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Side Impact Car Accidents in Baltimore

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Man of Maryland’s roads were recently paralyzed by multiple motor vehicle accidents that occurred on a single day, according to a WDEL May 2017 article. Several vehicle accidents turned a normal Wednesday a deadly one. A chain reaction motor vehicle crash happened in Arundel County around 1:30 p.m. Not far away, a vehicle hit another one head-on while traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of Route 50.

Another two-vehicle crash happened on northbound Interstate 495. One driver in the accident allegedly failed to notice a disabled Mack trash hauler and struck it. Her vehicle was lodged underneath the truck for a short time.

In another accident near Delaware, a driver allegedly failed to yield to oncoming traffic. The driver of an Eclipse allegedly struck another vehicle, a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado, on its left and rear sides. The Eclipse was also broadsided by another vehicle that attempted to avoid the accident.

What is a Side Impact Accident in Baltimore?

A side impact accident, also called a broadside or T-bone accident, occurs when one vehicle hits another on its side. The impact of such an accident can cause serious injuries to the driver and/or passengers depending on which side the accident occurs.

Aside from head-on collision accidents, side impact accidents are often the most devastating. The sides of a motor vehicle often have little to no physical protection. Thus, there is no cushion between the driver or passenger and the impact or another object striking the vehicle.

A Side Impact Accident in Baltimore can be Caused by Many Different Things

When filing a side impact accident claim in Baltimore, a victim needs to show a lot of things to be successful. One thing a victim will need to show is how the accident happened. A side impact accident may happen in any of the following situations:

  • The at-fault driver ran a red light or tried to run a red light or stop sign
  • The at-fault driver made a left turn and T-boned the victim’s vehicle
  • The at-fault driver pulled into oncoming traffic and hit the side of the victim’s vehicle

Let Hassan, Hassan & Tuchman, PA Represent You in Your Baltimore Side Impact Accident Lawsuit

The driver who injured you was most likely negligent. The driver may have violated a traffic law or failed to act as another driver would have in the same and/or similar situation. The problems are that you were injured and now have damages like lost wages, medical bills, vehicle and property damage, and pain and suffering.

Seek the help of experienced personal injury attorneys for legal representation right away. Whether you want to settle a claim or pursue your rights in court, you have the right to do so. You also have the right to access a tough legal team ready to fight for you. Contact us today for help.

Car Accidents in Baltimore

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At least 18 people were taken to the hospital after a multi-vehicle car crash, according to Fox 45’s April 2017 report. The accident happened in While Marsh and was considered a “mass casualty incident” by local first responders. The accident involved six vehicles in northbound traffic on I-95. No life-threatening injuries were reported, but 18 people were transported to five different area hospitals. One driver involved in the accident, a 36-year-old from New York, was criminally charged in the crash.

The crash occurred around 1:50 p.m. Police were conducting a traffic stop on the left shoulder of the highway prior to the accident. Traffic moved slowly because of the traffic stop. The 36-year-old driver, operating a 2016 black Ford Transit, allegedly hit the rear of a red 2009 Lincoln MKS. The impact pushed the Lincoln into another vehicle, a white 2011 Lexus IS30C.

The crash ultimately involved two other vehicles. The first four vehicles blocked two highway lanes. The highway was closed for about 30 minutes while they waited for first responders.

It is not known if the victims of the multi-vehicle accident have filed a personal injury claim against the driver for their injuries.

Negligence in a Car Accident in Baltimore

A car accident can happen for any reason, but most often, a Baltimore car accident is the result of negligence. Negligence is the failure of a driver to act like a reasonable driver would in the same and/or similar circumstances. A “reasonable driver” is one who always does the right thing while operating a motor vehicle in order to prevent causing an accident. If an accident victim can prove negligence, then he or she can usually obtain damages. Damages refers to money paid to the victim to compensate for accident-related expenses like:

  • Pain and suffering
  • Lost wages
  • Property damage
  • Medical bills

Part of successfully proving that a car accident happened because of another driver’s negligence involves showing that he or she caused accident. The other driver must either directly or indirect cause the car accident and the resulting injuries. Causation can happen in variety of ways, such as:

  • Distracted driving
  • Texting while driving
  • Drunk driving
  • Drowsy driving
  • Hit-and-run accidents
  • Head-on collisions
  • Side-impact collisions
  • Rear-end collisions
  • Sideswipe collisions
  • Single-car accidents
  • Rollover accident
  • Speeding

Hassan, Hassan & Tuchman, PA are Your Baltimore Car Accident Attorneys

A car accident can happen at any time and for any reason. The cause of the accident is one way to prove the other driver was at fault. For instance, you have to prove the driver had a legal duty to protect you from the accident. You then have to prove that the driver breached that legal duty.

After proving causation, you are allowed to present damages. Let us do the work for you. Contact us today.

New Bill Would Hold Baltimore Physicians More Accountable for Malpractice

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According to a January 2017 report on WBAL, Senate Bill 195 would make doctors more accountable to their patients. The bill would help patients know whether their doctor is actually insured. For example, the bill would have helped a patient who underwent liposuction and a tummy tuck back in 2005. That year she wanted to look great for her son’s wedding, but the minor surgery turned into an alleged 10-hour nightmare. Her doctor allegedly kept her overnight at a surgery center. She died three days later at home. An autopsy revealed that she died from cardiac arrhythmia.

The woman’s family sued the doctor for medical malpractice, but they received nothing even though the judge ruled in their favor. Unfortunately, the doctor who performed the surgery did not have medical malpractice insurance. The doctor later made a settlement for $450,000, and then filed bankruptcy.

Senate Bill 195, if passed, would require every doctor practicing in Maryland to indicate to the state board of physicians whether or not they have insurance. The information would then be available to the public.

The woman’s family wanted the bill to go even further. They wanted all doctors to be mandated by law to have medical malpractice insurance. Another bill in the state house may make it mandatory for all doctors to have medical malpractice insurance.

What is Medical Malpractice in Baltimore?

Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare professional provides a patient with substandard care. In Maryland, all patients are supposed to receive standard medical care. It does not have to be the best, but it must not cause additional harm. Additional harm would be if a patient sought treatment for a heart pain and the doctor amputated his or her arm instead.

Substandard care is negligent care. Negligence is the foundation for a medical malpractice lawsuit. An injured patient can receive damages, in the form of money, for the substandard care received.

Recoverable Damages in a Baltimore Medical Malpractice Claim

Damages available in a medical malpractice claim include:

  • Additional past, current, and future medical bills
  • Lost wages
  • Pain and suffering
  • Decreased earning capacity
  • Funeral and burial expenses if the patient died because of the substandard treatment

In Maryland, an injured patient can receive any economic damages caused by the medical professional’s negligence. An injured patient can also receive what is known as non-economic damages. Non-economic damages are a little harder to calculate. A lawyer cannot simply hand over a bill as proof of the damages sustained. An example of non-economic damages includes pain and suffering.

State personal injury law caps non-economic damages at $770,000. If the patient died because of the substandard care received, the non-economic damages are capped at $962,500.

Contact Hassan, Hassan & Tuchman, PA about Your Baltimore Medical Malpractice Claim

You or a loved one sought medical treatment, not addition harm. Contact us about your medical malpractice claim.

Wrongful Party in a Baltimore Accident May Claim Victim was Negligent

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According to a July 2017 report on CBS Baltimore, two men died after a vehicle allegedly traveled the wrong way on a Maryland highway. One vehicle was traveling north in southbound lanes and hit the other vehicle head-on. Both drivers were pronounced dead at the accident scene, and there were no passengers in either vehicle. At the time of the report, the car accident was still under investigation.

It is not clear if the family of the driver traveling in the correct lane will sue the at-fault driver’s estate. A personal injury claim can be filed any time a driver operates a motor vehicle in a negligent way and harms another driver, pedestrian, or passenger.

Negligence in a Baltimore Car Accident

For an accident victim to file a personal injury claim in Baltimore, the other party must be at fault for the accident. Typically, negligence involves a driver failing to operate a motor vehicle in a way that a reasonable person would in the same and/or similar circumstances. A reasonable person would obey traffic laws and not cause an accident with injuries.

For instance, a driver must operate a motor vehicle in the correct lane. If he or she fails to do so, it is a violation of traffic laws. A driver is negligent when he or she operates a motor vehicle in the wrong lane and hits another vehicle.

Contributory Negligence Defense

An accident victim, or plaintiff, in a personal injury lawsuit can claim that the at-fault driver was negligent. That same at-fault driver can claim that the accident victim was to blame for the accident by using the contributory negligence defense.

Contributory negligence is the defense claiming that the plaintiff was at least 1% at fault for the accident. If a plaintiff is responsible for causing the accident, he or she will not receive damages. Damages refers to the compensation an accident victim can receive to pay for accident-related expenses such as:

  • Medical bills
  • Lost wages
  • Pain and suffering
  • Property damage

For instance, a plaintiff was traveling southbound and driving while distracted. Maybe he was looking at his cell phone at the time of the crash. The at-fault driver was following behind him in the same lane. The plaintiff noticed a red light too late. He stopped, but the defendant was driving too closely behind him and hit his vehicle. The defendant hit the plaintiff’s car, but maybe he or she would not have if the plaintiff had noticed the stoplight earlier and braked more gradually.

If the defendant can prove that the plaintiff was at least 1% liable for the accident, he or she may be off the hook for damages.

Contact Hassan, Hassan & Tuchman, PA for Help with Your Car Accident in Baltimore

You have the right to sue to obtain damages owed to you. Contact us immediately if you have been injured in a car accident.

Passengers can Sue for Injuries Sustained in a Baltimore Bus Crash

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A Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) bus collided with another vehicle near Granada and Fairview Avenues in West Baltimore, according to a September 2017 article in The Baltimore Sun. The accident happened on a Friday morning in September and sent some passengers to the hospital. According to the MTA spokesman, no passenger suffered life-threatening injuries. He did not immediately know the number of passengers who were transported to the hospital.

A 25-year-old male driver was traveling along Fairview Avenue when the MTA bus hit his vehicle. At the time, they were allegedly both trying to turn onto Granada Avenue. The front bumper of the man’s vehicle, a Honda Accord, was knocked off the vehicle. The accident was under investigation by the MA and police at the time of the report. It is not known if the passengers will file personal injury claims for their bus accident injuries.

A bus is considered a commercial vehicle because it is used to transport passengers from one place to another. A bus can be any of the following:

  • Baltimore sightseeing tour bus
  • Any bus used for public transportation
  • Long-distance bus
  • School bus

A bus accident is any accident involving a bus and either another vehicle or a pedestrian.

Causes of Bus Accidents in Baltimore

To file a personal injury lawsuit for injuries sustained in a bus accident, another party must be responsible for causing the accident. If an accident victim did something to cause the bus accident in some way, he or she may be barred from suing. This is called a contributory negligence defense.

Most bus accidents are not caused by the bus driver. The bus driver may be unqualified to operate a motor vehicle or may be too tired to drive. Sometimes when the bus driver has done everything right and obeyed all the laws, a bus accident can still occur due to a mechanical problem with the bus itself, which may be the legal responsibility of the bus manufacturer or bus company.

The common causes of a bus accident include:

  • Open-air bus feature: The open-air design of some tour buses can place passengers at risk of sustaining an injury from flying debris or falling out of the bus.
  • Length of the bus: Bicyclists and pedestrians are at risk of being hit by the back end of a long bus. This typically happens when the bus driver cannot gauge the exact space needed to turn properly.
  • Poor bus maintenance: The bus could be on the roadways and have serious mechanical problems such as broken tail lights, worn brake pads, and threadbare tires. These mechanical problems can cause an accident with injuries.
  • Top-heavy design: The tall, narrow design of tour buses can cause the vehicle to roll over while the driver makes a turn. This includes the two-tiered tour guide buses.
  • Passenger safety hazards: Passengers are always put at risk of sustaining an injury when exiting and entering the bus. These dangers include getting crushed by doors that have broken sensors or tripping over a broken part of the floor.

Contact Hassan, Hassan & Tuchman, PA About Your Baltimore Bus Accident

You have the right to file a personal injury claim and receive compensation for the injuries you sustained. Contact us immediately to receive the assistance of an experienced personal injury attorney.

Tractor-Trailer Accident Causes Serious Injuries in Baltimore

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According to a January 2017 report on CBS Baltimore, several people were seriously injured in a multi-car accident involving a tractor-trailer. A tractor-trailer collided with about 14 cars on a Friday evening in the Bel Air area near Plaza Ford, injuring many. The tractor-trailer was traveling southbound on Route 1 when, for an unknown reason, according to police, the tractor-trailer crossed over into the northbound lanes. It struck several passenger vehicles. Many who witnessed the accident said it looked like something out of a movie. One witness, whose vehicle was spared in the accident, said that the vehicles impacted by the large commercial vehicle appeared to be airborne.

At the time of the report, no charges were filed against the tractor-trailer driver.

A tractor-trailer is a large commercial vehicle that can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, which is about 16 times more than the average passenger vehicle. A tractor-trailer accident involves a commercial vehicle colliding with a passenger vehicle, bicyclist, pedestrian, or another commercial vehicle. Since the weight of the commercial vehicle is so great, it can cause serious injury or death for accident victims.

Injuries Sustained in a Baltimore Tractor-Trailer Accident

An accident victim may escape a tractor-trailer accident with minor injuries such as bruises or scratches. However, minor accidents involving large trucks rarely occur. Instead, these accidents tend to be more serious and often deadly.

Injuries that can be incurred by victims of tractor-trailer accidents include:

  • Broken bones
  • Damage to internal organs
  • Paralysis
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Amputated limbs

Common Types of Tractor-Trailer Accidents in Baltimore

Every tractor-trailer accident is different and may be caused by different things. However, these accidents are typically cause by the following:

  • Shifting cargo: A Tractor-trailer typically transports cargo from one area to another. If the cargo is improperly loaded or there is too much cargo, the truck can overturn or jackknife.
  • Rear-end Collisions: A tractor-trailer, like other large vehicles, needs time to slow down or come to a complete halt. If a truck driver is following another vehicle too closely, he or she may not be able to properly stop.
  • Improper maneuver: A truck driver may fail to maintain his or her driving lane or violate another traffic law, causing a deadly crash.

Contact Hassan, Hassan & Tuchman, PA About Your Baltimore Tractor-Trailer Accident

You were injured in a tractor-trailer accident. The first thing you must do is stay calm and focus on healing from your injuries. You will need experienced attorneys on your side. We are personal injury attorneys dedicated to helping you receive the compensation you deserve after an accident.

We will complete an investigation to determine who was at fault for your accident and how the accident occurred. We will also work to negotiate a settlement or prepare for trial. Contact us immediately for help. You deserve compensation.