perhaps after a Saturday night party extended into Sunday morning. Officials are continuing their accident investigation, but they have issued a citation to the driver for drinking and driving. Authorities do know that the driver lost control of the speeding vehicle, which caused the car to smash into a bridge support, and land upside down. The driver did not escape unscathed; he was taken to a trauma center with serious injuries.

Robots used in surgery may cause errors

On behalf of Engel & Engel, P.A. posted in Medical Malpractice on Friday, April 26, 2013.

Patients requiring a surgical procedure may learn that the surgeon will use a special assistant during the procedure. The assistant is not a medical resident or surgical nurse. Instead, many surgeons are utilizing a high tech robot called the Da Vinci to help guide the scalpel and create the necessary incisions. An explosion in robotic assisted surgeries has led some patients and professionals to question whether the devices are responsible for causing surgical errors.

One of the concerns is whether the surgeons have been properly trained to use the robotic arms. While the makers of the Da Vinci provide training on the robot, doctors must make their own determination as to when they are ready to utilize the device. Experts do not agree on the number of hours that a surgeon should train on a robotic arm, but a 2010 New England Journal of Medicine article suggested that a surgeon should not feel confident without first performing 150 or more procedures.

Failure to obey stop sign results in car accident

On behalf of Engel & Engel, P.A. posted in Car Accidents on Saturday, April 20, 2013.

There are many reasons why a driver might not stop at a stop sign. The driver may be distracted and improperly speaking on a handheld phone or texting, a practice that is against the law in Maryland. A driver might miss a stop sign due to fiddling with the radio or talking to passengers. In many cases, a driver is impaired by drugs or alcohol. Sometimes, a driver is elderly and does not realize that reflexes and attention to detail may be slowing. Whatever the reason, the result is often the same, a car accident that results in serious injuries.

Authorities recently issued a citation to an 82-year old man who drove through an intersection without bringing his vehicle to a halt at a stop sign. A crash ensued when a 24-year old woman hit the elderly man's car with her Mazda. The disaster escalated when a pickup truck piloted by a 48-year old man and carrying his teenage passenger smashed into part of the pileup. All four individuals involved in the accident suffered injuries that required medical attention at nearby hospitals.

Increased medical errors result from shorter doctor shifts

On behalf of Engel & Engel, P.A. posted in Medical Malpractice on Monday, April 8, 2013.

Anyone who has spent time in a hospital has seen the tired and haggard faces of the first-year residents who seem to work endless hours without sleep. Most doctors describe their residencies as a time when they typically spent over twenty-four continuous hours seeing patients at busy hospitals in Baltimore and around the country. A concern that exhausted doctors were causing medical errors has fueled a movement to limit the hours of first year doctors. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education issued regulations in 2011 mandating that residents may only work sixteen hours each day.

Analysts have found unexpected results stemming from the recent rule. Because the new doctors are working shorter shifts, patient care is transferred to a different doctor more often. In addition, hospitals have not necessarily added more doctors or staff to make up for the residents' decreased hours, and residents may feel obligated to complete the same amount of work in less time. Finally, fewer hours can mean less training for doctors fresh out of medical school. These factors have led to preliminary reports that doctor errors and mistakes have actually increased since the rules went into effect.

Maryland Court of Appeals considers dram shop laws

On behalf of Engel & Engel, P.A. posted in Car Accidents on Friday, April 5, 2013.

Drunk drivers cause horrible accidents every day in the United States. The unfortunate victims of these car accidents typically incur medical bills, vehicle repair or replacement costs, and time lost at work, among other expenses. In order to recover these sums, the injured parties can file a lawsuit against the drunk driver. Moreover, in forty-two states across America, the bar or restaurant that improperly served too much alcohol to the driver can also be held responsible for payment of the victim's damages. To date, Maryland remains one of the minority states that has not adopted this type of "dram shop" rule. A recent lawsuit argued before the Maryland Court of Appeals could change the current law.

The Maryland case that is currently under consideration was filed by the family of a 10-year old girl who was killed in a drunk driving accident in 2008. The child received fatal injuries after her family's car was hit by a driver who had been accelerating up to 100 mph. An investigation revealed that prior to getting behind the wheel, the driver may have consumed 3 shots of alcohol, together with 17 beers; this was the amount of the tab he paid at a dining establishment.

Baltimore car accident in rush hour traffic kills woman

On behalf of Engel & Engel, P.A. posted in Car Accidents on Monday, March 25, 2013.

Every day during rush hour in large cities like Baltimore, and in its smaller suburbs, drivers get into car accidents. The morning radio shows are continuously updated with the locations of the most recent car wrecks and advice regarding the roads to avoid due to blocked lanes and on-scene medical personnel. Whether the accidents are caused by people fiddling with cell phones, juggling breakfast, looking through files, or simply not paying attention, rush hour can be a very dangerous time to drive. While some of these collisions are simply frustrating fender-benders, others can turn into fatal car accidents.

Recently, a 56-year old Bel Air woman was driving in rush hour traffic just after 8:00 a.m. when the driver side of her car was hit by a motorist who ran a red light. The impact forced both vehicles into the median. The woman was taken to a medical center, but she did not survive. Neither the driver who caused the accident nor his passenger received life threatening injuries; they did receive medical care and were considered to be stable. Officials have not provided information on whether citations were delivered to the driver at fault.

Surgical equipment left inside thousands of patients each year

On behalf of Engel & Engel, P.A. posted in Medical Malpractice on Friday, March 22, 2013.

When patients go to a hospital for a surgical procedure, they often feel feel nervous. Whether the hospital is located in Baltimore or another state, patients have common fears prior to surgery. Some patients might be concerned about needles necessary for intravenous fluids. Others are uncomfortable with the concept of anesthesia and may be worried about unexpected complications during the surgery. Many patients have anxiety wondering about their pain levels once the surgery is complete. Rarely, however, do patients worry that a surgical error will result in a sponge or gauze being left inside their bodies.

In the last five years, there have been several studies finding that surgical supplies are being left inside of patients in substantial numbers. In fact, 4,500 to 6,000 individuals nationwide each year can expect to find a sponge, needle, instrument or other item left in their bodies post-surgery. Sponges are most likely to be forgotten in the abdominal area, and studies suggest that they are more likely to be left inside obese patients. Other studies indicate that unscheduled emergency surgeries can cause surgical teams to lose sponges inside patients more frequently.

Maryland family claims teenager died from energy drink

On behalf of Engel & Engel, P.A. posted in Wrongful Death on Tuesday, March 12, 2013.

Energy drinks pumped full of caffeine are all the rage among young people. The beverage aisles in local convenience stores are full of cleverly promoted drinks claiming to provide a burst of nonstop energy. While teenagers are prohibited from purchasing alcohol and cigarettes, there are no regulations when it comes to buying energy drinks which are generally considered to be harmless.

Some concern has arisen recently over the effects of these energy drinks. At the tail end of 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration disclosed that it was examining Monster energy drinks in light of five deaths attributed to its use. More recently, a Maryland family has asserted that the excessive caffeine in a Monster energy drink was toxic and caused the wrongful death of their 14-year old teenage daughter, who suffered from a heart condition.

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