Posted on May 20, 2019 in Truck Accidents

Growing up is full of rites of passage, and one of the most eagerly anticipated of these is getting one’s driver’s license. Teens in Maryland eagerly look forward to the freedom enabled by having a driver’s license. What teens must remember is that a license is a privilege, not a right, and as with so many other privileges, there are responsibilities. One of the greatest of these responsibilities is to not be a distracted driver. Distracted driving can lead to motor vehicle accidents.

In today’s world, the presence of electronic devices and social media can serve as a constant distraction to young drivers. Such a distraction may have contributed to a recent fatal crash. The accident happened around rush hour on a recent Friday afternoon. A woman was driving north on US 113 when she was struck by a southbound vehicle. The car heading south was driven by an 18-year-old man.

The southbound car had crossed over the yellow line for an unknown reason and struck the oncoming car nearly head-on. The woman who had been driving was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash caused that section of the roadway to be closed for about three hours. The cause of the accident remains under investigation.

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 Posted on May 07, 2019 in Truck Accidents

Drinking and driving don’t mix. That statement is an old one and yet after years of continued tragic deaths caused by drunk drivers, the issue remains a major contributing factor to traffic deaths around the country. A recent death on a Maryland roadway may have contributed to the number of motor vehicle accidents that can be attributed to drunk driving.

The accident happened early one morning on a divided highway near Leonardtown. A man was driving the wrong direction on the northbound side of the highway when he collided with another vehicle. The collision was head-on.

The man driving in the wrong direction was taken to the University of Maryland Prince George’s Hospital with unspecified injuries. The driver of the other vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. It is not known how the one vehicle came to be traveling on the highway in the wrong direction. The cause of the accident is still under investigation and alcohol is suspected of being a contributing factor.

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 Posted on May 05, 2019 in Truck Accidents

Pedestrian safety requires the buy-in of both drivers and pedestrians. If one group isn’t respecting Virginia’s pedestrian laws, then someone is in danger. Most likely the threatened group is the pedestrian because they don’t have tons of protective steel surrounding them.

A troubling trend has emerged over the last few years. From 2015 to 2018, pedestrian fatalities have risen from approximately 75 per year up to 150. The Virginia Department of Transportation says increasing crosswalk and signage visibility are two things the government seeks to improve in effort of bucking this trend. The possibility of improved traffic controls to give drivers more notice of potential pedestrians.

These efforts to enhance pedestrian safety have the potential to be effective, but Virginia already has laws that define when a driver or pedestrian has the right of way. If you’re unclear on who has right of way and when, here is a refresher:

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 Posted on April 24, 2019 in Truck Accidents

Many people take medications and continue to perform successfully at their jobs in Maryland. However some medications carry warnings regarding such things as driving and operating heavy machinery. These warnings are frequently prompted by a propensity of the drug in question to cause drowsiness. In a horrific accident involving a trash truck and a multiple car pileup, a woman lost her life and the driver of the truck and his employer were named as defendants in a wrongful death suit.

The truck driver had been suffering from depression and was prescribed antidepressants including Abilify, Zoloft and Atarax. The medications all carry a warning regarding possible drowsiness and advise users to avoid operating heavy machinery. The prescriptions were ordered following the man’s hospitalization for symptoms of severe depression.

The morning of the accident, a string of cars was stopped at a red light. The garbage truck reportedly struck the line of stopped cars, causing a chain reaction crash. According to the police report, it did not appear that the driver of the truck either swerved or applied his brakes in an effort to avoid the collision. A total of five cars were involved in the accident, and the driver of one, a young woman, was killed as a result of her injuries. A wrongful death lawsuit followed, and the woman’s family was awarded $1.9 million in damages.

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 Posted on April 10, 2019 in Truck Accidents

Traffic congestion is a never ending problem on Maryland roads. With the constant congestion exists the constant threat of motor vehicle accidents. Accidents involving school buses can be particularly traumatic, and a recent accident in Prince George’s County serves to remind people to be on the lookout for school buses, to obey the flashing lights and exercise extra caution.

The accident happened about 6 a.m. when high school students are being picked up for the bus trip to school. The accident involved a school bus, a car and a tractor-trailer. The bus and the car were traveling east and the truck was coming from the south. The car became sandwiched between the bus and the truck.

The driver of the car was pronounced dead at the scene. Eight additional people, at least two of them teenagers, suffered what appeared to be non life-threatening injuries. The bus had been heading toward Charles H. Flowers High School. A hazardous materials team was reportedly dispatched to assist with the cleanup and the cause of the accident remains under investigation.

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 Posted on March 27, 2019 in Truck Accidents

In virtually every profession, peer recognition is evidence of a job well done, a reputation earned – with respect gained among those with the same or similar qualifications. For Whitlock Law, LLC, such recognition includes national recognition.

Personal injury attorney, Morgan Whitlock, was recently selected to join to The National Trial Lawyers: Top 40 Under 40. Licensed to practice law in both Maryland and Virginia, Ms. Whitlock has been practicing law for more than 10 years. Her achievements both in and outside of the courtroom, led to her acceptance into the prestigious national organization.

What the Top 40 entails

The professional organization consisting of the top trial lawyers under 40 throughout each region or state receive invitations based on peer recommendations and research related to a lawyer’s demonstrated skills, recommendations and established reputation. Throughout the evaluation process prior to admittance, The National Trial Lawyers evaluates each nominee in areas which include:

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 Posted on March 12, 2019 in Truck Accidents

No one will dispute that Maryland has severe traffic issues. Sadly, when there is heavy traffic there is the potential for serious motor vehicle accidents. A recent crash involving 12 vehicles took the life of a prominent area businessman, the president of Kline ShopRite, and a 7-year-old boy.

The crash occurred when a ShopRite tractor-trailer failed to stop at an intersection and crashed into several cars. The two people who died were traveling in separate vehicles. The truck caught fire after the collision. Two cars that had become pinned beneath the truck also caught fire. One of the fatalities occurred in one of those two vehicles.

The 7-year-old was in a car further behind the tractor-trailer that also became involved in the collision. The boy’s mother, who was driving the car, was taking him to his grandmother’s house so his grandmother could take him to school. The boy was transported to University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center where he later died as a result of his injuries. At least two other people were transported to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and the severity of their injuries is not known. No charges have yet been filed but the cause of the accident remains under investigation.

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 Posted on March 09, 2019 in Truck Accidents

You may be walking down an apartment hallway or pushing your cart through the grocery store. You might encounter a puddle, a patch of ice or a loose step. A lot of things can cause you to lose your balance, slip and fall.

While some accidents leave you with only bumps and bruises, other slip-and-fall accidents are more severe. You can suffer head injuries, fractures, muscle strains or spine and nerve damage. These injuries can leave you serious medical bills, which may include surgery and rehabilitation.

If you were injured on someone else’s property or at a business, you may have a case for premises liability. Here is what you need to know about filing a slip-and-fall lawsuit.

How long do you have to file suit?

Like most other states, Maryland has a statute of limitations on how long you must file a slip-and-fall lawsuit. You have three years after the date of the accident to file suit. After your injury occurs, you must file a complaint with the court within that three-year period. If you do not file suit within this time, the court will typically dismiss any claim filed after the statute of limitations has expired.

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 Posted on February 27, 2019 in Truck Accidents

Being injured in an accident can have serious repercussions on one’s life. An injury can mean missing time away from school or work that can lead to a loss of income or to one’s education suffering due to time away from studies. People may be reluctant to file a personal injury claim in Maryland for fear that it will take too much time to settle and take still more time away from other obligations.

A personal injury claim may be settled fairly quickly and is frequently handled out of court. Approximately 95 percent of personal injury cases do not go to trial. People may be reluctant to file a claim if they know the person responsible for the injury. There may be concern that the person held responsible for the injury would be paying a settlement directly. In most cases, most accidents are covered by insurance, and the insurance company would typically cover the claim.

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 Posted on February 14, 2019 in Truck Accidents

Winter poses its own challenges to drivers and pedestrians in Maryland. It gets dark earlier, and that can make it difficult for drivers to see pedestrians. Snow and ice can cause slippery conditions, and driver distraction always remains a possible issue. Any or all of these factors contribute to the occurrence of motor vehicle accidents. One such accident took the life of a young man in Upper Marlboro.

The young man and a female friend had just gotten off of a bus about 6:30 p.m. on a recent evening. They were crossing the road in a crosswalk near Campus Way when they were hit by an oncoming vehicle. They were both injured in the collision and were transported to University of Maryland Prince George’s Hospital Center.

The young man later died as a result of the injuries he suffered, and the woman remains in the hospital but is expected to recover. The area around the accident was shut down for approximately three hours while police investigated the accident site. According to police, there was no evidence that drugs or alcohol contributed to the accident, and the driver of the car did not flee the scene. The cause of the incident remains under investigation. Charges are pending the outcome of the investigation.

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