Deadly Route 50 Prince Georges County Tractor Trailer Crash

Sadly a deadly crash took place this afternoon in Prince Georges County on Eastbound Route 50 near the Capitol Beltway, involving a tractor trailer and a car.

Glen Burnie, Maryland Woman struck and killed

A Glen Burnie, Maryland woman was struck and killed by a van in Dudalk, Maryland.

Two More Pedestrians Killed In Maryland

Pedestrians killed on Maryland Roadways; Hit and Run Fatalities

Bicyclist Struck and Killed by Bladensburg Police Car

Just yesterday we examined Maryland's deficiencies in the realm of pedestrian and bicyclist safety ( see http://www.maryland-law.com/library/maryland-pedestrian-safety-an-oxymoron.cfm ).

Today we learn from the Washington Post that on Saturday November 7th, 2009 a local bicyclist was struck and killed in Bladensburg by a Bladensburg police officer.

Reportedly, the cyclist was emerging from Bladen Plaza shopping center onto Annapolis Road when he was struck by a Bladensburg Police vehicle operated by Officer Alex Salinas.

The cyclist was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Teen Driving Fatalities

The dangerous propensities of teenage drivers are widely known. Inexperience coupled with recklessness is a recipe for disaster. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety examines teen crash deaths in Fatality Facts 2008 and provides a glimpse into the circumstances of these tragedies. http://www.iihs.org/research/fatality_facts_2008/teenagers.html

Not suprisingly, 16 year-old drivers have the highest incidence of crashes per mile driven, twice as high as 18 to 19 year-old drivers. Teens overall have a crash rate per mile four times that of older drivers. States with graduated licensing have seen a substantial decline in teen car crashes as phased in licensing serves to restrict the circumstances in which new drivers are permitted on the roads.

Maryland teens are not allowed to drive after midnight or with their friends in the car under their initial restricted license.
 
4.054 teens died in car crashes in 2008, a reduction of more than half from 1975. Two-thirds of the wrongful deaths are males, although the rate of teen male deaths is steadily declining.

The leading cause of death among teens is motor vehicle crash and more than 60% of these are vehicle drivers.

Alcohol-use in teen traffic fatalities stands at about 16% and again males are more likely to have involvement with alcohol than female.

The bottom-line, teens need vast supervision to avoid car and truck collisions.

Police Locate Truck in Charles Village Hit and Run

Baltimore City police report having located the white Ford 250 pick-up reportedly involved in a tragic Charles Village hit-and-run Friday October 16, 2009 which killed Johns Hopkins student, Miriam Frankl.

The police were aided by the public, which reported the offending vehicle's whereabouts, after its tag number and description were disseminated through the media. http://www.maryland-law.com/blog/baltimore-hit-and-run-tragically-kills-hopkins-student.cfm

The vehicle evidently belongs to a Carroll County, Maryland resident. Baltimore City police have the vehicle in custody and crime technicians are examining it for evidence of the hit and run and a determination as to who was operating it at the time.

The collision took place at 3:15 p.m. at the intersection of University Parkway and Saint Paul Street in Baltimore City.

Maryland Medical Malpractice Settlement Appeal Goes Badly For Doctor

Maryland's intermediate appellate court rendered a decision in the case of Hashimi v. Bennett which served to clarify both the outcome of judgement and the application of the Uniform Contribution Among Joint-Tortfeasors Act (UCATA).

The underlying case, involved the tragic death of Adrian Bennett in 2003 as a result of sepsis. Prior to trial, Good Samaritan Hospital and Doctor Roman Kostrubiak settled with the family of the decedent, executing a joint-tortfeasors agreement.

Thereafter, the case went to trial against Doctor Hashimi and a verdict in the amount of $2,295,000.00 was returned.
Under application of prevailing Maryland law, the trial judge reduced the verdict to about $1,800,000.00 and determined that Dr. Hashimi was responsible for one third.

The doctor's lawyers argued that he should only be responsible for one fifth of the final judgement, as three different Good Samaritan employees has originally been sued. This position struck both the trial and appellate courts as illogical as the pre-trial settlement agreement mentioned only the hospital and Dr. Kostrubiak as settling defendants.

Perhaps, this matter will wend its way to the Maryland Court of Appeals.

Millions of Cribs Recalled After Four Infants Die

Millions of Cribs Recalled After Four Infants Die From Suffocation

Tragic Case of Gaithersburg Youth's Death

In the aftermath of the Consumer Product Safety Commission's recalls of a variety of blinds and roller-shades (http://www.maryland-law.com/library/blinds-recalled-for-strangulation-risks-for-children.cfm ) the Baltimore Sun reports the tragic tale of a Gaithersburg child strangling in the cords of window blinds at his home. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bal-md.blind11nov13,0,301344.story

The extent of the health risk seemed underplayed in the C.P.S.C. recalls and the Sun article brings home the risk and the tragedy.

The C.P.S.C. has recalled millions of shades and blinds in recent years and suggests that one child is killed every month by them.