Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog

The DC fire chief says that arson may have been a factor in the fire at a Northwest Washington apartment building. They are still investigating the cause of the blaze, which took place early Wednesday.

Four people were hospitalized with serious injuries, including a 2-year-old girl. Another fire victim, a 38-year-old male, died when he jumped from the fifth floor of the building to escape the fire. Several people were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation and burn injuries. Up to 40 people were treated at the scene. The 63-unit apartment building, which was likely constructed in the mid-20th century, did not have a sprinkler system. Also, some 125 people have been displaced.

If you or someone you love sustained burn injuries in a fire or another accident that you believe was caused by another party’s negligent or careless actions, please call your Washington DC burn accident law firm to request your free case evaluation.

Burn Injuries
Burn injuries can be extremely painful and can result in disfigurement, scarring, nerve damage, limb loss, emotional trauma, depression, other serious injuries, and death. Burns are a leading cause of death in the US. According to Burn-Recovery.org, about 4,000 Americans die of burn injuries annually.

Treatment for burn injuries can be very painful and expensive. A person may have to undergo skin grafts, reconstructive surgery, and other medical procedures in order to recover.

Examples of serious burns:
• Full thickness burns
• Partial thickness burns
• Facial burns
• Burns to a person’s extremities
• Chemical burns
• Electrical burns
• Smoke inhalation injuries

Man leaps to his death in NW DC apartment fire, The Washington Post, September 29, 2010

1 Dead, Several Injured After 16th Street Fire, MSNBC, September 29, 2010

Burn Injuries, Burn-Recovery.org

Related Web Resources:
Fire Deaths and Injuries, CDC

Fire Safety

A Washington DC motor vehicle crash earlier this month sent at least 22 people to the hospital. The traffic collision occurred on September 15 in Northwest DC and involved a fire engine and a Metro bus.

The fire truck was headed to a Washington DC pedestrian crash site when it hit the bus on 13th Street and Madison Street at around 10:15 AM. Four of the people injured in the bus-truck crash were firefighters. All of the victims sustained what were considered non-life-threatening injuries. DC Fire and EMS spokesperson Pete Pringer is quoted on WTOP.com as saying that the collision was not a “high speed one.”

The Washington DC bus–fire truck crash, which is under investigation, took place one day after another Metro bus was involved in a Washington DC car collision with an SUV. Five adults and one child that were on the bus sustained injuries. According to Metro spokesperson, a preliminary probe found that the SUV backed into the bus on 7th Street NE and Florida Avenue.

Washington DC Bus Accidents
Commercial buses are common carriers and have a greater duty of care than other motorists to drive safely. Regardless of whether or not a bus crash was caused by the bus operator or another negligent party, it is the bus passengers that are likely to suffer. Most commercial buses lack seat belts and there may be passengers standing while riding on the bus. The lack of safety measures can place bus occupants at risk of traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken bones, and death during a bus collision.

Metrobus Accident in Northeast, NBC Washington, September 14, 2010

22 injured after D.C. fire truck, Metro bus collide, WTOP, September 15, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts 2008, US DOT FMCSA, March 2010

Continue reading " Two Recent DC Metro Bus Crashes Cause Injuries " »

At this year’s Distracted Driving Summit in Washington DC, US Department of Transportation officials, legislators, automakers, researchers, law enforcement workers, and traffic crash victims are once again getting together to figure out how to combat distracted driving and decrease the number of motor vehicle crashes that happen each year. US Transportation RayLaHood has called the problem of distracted driving an “epidemic” and he wants a federal law that will crack down on multitasking motorists.

Distracted driving can consist of a number of different activities that a motorist might engage in that takes his/her attention from driving. Text messaging, talking on a cell phone, dealing with the family dog, reading, surfing the Internet, watching movies on a laptop, scrolling through an iPod, fiddling with the radio dial, shaving, eating, and getting into an argument with someone else in the car are all examples of distracted driving acts that can cause the motorist to lose focus and become involved in a car crash, truck accident, bus collision, or pedestrian accident.

At the summit, Secretary LaHood announced new rules that would restrict hazmat truckers from texting and cell phone use for hazmat truckers. He also said that a final rule barring commercial truckers and bus drivers from texting will soon be published.

2009 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Distracted Driving Data:

• 5,474 deaths
• 448,000 injuries
• Teen drivers make up the largest portion of distracted drivers
• 16% of deadly crashes and 20% of injury accidents involved distracted drivers

It is not uncommon for The District’s busy residents to multitask. Politicians, business persons, students, government officials, and others have too much to do and often in too little time. However, distracted driving can cause Washington DC traffic crashes that can result in serious injuries and deaths for those involved.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Announces 2009 Distracted Driving Fatality and Injury Numbers Prior to National Distracted Driving Summit, NHTSA, September 20, 2010

Texting rules to toughen for hazmat truckers, Land Line, September 21, 2010

LaHood Pushes Federal Law to Quell 'Epidemic' of Distracted Driving, PBS, September 21, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Distracted Driving 2009, Traffic Safety Facts, NHTSA (PDF)

Distraction.gov

Maryland Accident Law Blog

Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

Continue reading " US DOT Holds Second Annual Distracted Driving Summit in Washington DC " »

One of the two women who was struck in a Washington DC pedestrian accident on September 8th has died. The victim, Julia Bachleitner, was a 26-year-old Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies graduate student from Austria. She was taken off life support yesterday.

Bachleitner and Melissa Basque, another student, were standing on a traffic island and waiting for the light to change in the Adams Morgan neighborhood when a vehicle driven by an alleged drunken driver hit them. One witness says that the force of the collision caused the women to be thrown at least 30 feet. They both sustained serious injuries. Basque was released from the hospital on Friday.

Meantime, the allegedly inebriated motorist, 23-year-old Chamica M. Adams, was arrested at the Adams Morgan pedestrian crash site. She did not sustain any injuries from the Washington DC motor vehicle crash.

According to one witness, after Adams’ vehicle struck the two women, she drove her car through the front window of a restaurant. Fortunately, even though there were people in the restaurant no one was hurt.

Adams has been charged with driving while intoxicated and aggravated assault. Following Bachleitner's passing, however, the U.S. Attorney's Office says that the criminal charges may be changed to involuntary manslaughter.

Pedestrian Accidents
With little protection from the impact of getting hit by a car, bus, truck, or SUV, pedestrians are at risk of suffering serious injuries during a traffic crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports 4,092 US pedestrian deaths and 59,000 pedestrian injuries in 2009. Many of these injured pedestrians had to undergo surgeries and other costly medical care to recover.

You may be able to hold the negligent motorist liable.

Student Pulled Off Life Support After Being Struck By Driver, MyFox Washington DC, September 14, 2010

Driver hits 2 pedestrians, crashes into Adams Morgan restaurant, officials say, Washington Post, September 9, 2010

Highlights of 2009 Motor Vehicle Crashes (PDF)

Related Web Resources:
Impaired Driving Facts, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

DC Department of Transportation

Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Continue reading " Washington DC Pedestrian Accident Involving Allegedly Drunk Driver Claims the Life of 26-Year-old Johns Hopkins University Graduate Student " »

The parents of a Fort Washington man are suing the US Capitol Police for Washington DC wrongful death. They are seeking $50 million in compensatory damages for what they are alleging was excessive use of police force.

According to Leroy and Thomasine White’s Washington DC police brutality complaint, police shot 27-year-old Kellen A. White at least 12 times on July 15, 2009 following a traffic stop.

While US Capitol Police contend that White attempted to flee in his 1999 Mercedes Benz, almost hit two cops, collided with a police vehicle, and shot at officers, his family contends that White was unarmed, did not pose a threat to anyone, committed no crime, and had followed the commands issued to him by police. They are arguing that the shooting was unjustified and excessive.

A July 2009 article on Wtop.com reports that White may have attempted to escape police because he was on probation for another incident involving guns and police officers. However, although law enforcement officials are allowed to use reasonable physical force when apprehending a suspect, they cannot use excessive and unnecessary use of force at any time (especially when done to intimidate, punish, hurt, or force someone into making a confession).

Washington DC Police Brutality
Excessive use of force has been known to involve officers' use of their hands and legs, guns, Tasers, police batons, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and handcuffs. Verbal abuse, intimidation, emotional abuse, and sexual assault are also forms of police violence.

Unfortunately, many people are unaware that their rights have been violated when they’ve been subjected to police brutality, which is also illegal. Even if you have been charged with or convicted of a crime, you still do not deserve to be a victim of police violence. You may have grounds for a Washington DC personal injury case.

Parents sue Capitol Police in shooting, The Washington Post, September 2, 2010

Man killed in police shootout was on probation, WTOP, July 16, 2009

Related Web Resources:
US Capitol Police

Police Brutality, HRWatch.org

According to Allstate Insurance, Baltimore and Washington DC rank second to last respectively among the country’s 200 largest cities when it comes to having the best drivers. While drivers in Fort Collins, Colorado, the city that ranked number one, on average get into car accidents just once every 14.5 years, District drivers get into Washington DC car accidents approximately once every 5.1 years—a 96% higher rate than that of the average US motorist. Meantime, Baltimore motorists are 79% more likely to get into a Maryland car accident than the average US driver. The two cities’ rankings were the same as from the year before.

Our Maryland and Washington DC car accident law firm wants to remind you that we offer free case evaluations to traffic accident victims and their families in both states. It is important that you have an injury team advocating on your behalf to ensure that you receive all the personal injury and wrongful death recovery owed yo you.

Steps that you can take to avoid causing a Washington DC motor vehicle crash:
• Don’t drive drunk
• Make sure that your vehicle is up to date on all maintenance checks
• Don’t text message while driving
• Avoid speeding
• Avoid following too closely behind the car in front of you
• Don’t let your anger get the better of you and turn into an aggressive driver
• Adjust your driving according to the weather, road, and traffic conditions
• Keep both eyes on the road
• Avoid distracted driving

Sixth Annual "Allstate America's Best Drivers Report™" Reveals New Safest Driving City, Allstate, September 22, 2010

Download the Report (PDF)

Related Web Resources:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

70 Rules of Defensive Driving, Roadtrip America

Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Maryland Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog

Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

Continue reading " Washington DC and Baltimore Motorists Rank at Bottom of Allstate’s List of Best Drivers Report " »