Elderly-Related Traffic Accidents
Aging is a natural part of life and few of us can avoid the gradual, yet inevitable loss of physical and mental abilities that occur through the normal course of growing older. Unquestionably, many thousands of motorists face the reduced capabilities and limitations that result from the process of aging, any one of which can also greatly affect one’s ability to safely control a motor vehicle. As skilled personal injury lawyers, the attorneys at the law offices of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, understand the legal aspects of age-related automobile collisions.
Traffic accidents involving elderly drivers are a common occurrence here in Maryland where elderly motorists sometimes cause injury or death to pedestrians, bicycle riders, other drivers and passengers, and even to themselves. As in many areas of the country, there is an ever-increasing segment of the driving population that may arguably be getting too old to safely operate a motor vehicle. Either through physical frailty or compromised mental state, older people and senior citizens can be a legitimate source of injuries on our public roadways.
According to the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA), the number of motorists aged 70 or older is expected to double in less than 10 years. And we can expect the current number to triple in just 15 short years from now. For automobile and commercial trucking accident attorneys, Lebowitz & Mzhen is prepared to help those innocent victims of traffic wrecks resulting from the actions of an elderly driver.
Although the state of Maryland has legal restrictions on young and relatively inexperienced teenage drivers, there has been little done in the area of restricting the driving activities of those older motorists who have a greater propensity toward being involved in or directly causing interstate or beltway-related car and truck crashes. This is despite the evidence that, as a group, elderly drivers are more apt to cause a traffic collision due to declining physical skills, poor vision and reduced reaction time, not to mention diminished mental acuity.
The types of accidents that can result from the negligence or inattention of an older driver include rear-end crashes, T-bone incidents at intersections, side-swipe collisions when changing lanes without checking for nearby traffic, and other impacts both minor and serious. While aged drivers, just like any motorist, can be either the victim or the cause of a bad roadway wreck, statistics out of the Maryland MVA show that the majority of drivers over 55 are actually the at-fault party when it comes to beltway and in-town accidents.
Although Maryland law provides for a police officer, doctor, court or family member to refer older drivers to the state’s medical advisory board should the subject’s driving abilities prove questionable, many times the first overt evidence of some kind of impairment is an actual accident resulting from the elderly individual’s failure to control his or her vehicle adequately. As Baltimore personal injury attorneys, the lawyers at the law offices of Lebowitz & Mzhen are prepared to assist the victims of automobile accidents caused by older drivers.
As skilled trial lawyers trained in the area of personal injury law, we know that automobile insurance companies are now much less inclined to pay fair value for a bodily injury or wrongful death auto accident case. With years of courtroom experience, our legal team is committed to fighting for the maximum value for your case, whether it was caused by an elderly motorist, a younger negligent driver or any other individual who carelessly or recklessly operates a motor vehicle.
When a car, truck or motorcycle crash is caused by the negligence of another individual, it is important to examine the facts and prepare a case with the full intent to go to trial. This is critical no matter if the accident was caused by an older driver’s inability to operate his or her car safely, or if a person died needlessly due to the negligence of an aggressive or thoughtless individual.
As Maryland personal injury lawyers, Lebowitz & Mzhen is dedicated to helping auto accident victims and their families. For those who have been hurt or killed as a result of a negligent driver, we recommend that the victim or his family consult with a skilled personal injury attorney to better understand their rights to compensation under the law. Anyone who has been involved in an injury-related car, truck or motorcycle wreck should seriously consider retaining a competent legal professional to represent them in a court of law.
At Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, preparing a strong legal argument against a negligent part y or parties is one of the keys to a successful injury case. While not every auto injury or wrongful death case goes to trial, being well prepared can sometimes result in an out-of-court settlement, which may spare the victim and his family a lengthy and sometimes drawn out litigation.
If you know someone who has been hurt in a car, commercial truck or motorcycle collision, we highly recommend that they speak with skilled personal injury attorneys with years of experience under their belt. Our traffic accident injury lawyers are ready to discuss your auto or trucking-related injury case so that you can be more informed before deciding to file a personal injury lawsuit against another person or company. Please call at our toll-free number — (800) 654-1949 — or contact Jack Lebowitz or Vadim Mzhen by email to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation.