Pedestrian Accident

DC Injury Lawsuit Filed Against FBI Employee Over Hit-and-Run Car Accident

April 6, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Two Voice of America journalists have filed a Washington DC personal injury case against Joy Ellen Mullinax, who is an FBI employee. They claim that she struck them during a hit-and-run accident on March 23. The plaintiffs, William Greenback and Thomas Bagnall, are each seeking $1 million.

According to the men, on the morning of March 23, Mullinax pulled up behind them as Bagnall was unloading equipment from their SUV that was outside the National Press Club. Greenback was sitting in the driver’s seat.

In their DC car accident complaint, they claim that Mullinax yelled and blew her horn. When Bagnall told her to drive around them, she allegedly accelerated her vehicle, striking Bagnall. Greenback then got out of the SUV and yelled at her to stop. Mullinax allegedly moved her car toward Greenback, pinning him between her car and another vehicle, stepped on the gas again, and hit him with her auto. This caused him to land on the roof of her auto.

Street Smart Program Aims to Prevent Washington DC Pedestrian and Bicycle Accidents

March 30, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

DC officials are kicking off their Street Smart campaign this spring to combat last year’s increase in pedestrian and bicycle crashes. Last year there were 83 cyclist and pedestrian fatalities in the Washington region—a 9% rise from the year before. This year, at least four people have died in DC pedestrian accidents.

More DC pedestrian and cyclists facts as reported in The Washington Post:

• There were 436 DC bicycle accidents in 2010.
• The number of bicyclists and pedestrians hit last year was 25% higher than in 2009.
• Ambulances answered 1,299 pedestrian collisions calls in 2010.
• 16 of the DC traffic fatalities were bicyclists or pedestrians.
• The intersection of Howard Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE saw the most number of DC pedestrian accidents—13—with 1 of the victims dying.
• The intersection of New York Avenue and North Capitol Street saw 12 Washington DC pedestrian accidents.

• 11 Washington DC pedestrian injuries were sustained at the Seventh and H streets NW intersection and the H and North Capitol streets N.

Most DC pedestrian accidents take place at intersections when an auto is turning and a person is crossing the street while the “walk” sign is activated. Unfortunately, even if a pedestrian has the right of way, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the driver has seen him/her.

Pedestrians and bicyclists have little in the way of protection during a DC traffic crash, and the injuries are usually catastrophic. Spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, head trauma, severed limbs, and organ damage can be costly to treat and recover from. Some injuries are permanent.

Our Washington DC pedestrian and bicycle crash lawyers are familiar with the serious injuries can result. For years, we have helped many victims and their families prove liability and obtain the financial recovery that they are owed.

Hopefully, the Street Smart campaign will bring the DC cyclist and pedestrian injury toll down. In addition to new ads, the campaign will include heightened efforts by police to ticket drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians who don’t follow traffic laws.

Campaign to protect pedestrians, cyclists as number of crashes in the District rises, The Washington Post, March 30, 2011
Related Web Resources:

District Department of Transportation

Street Smart

More Blog Posts:
71-Year-Old Dies in Hit-and-Run Washington DC Pedestrian Accident, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, November 18, 2010
Washington DC Pedestrian Accidents At Higher Risk of Occurring After Daylight Saving Time Ends, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, November 5, 2010
68-Year-old Mount Pleasant Woman Killed in Bicycle Accident with DC Guard Truck, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, April 20, 2010

DC Cop Injured While Investigating Fatal Hit-and-Run Accident on Key Bridge

February 28, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A DC cop was rushed to the hospital early today after a car on the Key Bridge hit him. At the time, the police officer was investigating a fatal hit-and-run accident. The victim of that DC traffic crash was a pedestrian with a moped. He was hit by an SUV that then fled the scene. The alleged hit-and-run driver was apprehended on Interstate 270.

DC pedestrian accidents usually result in serious injuries. Traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, internal injuries, and spinal cord injuries can result from the impact of a motor vehicle striking a human body.

Drivers involved in any traffic crash are required to stop at the scene. If someone else was injured, then the driver should call for help.

Hit-and-run driving is against the law. It can also result in deaths of injury victims who may otherwise have survived if only 911 had been contacted right away.

Police officers or any other worker who is injured during a DC pedestrian accident while doing his/her job may have grounds for filing a DC personal injury lawsuit against the negligent motorist. Most employees cannot sue their employers for injuries sustained on the job. This, however, should not prevent them from filing third party lawsuits if other parties involved caused their injury accident.

Serious pedestrian injuries may require surgery, physical therapy, prescription medication, nursing care, and/or rehabilitation and the bills can mount. Our Washington DC personal injury law firm is here to help pedestrians obtain financial recovery for their traffic crash injuries from al liable parties.

D.C. Officer Struck By Car While Investigating Accident on Key Bridge, Policelink.monster.com, February 28, 2011
Related Web Resources:

Metropolitan Police Department

Pedestrian Accidents, Justia
Related Web Resources:
71-Year-Old Dies in Hit-and-Run Washington DC Pedestrian Accident, Washington DC Injury Lawyer, November 18, 2010
Washington DC Pedestrian Accidents At Higher Risk of Occurring After Daylight Saving Time Ends, Washington DC Injury Lawyer, November 5, 2010
Washington DC Pedestrian Accident Involving Alleged Drunk Driver Claims the Life of 26-Year-old Johns Hopkins University Graduate Student, Washington DC Injury Lawyer, September 15, 2010

Preventing Red-Light Running Decreases Washington DC Car Accidents, Says Police Chief

February 23, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

According to the Washington Post, one of the reasons that more red-light cameras are being installed in the Washington region is that per a new Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study, between 2004 and 2008 they helped the number of DC traffic deaths at intersections go down by 26%.

Red-light cameras catch drivers crossing intersections when the light is red by taking a picture of them committing the act. Although some people have complained that the cameras are a tool for raising revenue—these cameras generated $7.2 million in revenue in 2000, under $5 million in 2005, and $7.2 million in D.C. in 2009— stopping people from driving across the street when the light is red can save lives. D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier told the Washington Post changing driver behavior is the goal. She says that traffic deaths in the District went down 50% in four years.

DC Car Crashes

According to a survey conducted last year by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, although 93% of drivers reported that they believe that if a motorist can stop safely to obey a red light then it isn’t acceptable to run one, 1/3rd of them admitted that they had done just that in the past 30 days. Regardless of whether or not you approve of red-light cameras, it is important to point out that running a red light at an intersection can prove catastrophic should a Washington DC auto accident occur.

Some reasons why people run red lights:
• Speeding
• Distracted driving
• Drunk driving
• Drugged driving

None of these reasons are good enough reasons to get involved in a DC car crash. Not only can injuries or deaths result but the negligent driver could end up in jail.

Use of red-light cameras in Washington area increases, Washington Post, February 23, 2011
Q&As: Red light cameras, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Related Web Resources:

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

District Department of Transportation

More Blog Posts:
Baltimore Automobile Accident News: Kent Island Father and Young Son Die in Rte 50 Car Crash, Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog, February 22, 2011
Baltimore Car Injury News: Reckless Driving Suspected Injury Accident in Anne Arundel County, Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog, February 20, 2011
Baltimore Car Accident News: Maryland Woman Dies; Other Injured in Charles County Traffic Collision, Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog, February 18, 2011

NHTSA Employs “Drunk Driving. Over The Limit. Under Arrest” and “No Refusal” Strategy to Combat Washington DC Car Accidents

December 14, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced this week that thousands of law enforcement agencies across the US will be combating drunk driving crashes during the holiday season through the annual “Drunk Driving. Over The Limit. Under Arrest” campaign. Some $7 million in advertising will run between December 15, 2010 and January 3, 2011 to promote the campaign.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 753 US drunk driver-related deaths in December 2009. In total for that year, there were 10,839 alcohol-related traffic fatalities with one of these deaths occurring every 48 minutes. 7,281 of the those who died were drivers with a BAC of .08 or greater. 2,891 of those who were killed were motor vehicle occupants. 667 were nonoccupants. Our Washington DC car crash lawyers have reported on these developments in the past.

In addition to the national holiday crackdown campaign, a number of states have adopted the “No Refusal” strategy, which lets law enforcement officers quickly get warrants for blood samples from suspected drunk drivers who exercise their right to not take a breathalyzer test. Secretary LaHood is encouraging other states to adopt this approach.

Beginning Friday in Washington DC, the Washington Regional Alcohol Program will offer free taxi rides (a $30 limit) to people who call 1-800-200-TAXI. Participants have to be age 21 or older and the free service is available between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. weekly.

With the holiday season underway, people are likely to find themselves attending social and celebratory gatherings were alcohol is being served. During this time of the year, the last thing that anyone wants to have happen is to suffer serious injuries or lose a loved one in a Washington DC car accident because someone was driving while drunk.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Announces Holiday Drunk Driving Crackdown, NHTSA, December 13, 2010
Holiday crackdown on drunk driving, The Washington Post, December 13, 2010
Related Web Resources:

Alcohol-Impaired Driving, NHTSA (PDF)

40 Million in U.S. Driving Drunk or Drugged, US News, December 9, 2010

Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

NHTSA Reports Increase in Drug Use Among Drivers Killed in US Traffic Crashes

November 30, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, post-mortem test results from between 2005 and 2009 reveal an increase in the level of drug involvement among drivers killed in US traffic crashes. This, however, the NHTSA is quick to qualify that this does not mean that the motorists tested were impaired at the time of death or that use of a drug caused the fatal collision.

Per NHTSA Data:
• 63% of the 21,798 drivers killed in 2009 were tested for drugs.
• 3,952 of these drivers tested positive for drugs.

• Over the last five years, US states have reported an increase in drug use among fatally injured drivers.

According to NHTSA Administrator David Strickland, this report is a warning that too many motorists in the US are driving with drugs in their system and not realizing that this is causing them to become a danger to themselves and others. The data is part of the traffic safety agency’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Our Washington DC injury lawyers want to remind you that if you or someone you love was injured in a car crash by a motorist who was under the influence of drugs or driving while drunk, you may have grounds for a civil case.

Drugged driving is dangerous driving. It doesn’t matter whether the driver is on medication prescribed by a doctor or taking an illegal drug. Depending on the type of drug used and the corresponding side effects, drugged driving can modify a motorist’s perception, attention, cognition, coordination, balance, and reaction time, which are all faculties that affect a driver’s ability to drive safely.

Unlike with alcohol, there is inadequate current technology for determining drug levels and the impairment that can result. There is also no legal limit to serve as a marker for when someone is considered legally impaired and under the influence of drugs. Different US states, however, have passed their own laws and programs for trying to determine whether someone is engaged in drugged driving.

Report is First Ever Analysis of Drug Involvement Among Deceased Drivers in Fatal Crashes, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, November 30, 2010

Read the Report (PDF)

Related Web Resources:
What is Drugged Driving?, National Institute on Drugged Driving

Stop Drugged Driving

Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Maryland Motorcycle Accident Attorney Blog

71-Year-Old Dies in Hit-and-Run Washington DC Pedestrian Accident

November 18, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Police have charged Michael Glover with negligent homicide in the Washington DC pedestrian accident death of Duffie Claridy, a 71-year-old man who went for a walk but failed to return to his Southeast home.

Claridy, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, was found by the authorities on the 2900 block of South Capitol Street SW at almost 1 am on November 8.The elderly pedestrian had been fatally struck by a car that did not stop at the Washington DC traffic crash site.

To “hit and run” is against the law. A DC car accident victim or an injured pedestrian who might otherwise have been saved if medical help had been called right away could end up dying because a motorist involved opted to flee the crash site rather than call the police and/or an ambulance.

Elderly Pedestrians

According to the US Department of Transportation, the chances of dying from injuries sustained during a pedestrian accident goes up with the older the victim. Senior pedestrians, ages 65 and above, have a two to eight times greater chance of dying than do younger pedestrians. In 1994, 15% of pedestrians in the senior age group who were struck by a car died from his/her injuries—that’s 1,249 senior pedestrians. 6,850 elderly pedestrians sustained injuries.

Washington DC Wrongful Death

Losing someone you love is never easy—especially if in an accident or under other circumstances that could have been prevented were it not for the other party’s negligence or carelessness.

Michael Glover charged in the death of Duffie Claridy in Washington, DC, Oye Times, November 13, 2010
Police say man charged with in hit-and-run death of SE Washington resident, The Washington Post, November 12, 2010
Focusing on Senior Pedestrians, US DOT
Related Web Resources:
Elderly Pedestrians, WalkingInfo.org

District of Columbia DMV

Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Pedestrian Accidents, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog

Washington DC Pedestrian Accidents At Higher Risk of Occurring After Daylight Saving Time Ends

November 5, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there is a higher risk of pedestrian accidents occurring after Daylight Saving Time has ended. Daylight Saving Time will be over for the year on Sunday and clocks will be turned back one hour.

Adjusting to the new low-light environment can take time, and NHTSA is warning motorists and pedestrians to exercise more caution so as prevent pedestrian accidents from happening.

For motorists, NHTSA is recommending that you:
• Make sure your windows, windshield, and mirrors are clean and free of frost or fog.
• Slow down.

• Don’t assume that a pedestrian knows that you are there.

NHTSA is recommending that pedestrians:
• Look before crossing the street—even if the traffic light indicates that you can go ahead and you are at a pedestrian crosswalk.
• Avoid crossing between parked vehicles.
• Avoid jaywalking.
• Walk on sidewalks.
• Face traffic when walking on the street.

• Do not assume that a motorist can sees you.

Of 4,092 people killed in US pedestrian accidents last year, 25% died between 4pm and 8pm when there was less light out. 13% of the pedestrian fatalities took place between 4am and 8am.

Our Washington DC pedestrian accident lawyers know that it can be tough to recover from injuries sustained in a traffic crash. Also, medical costs and recovery expenses can take their financial toll. There may be a negligent motorist or another party who should be held liable for your DC personal injury or a loved one’s wrongful death.

Consumer Advisory: As Daylight Saving Time Ends, NHTSA Cautions Drivers on Increased Pedestrian Risk, NHTSA, November 5, 2010
Car Accidents with Pedestrians, Nolo
Related Web Resources:

DC Pedestrian

Q&As: Pedestrians, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Maryland Accident Law Blog

Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

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

September 15, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

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

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

September 8, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

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