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No matter the circumstances, getting into a car accident is a frightening and sometimes traumatic experience. This fear can multiply tenfold for pregnant women concerned not only for their own health but for the health and well-being of their baby.

Our law firm has represented many mothers-to-be injured in car accidents in Maryland and Washington, D.C.  There is typically no severe injury to the mother in most car crashes, and the mother’s injuries rarely meaningfully impact the unborn baby. But there are several more severe injuries pregnant women can suffer from a car crash. 

What Are the Four Major Risks to the Fetus from a Car Accident?

A car accident can pose a significant risk to a fetus. The sudden impact and rapid movements in a car accident can cause serious harm to a developing fetus.  

  • Miscarriage: The force of the impact and sudden movements can cause a woman to miscarry, losing the pregnancy.
  • Preterm labor: The stress and trauma of the accident can induce labor, leading to a premature birth.
  • Placental abruption: A sudden and severe impact can cause the placenta to separate from the uterus, cutting off the fetus’s supply of oxygen and nutrients.
  • Umbilical cord compression: The rapid movements in a car accident can cause the umbilical cord to become compressed, potentially reducing the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus.
  • Fetal injury: The force of the impact can cause injury to the fetus, including skull fractures, brain damage, and broken bones.

What Is the Greatest Fear After a Car Accident While Pregnant?

One of the most severe injuries that can occur is placental abruption. This is a condition in which the placenta partially or completely separates from the uterus before the baby is born, which disrupts the baby’s supply of oxygen and nutrients.

According to a study by the American Journal of Epidemiology, placental abruption causes the mortality rate to increase 12-fold. This spike in the mortality rate is due largely to the correlation between placental abruption and early delivery. A car accident is a significant cause of placental abruptions. At least one study has suggested that broadside car accidents cause the greatest risk of placental abruption.

A placental abruption can lead to internal bleeding, hemorrhaging, premature labor, and miscarriage. What’s even more concerning is that sometimes, there aren’t necessarily any noticeable symptoms of placental abruption immediately following the accident. It is potentially fatal to your baby and dangerous to your own health.

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Cconducting a direct examination of a wrongful death plaintiff in a personal injury case is a crucial part of presenting your case. Here are some general tips and advice for a successful direct examination, based on the information available:

  1. Prepare Thoroughly
    • Know your case inside and out. Familiarize yourself with all the evidence, documents, and witness statements related to the wrongful death claim.
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In the context of auto accident insurance claims, the acronym SIU refers to “Special Investigation Unit.” All the big auto insurance companies have an SIU of some type. The primary purpose of these investigation teams is to uncover fraudulent claims activity in auto accident cases.

The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) is a specialized division within insurance companies tasked with investigating claims that may involve fraud, misrepresentation, or other irregularities. Their primary responsibility is to protect the insurer’s interests by conducting in-depth investigations.

The role of the SIU is to identify and investigate claims that may be fraudulent or otherwise merit further examination. This can include claims that involve unusual circumstances, excessive or unrealistic damages, or inconsistencies in the documentation or evidence provided by the claimant.

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Brake checking is when a driver abruptly and intentionally applies their brakes, often without any reason, with the intent of causing the following vehicle to collide with them, or more likely, put them in fear of colliding with them.  Brake checking is both illegal and stupid and can lead to rear-end collisions, property damage, injuries, and even fatalities.

The other rise with brake checking is that it is arguably intentional in most cases, not negligent.  So your car insurance can disclaim coverage because it is an intentional act, leaving the brake checker on the hook for all of the property damages and injuries in the crash.

What Is Break Checking?

Break checking is when a driver unnecessarily slams on their brakes very suddenly with the specific intention of forcing the driver behind them to stop suddenly in response. The key element that defines break-checking is intent. If you break with the specific intent of forcing the car behind you to respond, that would be considered break-checking.

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Tire regrooving is a service that intends to improve vehicle mileage, fuel efficiency, and traction. Truck drivers, construction workers, and farmers often regroove tires to cut costs. It allows them to maximize tire use, eliminating the need for new tires. Regrooving tires involves carving a tire’s grooves to restore tread depth and improve friction.

Car mechanics use either a handheld tool or a regrooving machine to do this. Tire regrooving is resurging because of increased fuel and tire manufacturing costs. But a regroove tire comes with real risks.  The result is sometimes a personal injury case that makes it to a courtroom.

How Do Regrooved or Retreaded Tires Work?

Regrooved tires, also known as retreaded tires, are tires that have had their worn-out treads removed and replaced with new tread material. This process extends the life of a tire, allowing it to be used again after it has been worn down.

Regrooving is typically performed on truck tires, as they are subjected to heavy loads and high mileage, making them expensive to replace. By retreading tires, a significant portion of the tire’s original structure is still intact, including the casing, belts, and sidewalls.

The process of regrooving involves removing the worn-out tread down to the tire’s base, which is then inspected for any damage. If the casing is in good condition, a new layer of tread material is applied to the tire and cured, usually through a combination of heat and pressure. The finished product is then ready to be used again, providing a cost-effective alternative to buying a new tire.

What federal laws cover tire regrooving?

Tire regrooving is subject to federal regulations.  Specifically, 49 CFR Section 569.3(c) defines a “regroovable tire” as tires that are “designed, and constructed with sufficient material to permit renewal of the tread pattern.” This means tires can only be legally regrooved if they have enough rubber to maintain its original tread pattern. Non-commercial vehicle tires are not regroovable because they are too thin to preserve its tread pattern.

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Maryland law requires drivers to maintain a safe distance when overtaking or passing a cyclist. The specific distance is not explicitly defined in Maryland’s traffic laws, but it generally states that a motor vehicle should leave a “safe and reasonable distance” when passing a cyclist.

Safe and Reasonable Distance

The concept of a “safe and reasonable distance” in traffic laws, such as Maryland’s requirement for passing cyclists, is intentionally somewhat flexible to accommodate a variety of real-world situations. What constitutes a “safe and reasonable distance” can depend on several factors:

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In insurance and Maryland car accident law, we often use terms interchangeably without truly understanding the definitions and meanings of the term.  People call us all the time and say they have full coverage so they assume they have a great insurance policy with tons of coverage. In many, cases, they don’t.

One term that misleads is “full coverage,” a term which is often misinterpreted as indicating that someone has a large of full amount of auto insurance coverage when it actually means quite the opposite in most contexts.

Full Coverage Insurance

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According to a Jury Verdict Research study released this month, the average jury award for finger and hand injuries is $629,382. This data for fractures, crush injuries, and nerve damage to fingers and hands is based on a review of jury verdicts in the United States over the last 10 years.

This average finger and hand injury verdict is a bit misleading because the data included a $20,000,000 verdict and other verdicts which completely distort the average verdict.

What does give more context?  Median verdict data.  The median verdict for hand and finger lawsuit verdicts, which, by definition, eliminates both high verdicts and the low verdicts, was $73,250. About a third of these injuries occurred in car, truck, and motorcycle accidents.

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Our Baltimore car accident lawyers are all too familiar with the most dangerous intersections in Baltimore. Baltimore City is one of the most densely populated areas in Maryland so it has lots of cars on the road at the same time. Baltimore is also an old city, so many of the streets are narrow and many of the intersections are difficult and confusing. As a direct result of these factors, Baltimore City has one of the highest per-driver accident rates of any jurisdiction in Maryland.

RELATED CONTENT:

Most Dangerous Intersections in Glen Burnie

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Most people injured in a rear-end car accident in Maryland look for fair settlement value for their case. No one wants to get ripped off by an insurance company. These companies spend a lot of time training their insurance adjusters how to rip you off. So fair settlement value is not something that will be handed over to you easily. As I explain below, I think “fair settlement value” is the wrong lens to use when approaching the settlement of a rear-end accident case. But let’s start with this premise.

What Is a Fair Settlement Offer for a Rear-End Accident Case in Maryland?

On this page, we will try to give you an idea of what a fair settlement offer should be for a rear-end auto accident case. Rear-end accident cases are the most common type of vehicle collision, accounting for over 40% of all accidents. Not surprisingly, rear-end accidents also generate the greatest number of personal injury claims. Our Maryland auto accident lawyers have literally settled thousands of rear-end cases. We know these cases well. We have a solid understanding of what a fair settlement offer should look like.

The Value of a Rear-End Accident Case Depends on the Severity of Injury

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