Maryland Injury Attorney Blog

December 3, 2021

Is Allowing 18-Year-Olds to Train as Interstate Commercial Truck Drivers a Good Idea?

We’ve all seen the empty store shelves — everything from food to toys to health care items to, in some cases, toilet paper (again). And we’ve all heard the stories about global supply chain issues, a complex problem with many moving (and, not moving) parts. Part of the problem in the U.S. is we don’t have enough long-haul commercial truck drivers to meet the demand. As drivers of the Baby Boom generation are retiring, fewer younger drivers are stepping up to fill those vacancies.

Until now, the minimum age to obtain an interstate commercial driver’s license (CDL) was 21. But with President Biden’s massive $1 trillion infrastructure bill signed into law last month, a new provision will give younger, teenage drivers a shot at getting their interstate truck driving licenses.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is behind a pilot apprenticeship program that will allow trucking companies to hire and train interstate commercial truck drivers as young as 18 years old. Proponents of the program say it will help replace the aging generation of long-haul truckers, and get freight stuck in supply chain limbo moving again. Opponents point to data that says teenage drivers are four times as likely to be involved in traffic crashes (due to lack of experience and poor judgment), and they fear more deadly truck accidents on our nation’s highways.

October 29, 2021

Top Cause of Maryland Traffic Accidents? You Guessed It: Distracted Driving

by Jeff Butschky

Maryland’s cell phone laws prohibit the use of hand-held cellphones and texting while driving. Despite these strict laws, we still see plenty of people talking on their phones and texting while driving. And that’s not all. Distracted driving includes anything taking the driver’s attention off the road, including eating; reading a book or newspaper; adjusting onboard infotainment systems; shaving, putting on makeup, and other act of personal grooming; attending to pets and children; and a host of other distracting activities.

Today’s modern vehicles have all the comforts and conveniences of home and office. Unfortunately, all these distractions can lead to auto accidents that could have been prevented.

Zero Deaths Maryland reports 115,916 Maryland traffic accidents in 2019, with 32,918 injury crashes and 48,656 people injured in those accidents. The group also reported 82,503 property damage crashes in 2019. With all the ways drivers can be distracted in their automobiles, it’s no surprise to learn that distracted driving is among the top causes of auto accidents in Maryland. While not the sole cause of accidents with injury and death on our roadways, distracted driving is at the top. The latest data from Zero Deaths Maryland shows…

September 23, 2021

Auto Accident Deaths Rise During COVID-19 Pandemic, Despite People Driving Less

by Jeff Butschky

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that despite people driving less during the COVID-19 pandemic, motor vehicle accident fatalities have actually increased.

NHTSA estimates for 2020 show that 38,680 people died in U.S. motor vehicle traffic crashes — the largest projected number of fatalities since 2007. This figure represents an increase of about 7.2 percent over the 36,096 crash fatalities reported in 2019.

This rise in traffic accident deaths is in contrast to the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) report that overall vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in 2020 decreased by about 13.2 percent, compared to miles traveled in 2019. The decrease in driving during the 2020 coronavirus crisis can be attributed to a number of factors, including…

July 13, 2021

Maryland Auto Accident Injury Insurance Claims Still Moving Slow Due to COVID-19

by Jeff Butschky

In late May, we reported on how the Maryland courts have continued to move through their phased reopening plan. The good news is during Phase V, the courts have resumed full operations (with some social distancing and public health safety measures still in place), including jury trials — many of which had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The not-so-great news is despite the Maryland courts’ efforts to get back to business as usual (which can move at a glacial pace), insurance claims continue to be backlogged. This can be a source of great frustration for Marylanders with auto accident injury claims. Being injured due to another driver’s negligence or recklessness is bad enough. Waiting for insurance claims to be processed and badly needed compensation payments to be made just adds insult to injury.

This is one more reason why we urge anyone with a motor vehicle accident claim to consult with an experienced Maryland injury attorney who knows how to deal with the insurance companies. The current backlog of insurance claims is due to a number of factors….

May 28, 2021

Maryland Courts Entering Next Phase of COVID-19 Emergency Operations

by Jeff Butschky

Despite the many challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis during the past year plus, we have worked hard to keep our clients’ personal injury cases and Maryland Worker’s Compensation claims moving forward. The Law Offices of Butschky and Butschky have been advocating for our clients throughout the pandemic, following every public safety order issued by Governor Larry Hogan’s office, while fighting just as hard as ever for our clients’ rights.

Now, the Maryland Courts are getting back to business as they resume Phase V of emergency operations, including jury trials. These changes, which began April 26, 2021, have a direct impact on our clients’ Maryland personal injury cases as well as Work Comp claims….

March 29, 2021

3 Things You Need to Know About Maryland COVID-19 Workers’ Compensation Claims

by Jeff Butschky

We are now more than a year into the coronavirus pandemic. Little did we know last year at this time how all of our lives would be severely impacted. Our thoughts go out to anyone who has lost someone due to the virus. Nationally, while COVID-19 cases have been on the decline or leveling off in recent weeks, the virus is by no means done with us. Our Baltimore personal injury law firm continues to see clients whose lives have been turned upside by this deadly virus.

If you believe you were exposed to COVID-19 at work and became ill, you might assume you’d be covered by Maryland Workers’ Compensation — as is the case with other workplace illnesses and injuries. Unfortunately, COVID-19 work comp cases are far more complicated that you might think.

December 17, 2020

New Maryland Motor Vehicle Laws for 2020 Now in Effect

by Jeff Butschky

Several new Maryland motor vehicle laws went into effect on October 1, 2020 — on issues ranging from motor vehicle insurance coverage to license plate border violations, to electronic sales of motor vehicles, and emissions law exceptions for active duty military personnel.

The Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MDOT MVA) reports of the 300 bills it monitored in the 2020 Maryland General Assembly session, 35 have a direct impact on the department, its customers, transportation-related issues, and potentially—your driving. Here are a few of the new Maryland traffic laws now in effect.

October 29, 2020

Maryland Workers’ Compensation Claims and COVID-19

by Jeff Butschky

The Workers Compensation Insurance Organizations (WCIO) now lists COVID-19 among its reporting codes for Occupational Disease or Cumulative Injury, describing it as “respiratory disease caused by a coronavirus.” The Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission (WCC) began accepting these codes on April 1, 2020, to be used for reporting any claim effective December 2019 or later.

Filing a successful Maryland Workers’ Compensation claim proving employer liability for injury or illness can be very challenging. Proving employer liability for a worker becoming ill in Maryland from COVID-19 — in the middle of a pandemic in a state with community spread — is not necessarily an open-and-shut case.

August 13, 2020

Maryland Lawyers Cope with Continued Court Restrictions During COVID-19 Crisis

by Jeff Butschky

The last few months have been difficult and challenging for all of us, to say the least. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, our Maryland law firm has remained open as an essential service. We’ve continued to communicate with and advocate for our personal injury clients. After all, it’s our job to keep their cases and claims moving forward in the courts, despite court building closures that started in March and other severe restrictions.

As we blogged about back in May, the Maryland Judiciary proposed a phased reopening plan for the state courts system, with limited services and safety measures in place to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Phase 2 of the plan began June 5, with courts remaining closed to the public except for those whose cases needed to be heard.

Most recently, on July 20, the courts entered Phase 3 of the reopening plan, making a few more services available to the public with many restrictions still in place. Here’s how it breaks down for our Maryland accident injury clients and anyone else in Maryland needing the services provided by our courts system.

June 29, 2020

Maryland Motorists: Are Your Driving Skills Rusty Due to COVID-19 Isolation?

by Jeff Butschky

Many residents of Maryland kept their cars in park the last few months, due to statewide shutdowns of businesses and schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that restrictions are being lifted as the state slowly gets back to business, some motorists may find their driving skills have become rusty.

If you’re one of those Maryland drivers who’s feeling a little out of sorts behind the wheel, you’re not alone. The last few months of coronovirus restrictions saw a vast reduction in daily commutes and road travel. Now, with Maryland businesses reopening and people moving about more freely, drivers getting back behind the wheel may fall into old, bad driving habits. This, combined with sharing the road with new teenage drivers, could lead to increased motor vehicle accidents this summer.

What’s worse? A majority of motorists admit to knowing dangerous driving habits are wrong, but too many engage in them anyway. The AAA Foundation has released its findings from a national survey on the top dangerous driving offenses for 2019. To learn more about those—and the percentage of motorists admitting to them—read on….
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