Drunk Driver Kills Another in Head-On Crash Near La Plata and Waldorf

           A 20 year old volunteer firefighter was killed in a devastating head-on collision last night on Route 425 near Tim’s Lane in La Plata, Maryland.  According to Police, alcohol was a factor in the accident for the other driver.  The victim had been a member of the Nanjemoy Volunteer Fire Department for the last five years.

            After investigating the accident, Police determined that a Chevrolet Silverado truck driven by a 23 year old man was heading north on Route 425, but was not driving in a straight line nor staying in a single lane.  As the victim was driving south on Route 425, the truck collided head-on into the victim’s car.  As a result, the victim’s car was thrown off the road into a field, while the truck stayed on the roadway.  The victim died at the scene and the truck driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries. 

            According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), current data shows there have been 141 drunk driving fatalities in Maryland, which is actually down 13.5% from the prior year.  Last year, legislators strengthened the interlock device laws requiring their use by anyone convicted of drunk driving with a child passenger in the car.  MADD hopes that in 2015, the legislators pass a law requiring ignition interlock devices be used by all drivers who are convicted of drinking and driving with a blood alcohol concentration of at least 0.08.

            Drunk driving fatalities are one of the most preventable types of deadly accidents that occur on the roadways.  A driver avoids this problem by simply not driving if he or she has been drinking alcohol.  There are so many alternative methods of transportation nowadays so that people should never feel the need to have to drive themselves home after drinking.

If you or a family member has been injured or killed by a drunk driver in Maryland and would like a free legal consultation or if you would like more information on personal injury cases please feel free to contact our office at (301) 854-9000 and schedule an appointment at our office in Greenbelt or throughout Maryland, or visit us on the web at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Personal-Injury/

Yet Another Busy Weekend of Drunk Driving Accidents in Maryland

            A week ago we reported on the high number of Maryland drivers from over the weekend being arrested for driving under the influence as well as drunk driving crashes involving state vehicles.  This past weekend, more than 50 motorists were arrested for suspicion of drunk driving and a dozen accidents involving drunk drivers occurred throughout the state.  This marks the second straight weekend of numerous drivers across the state driving under the influence of alcohol.  Accidents occurred in Federalsburg, Waldorf, Jessup, La Plata, Vienna, Westminster, Ardmore, North East, Suitland, and Taylorsville.  Some crashes resulted in serious injury, while others resulted in minor injuries.  All those drunk drivers involved in the crashes were arrested and charged with DUI.

            This trend of several people deciding to drive drunk every weekend must stop.  It is not fair to put the lives of innocent people on the roads in danger.  Drivers must make smart decisions and call a taxi, Uber, or Lyft to get a ride home.  The types of crashes over the weekend ranged from single car accidents to multi-vehicle accidents to hit and run accidents to overturned vehicles.

             If you have been arrested for a DUI/DWI it is important that you consult an experienced Maryland DUI attorney immediately because DUI is a criminal offense and carries potentially severe penalties that could affect you for the rest of your life.  An experienced attorney can guide you through the court process and find any possible defenses that can either mitigate the penalties in the case, or in some instances, lead to an acquittal or dismissal.

             If you or a family member has been charged with DUI or DWI in Maryland and would like a free legal consultation or if you would like more information on DUI or DWI please feel free to contact our office at (301) 854-9000 and schedule an appointment at our office in Silver Spring or throughout Maryland, or visit us on the web at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Criminal-Defense/DWI-DUI/

Almost 80 Drunk Drivers Arrested Over the Weekend in Maryland

         Over the weekend, Maryland State Police arrested 77 drivers suspected of drunk driving.  Police had not increased drunk driving patrols like they sometimes do on weekends, so it is likely that several other drivers were driving under the influence and did not get caught.  The summer-like weather could be to blame for the increase in drunk drivers on Maryland roadways.  When the weather is warm, more people tend to go out and drink and then decide they are ok to drive home.  Three of the seventy-seven arrested were involved in separate accidents with state vehicles.

            Just outside Washington, D.C., a driver under the influence of a controlled substance crashed on the side of the beltway near the Wisconsin Avenue exit.  Also in that area, another drunk driver caused a crash wither several vehicles on I-270 and fled the scene.

            In Washington County, a man under the influence of alcohol crashed his ATV into a police car parked in a driveway.

            In Montgomery County, a Maryland State Trooper pulled over a driver under the influence of alcohol with the assistance of another trooper.  During that arrest, another drunk driver crashed his vehicle into the trooper’s car.  Luckily, no major injuries were reported.

            Finally, another drunk driver went off the road and hit a State Highway Administration truck with all of its emergency lights on.  This accident caused a fire and the SHA worker was struck in the collision.  Luckily, his injuries were not serious and medical treatment was refused.

            Portner & Shure wants to remind drivers again to not drink and drive.  No reason to put your own life and the lives of others at risk of serious injury or death.  With warmer weather here to stay, drivers need to remember to make smart decisions and call a taxi, Uber, or Lyft if you have been drinking.

             If you have been arrested for a DUI/DWI it is important that you consult an experienced Maryland DUI attorney immediately because DUI is a criminal offense and carries potentially severe penalties.  An experienced attorney can guide you through the court process and find any possible defenses that can either mitigate the penalties in the case, or in some instances, lead to an acquittal or dismissal. 

             If you or a family member has been charged with DUI or DWI in Maryland and would like a free legal consultation or if you would like more information on DUI or DWI please feel free to contact our office at (301) 854-9000 and schedule an appointment at our office in Columbia or throughout Maryland, or visit us on the web at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Criminal-Defense/DWI-DUI/

Maryland State Police in Gaithersburg Increase DUI Enforcement

           Police officers throughout Montgomery County have significantly increased DUI patrols in recent weeks. In what they are calling a “concentrated DUI blitz,” police are trying to keep the roads safe for drivers and free of drunk drivers.  So far in 2015, six people have died in car accidents in Montgomery County, and two of these were alcohol-related.  The Maryland State Police Impaired Driving Enforcement team has arrested about 1,200 drunk drivers since last May, and when calculating the average blood alcohol concentration in all of these cases, drivers had 0.13 percent alcohol in their system, which is significantly higher than the legal limit of 0.08.

            Montgomery County Police Sergeant Jason Cokinos said that, “approximately one-third of our collisions involve alcohol.”  Police are worried that as the weather continues to warm up, more drivers are on the roads and some of them are driving under the influence of alcohol.  Montgomery County police and the Maryland State Police will be setting up road blocks for DUI enforcement at high-traffic areas and areas where police believe drunk driving is a problem.  One of the reasons why police are going through such measures for DUI enforcement is to make sure something like the deadly accident last summer does not happen again.  In that accident, a 15 year old was killed after his 17 year old friend, who was believed to be under the influence of alcohol, crashed into a tree.

April is alcohol awareness month, which is just one more reason for people to consider the real dangers of driving drunk.  Recently, a bill was introduced to combat aggressive drunk driving in Maryland. Maryland’s Senate overwhelmingly passed this legislation (46-0) that would allow a victim injured in a drunk driving accident to recover punitive damages from the drunk driver.  A hearing on the bill occurred in Maryland’s House on April 1^st.  Currently, the bill is pending in the House Judiciary Committee.  Legislators, and now police, are trying to do their part to combat the issue of drunk driving in Maryland.

If you or someone you love has been injured or killed in a Maryland accident caused by a drunk driver and would like more information, please call us at (301) 854-9000 to schedule an appointment for a free case evaluation at our Gaithersburg office or one of our other satellite offices located throughout Maryland or visit us online at: http://www.portnerandshure.com/Auto-Accidents/Car-Accidents/Fatal-Car-Accidents.shtml .