Bethesda Personal Injury Lawyer
Located less than 30 minutes from Washington, D.C., Bethesda takes its name from a local historic church, the Bethesda Meeting House, originally built in 1820 and whose name derives from the Aramaic term, “beth hesda,” meaning “house of mercy.” Part of Montgomery County, Bethesda has more than 60,000 residents, though the area itself has no defined borders. Home to the main campus of the National Institutes of Health, as well as Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda is also host to a variety of corporate headquarters as well as the offices of various government agencies.
The area sits near the old Washington and Rockville Turnpike, which itself grew from a route used by Native Americans in much earlier times. The more modern roadway became a toll road and provided passage for 19th century tobacco commerce and movement of other commodities between the towns of Rockville and Georgetown, and as far north as Frederick, MD. The area that is now Bethesda was initially a much smaller settlement that grew up around a general store and a tollhouse along the original turnpike.
These days, Maryland’s Route 355 — which parallels Interstate 270 — is the main commercial thoroughfare running through Bethesda and going as far north as Frederick, about 40 minutes away. Known by various names at different points along the way — such as Rockville Pike, Wisconsin Avenue, North Frederick Road and Urbana Pike — Route 355 winds its way north through the Bethesda area and up into numerous other communities along the way.
With such a long reach, and being a well-traveled local roadway, Route 355 is constantly in the news with regard to any number of traffic-related accidents and roadway collisions. Because it is a surface street, with a multitude of intersections, access points and pedestrian crosswalks, it is not uncommon to run across stories referring to collisions between automobiles or commercial trucks and persons on foot or those riding bicycles.
With Bethesda’s large residential population, it is surprising that auto-pedestrian incidents do not happen with even more frequency than they do. In this regard, the law offices of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, have been helping victims of car, truck and motorcycle accidents for years. As experienced trial lawyers and skilled Maryland personal injury attorneys, we know how easily a traffic collision can occur in an area with a great deal of retail and commercial business activity.
For anyone who has lived in this area any length of time, there are often reports of a personal injury accident happening somewhere close by. In the Bethesda area, any number of roadway-related crashes have happened to those individuals who may be walking to or from a retail establishment or office building, or while riding a bicycle or jogging for exercise. In such cases, following a bad injury accident or a fatal traffic collision, the victim or his family may seek the advice of a Maryland personal injury or auto accident lawyer.
Automobile-Pedestrian Injury Accident Specialists
Pedestrian accidents are a fairly common occurrence in areas of high population, such as Bethesda and other Maryland cities and towns. At Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, we understand that anyone who chooses to walk to work, jog for health reasons, or ride a bike for fun and enjoyment takes on a certain amount of risk in doing so. Being aware of this risk doesn’t necessarily change the fact that even the most cautious pedestrian or bicyclist can find himself in the emergency room following a traffic-related collision.
Looking at statistics from 2009, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that, nationwide, more than 4,000 people died in fatal pedestrian accidents that year, having been struck by either a car or a truck, and sometimes even by a person riding a motorcycle. This tally of fatal accidents was eclipsed by the total number of pedestrian and bicycle injury accidents that same year, in which over 70,000 victims were hurt in a traffic-related crash.
Many accidents involving automobiles and persons on foot can be linked to distracted driving; in fact, this is the most common cause, according to safety experts, of automobile, commercial trucking and motorcycle roadway collisions. Often caused by a driver’s inattention to the road because of a cellphone conversation, texting, or simply adjusting the controls of a vehicle’s audio system, these types of crashes can be serious to fatal.
In some cases, negligent drivers who have caused an injury-related distracted driving accident were also found to have been eating fast food, applying makeup, and even reading a newspaper while operating their vehicle just before the roadway collision. The attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen are fully aware of the pain and suffering to which the victims of such accidents can be subjected. Anyone who is hurt as a result of another person’s mistake or outright negligence should contact a qualified Maryland personal injury lawyer to better understand their legal rights.
Bethesda Traffic Accident Experts
When considering the often sky-high medical costs involved when recovering from a serious car, motorcycle or trucking accident, it is critical to understand your legal rights if you decide to pursue a personal injury lawsuit. Because Maryland is an “at-fault” state, establishing the negligent driver’s responsibility for a bad traffic collision should be at the top of any victim’s list of things to do.
Sadly, being laid up in a hospital bed for days, weeks (or sometimes months) after a Bethesda automobile accident, many car crash victims are hardly in a position to focus on the finer points of Maryland’s legal statutes concerning auto accident claims and insurance law. As experienced personal injury attorneys, the legal team at Lebowitz & Mzhen, LLC, knows that recovering damages takes more than just the victim’s say-so; it usually requires evidence of negligence on the part of the motorist who was responsible for the crash.
One way to bolster one’s personal injury case against a negligent party is to prove that the other person was responsible for the accident in the eyes of the law. Furthermore, not only must the plaintiff in a personal injury case demonstrate to the court that the other motorist was at fault, the victim must also be prepared to show that his or her own actions did not contribute to the accident. This is very important, because if a Maryland court finds that a victim was in some way responsible for the accident in which he was injured — even if only to a very small degree — his personal injury case could be thrown out.
Following a Bethesda automobile or commercial truck collision, it is essential to get a copy of the accident report, typically written up by the police officer who responded to the scene of the crash. It is no secret that Maryland courts tend to place a great deal of weight on the observations and conclusions provided within a police report, such as which driver was negligent in the eyes of the responding officer. For this reason alone, it is important to secure a police accident report if you are considering filing a personal injury claim or lawsuit.
Obtaining a Bethesda, Maryland, Auto Accident Report
Since determination of fault is a key part of any personal injury case, having the relevant traffic accident report should be tops on your list of things to do (which should also include retaining a qualified legal expert). Significant monetary impact can result from being injured in a Maryland automobile or commercial trucking accident. Damages for a victim’s injuries should include ER costs, long-term hospital expenses, outpatient doctor visits, prescriptions related to the specific injuries, and rehabilitation, among others.
The previously mentioned medical costs, which can add up very quickly, should be included in a personal injury lawsuit. Large sums can hang in the balance based on the contents of the police officer’s accident report. To obtain a police report for a car, truck or motorcycle crash that took place in the Bethesda area, victims or their attorney should contact the particular Montgomery County Police District Station either by phone or in person.
When contacting a Police District Station, be sure to have your police report number handy, or bring it with you if going in person. Please note that it takes three to five days to process a request for a Bethesda police accident report, longer depending on how recent the accident occurred. Because of this, it is best to call ahead to ensure that the report is ready before going to the district police station. Each report is $10, payable by cash, check, credit card or money order.
Bethesda accident reports are also available from the Information Management and Technology Division of the Montgomery County Police Headquarters located at 100 Edison Park Drive in Gaithersburg. The Division is open Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:00pm. Again, it is important to call in advance (240-773-5330) to make sure that your report will be ready.
Keep in mind that police departments across Maryland require verification from any person requesting a police accident report that they are an involved party in the incident. Furthermore, under Maryland’s Public Information Act, certain information may be redacted from police reports before being issued to any individual, depending on the circumstances.
Retain a Skilled Bethesda, MD, Personal Injury Lawyer to Protect Your Rights
Proper case preparation is one of the keys to a successful lawsuit. Here at Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, we strive to prepare every injury suit as if it were going to trial, although in many instances simply being fully prepared for a trial can result in a pretrial settlement. As experienced trial attorneys, our primary goal is to achieve the best possible outcome for each of our clients. We accomplish this by understanding completely our clients’ circumstances, as well as the specifics of their injuries and the particulars of the accident that led to their condition.
Our expertise also extends to claims involving products liability and defective vehicle equipment; prescription errors and pharmacy misfills; medical malpractice and surgical errors; as well as injuries sustained by seniors in nursing homes and assisted care facilities. To schedule a free initial consultation, you can reach us by phone at (800) 654-1949.
Driving Directions
Our main offices are located in Owings Mills, Maryland, about 16 miles from Baltimore City. The offices of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, are at 10 Crossroads Drive, Suite 105, Owings Mills, MD, 21117. You may find us by taking the Jones Falls Expressway to Interstate 695 West. After merging onto I-695 West/ Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop towards Pikesville, go 4.4 miles and take the MD-140 North exit (Exit 20) toward Garrison. Turning right onto Reisterstown Road/MD-140 West, travel 1.3 miles to Crossroads Drive. Turn left onto Crossroads Drive and take the first next right onto Park Center Court. Make a left at the first available street into the parking lot that serves our offices. You will find us conveniently located on the first floor, Suite 105.