Baltimore Personal Injury Law Blog

A Maryland State Police trooper who fatally struck an elderly pedestrian last year is back on duty after an investigation into the crash. A state police spokesman said couldn't say whether the trooper has been found guilty of any policy violations, but confirmed that the state's attorney will not press any charges against him.

The 87-year-old pedestrian, who was a community fixture known for pushing a red lawnmower along St. Mary's County roads, was in the road when the state trooper hit him in a state-owned Jeep the night of Jan. 20, 2011. A state police crash investigation found that the trooper was driving 12 miles over the posted speed limit of 40 mph when he struck the elderly man and dragged him for 225 feet, crushing him underneath the car and the lawnmower.

Maryland State Police have stated that preliminary toxicology reports indicate that both drivers in a recent head-on accident were driving drunk. The drunk driving accident occurred on Route 50 during the early hours of Jan. 28.

The accident, which police are investigating, killed four people, including both drivers. One of the drivers -- a teenager and recent high school graduate -- had been driving a Chrysler Sebring the wrong way on the eastbound lane of Route 50 when her car slammed into a BMW driving east.

Last week we talked about accidents involving bicycle riders and the importance of sharing the road to avoid accidents. Now the family of a 20-year-old Baltimore man who was killed in a biking accident is pushing for tougher testing of drivers to avoid similar crashes.

The crash happened about a year ago while the man was riding in a bike lane. He was struck by an elderly driver and became trapped under the car. The driver stopped, but rather than call for help, she left her car running, got out and sat on a nearby wall. The man was declared brain dead and died several months later.

The plastic surgery industry is alive and well in Maryland and across the United States. The demand for firmer skin, a tighter tummy and fuller, more pouty lips is higher than ever, and it's not hard to find a surgeon willing to take years off your appearance for the right price. But what is the true price, and whom are you paying?

Because fewer cosmetic procedures are covered by insurance these days, more patients are paying out of pocket. This trend has lured more doctors from their original practices into plastic surgery, which can be much more lucrative. But with so many doctors doing surgeries in which they're inexperienced, the risk of medical malpractice is higher.

With an ever-increasing amount of interstate traffic through Maryland, 18-wheelers and other large trucks are everywhere on the state's highways. And with more vehicles come a higher potential for traffic accidents.

Truck accidents can be particularly damaging for a number of reasons. Cars and most other passenger vehicles are simply no match against an enormous tractor-trailer or tanker truck in a collision. It can also be much more difficult for large trucks to slow down and stop in traffic due to their sheer weight, which is why it's important for smaller-vehicle drivers to avoid cutting off trucks in traffic. They may not be able to avoid running into you if you pull in front of them and slow down abruptly.

Bicyclists who share the road with cars and other vehicles undergo risk every time they pedal out into the street. They are much less protected than motorists and therefore more prone to serious injury in the event of an accident. But that doesn't mean they don't have to right to travel safely. Maryland law says that drivers must treat bicycles like any other vehicle on the road, and leave at least 3 feet of space between a vehicle and a bike. Drivers should also reduce their speed when passing bicycles.

Unfortunately, accidents do happen. And when they do, motorists are expected to take the same actions as they would in a crash with another car: They should pull over safely and check in with the other person involved, making sure to render aid or call for help if necessary.

There's no question that pedestrians are some of the most vulnerable people on the road. Without so much as a helmet to protect them from cars skidding around in bad weather or distracted drivers, they can be injured in a car accident quickly and seriously if they don't see a vehicle approaching. Why wouldn't they? Perhaps because many of them are distracted themselves.

A new study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine has found that headphone-wearing pedestrians are the biggest road hazard facing drivers today. Serious injuries to pedestrians wearing headphones have more than tripled in the past six years. And because their music drowns out most train and car horns, pedestrians have died in almost three quarters of 116 accident cases over seven years.

What price would you pay to get in better physical shape without even trying? The cost of a pair of shoes? How about the cost of treatment for injuries you suffered from wearing those shoes?

You may have seen advertisements for Shape-Ups, which are special shoes made by Skechers that promise to tone muscles by changing the way you walk. The company's patented design features a rounded sole that forces you to use different muscles and firm them up. But some consumers are complaining that the shoe's design has caused serious injuries. One shoe buyer said she slightly twisted her ankle twice, then was hurt more severely, tearing tendons and ligaments in her left ankle.