Maryland Law Blog

Following the murder of a school principle in Washington, D.C., the effectiveness and procedures of the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) is under scrutiny. The three young men accused of the crime were arrested while under the supervision of DYRS. According to The Washington Post, the principle was targeted for robbery, and each of the three 18-year-old suspects had criminal backgrounds and had been committed to the city's youth services department for previous crimes.

With these arrests, seven people who had been under the care of DYRS have now been charged with homicide this year. Some believe these arrests should serve as examples that the service releases youth back into the communities too quickly, and they are urging the government to investigate DYRS.

However, officials declare that this view is somewhat skewed as reports neglect to indicate the positive statistics linked with the organization. Last year, 16 youths from the organization were enrolled in college. Officials also indicated that the abscondence rate for committed youth has declined from 26% in 2003 to the current rate of 8%.

Parents of juveniles facing criminal charges sometimes do not understand how the laws in Maryland and the District of Columbia can affect youths and what types of punishments can be imposed. If your child has been charged with a criminal offense, the experienced Washington, D.C. defense lawyers at Meng & Alpert, LLC can help you understand your rights and build a strong defense for your child’s case. Call today at 866-444-6363 for a free and comprehensive consultation.

The Maryland Court of Appeals will soon decide whether or not a general liability cap placed on the monetary damages awarded to the family of a young boy violates their equal protection principles. The case before the high court stems from the 2006 drowning death of a 5-year-old boy in a country club swimming pool. A Maryland jury awarded the boy's family $4 in the wrongful death case; however, the trial judge reduced the amount to approximately $1 million citing Maryland's non-economic damages cap in general personal injury cases.

According to American Medical News, the family had appealed the decision, but judges referred to a precedent finding that caps served a government purpose in continuing to ensure insurance is affordable and available. Representatives from the Maryland State Medical Society want to see the precedent stand. They believe that overturning the cap would not only go against decades of Maryland law, but it could also disrupt the medical liability law that helps keep doctors in practice.

Gene M. Ransom III, CEO of MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society, said, "The concern is, if [the high court] rules that caps are unconstitutional in this action, the next one down the road could be a medical malpractice case to go after the constitutionality of that cap.”

Maryland personal injury lawsuits, wrongful death or other, can be a lengthy, painful process. It can be difficult to decipher how much compensation you're entitled to receive and who's on your side. If you've been a victim of wrongful death, the experienced Maryland injury lawyers at Meng & Alpert, LLC will be on your side. We can help you understand your rights and will handle your case with sensitivity and efficiency. Call our experienced attorneys today at 866-444-6363 for a free consultation.

No motorist sharing the road with tractor-trailer drivers can make the trip entirely safe. However, there are safety tips that motorists can utilize to help avoid a collision with a large truck. Tractor-trailers can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds. Differences in visibility, maneuverability, and braking distances all make the rules for large trucks different than those for drivers of passenger cars. However, passenger car drivers can significantly increase their risk of a truck accident unless they follow a few simple rules for sharing the road safely.

1. Respect a truck’s blind spots. Trucks usually have large blind spots directly behind and in front of them, as well as on each side. Some trucks even post a diagram on the back of the trailer showing which zones to avoid. To maximize the chance a truck driver will see you, always stay where you can see the truck driver or the truck’s mirrors.


2. Do not brake suddenly in front of a truck. Trucks need considerably more space to stop than passenger vehicles. Always leave plenty of room between your car and a truck. If you are passing a truck, wait until you can see the truck’s entire front end in your mirrors before you move into the lane in front of the truck.


3. Never tailgate a truck. The back of most commercial tractor-trailers is so high that the hood of most passenger cars will pass beneath it. This deprives you of the safety provided by your car’s “crumple zones” and puts the point of impact on the windshield, directly in front of your face. Always leave plenty of space between your car and the truck in front of you. This space gives you room to stop and makes it easier for you to see upcoming hazards, as well as for the truck driver to see you.

Truck accidents occur every day on U.S. highways. Unfortunately, many prove fatal. If you or someone you love has been injured or killed in an accident with a large truck, please don’t hesitate to contact the experienced Washington DC accident attorneys at Meng & Alpert LLC. Our attorneys can fight to hold negligent parties accountable and get you the compensation you need to pay medical bills, compensate for lost wages, and much more. Call the personal injury lawyers of Meng & Alpert today at 866-444-6363 for a free and confidential case evaluation today.

Maryland ABC affiliate WJZ reported recently that a rash of Baltimore shootings is now under police investigation. In one incident on April 16, two men were shot and wounded. Both men were taken to Sinai Hospital, where one, who had been shot in the head, was pronounced dead upon arrival. The other, who suffered injuries to his back, remains in critical condition at Sinai.

Another shooting the same night resulted from a botched home invasion. Two men attempting to enter a home were confronted by the 23-year-old resident, who was shot in the incident. The 23-year-old was taken to Johns Hopkins, where he was pronounced dead. Police have made one arrest in that Maryland violent crime case.

Later that same night, a 30-year-old man was shot during an argument outside a liquor store. The shooter remains at large, while the victim is expected to recover.

Continue reading " Multiple Baltimore Shootings Now Under Police Investigation " »

A former adult male caregiver recently pleaded guilty to three counts of neglecting vulnerable adults, according to WJZ-13 News. The caregiver admitted to leaving three severely disabled men sitting in a locked car in a diner parking lot while he ate lunch.

Patrons at the diner contacted police when they realized that the three men had been left in the closed car and that the temperature outdoors was near 75 degrees. Although none of the three men could speak, all appeared to police to be in distress: all three were sweating profusely, and one was banging his head against the closed car window.

The caregiver did not think leaving the men in the car would be a problem. He left them there because he says they would have been uncomfortable in the diner, which was crowded and busy. He said the head-banging behavior was normal for the men. At his court hearing, the caregiver said that he had cared for the men for eight years and that the incident had been blown out of proportion.

Continue reading " Caregiver Pleads Guilty to Neglecting Vulnerable Adults " »

Recently, two drug suspects allegedly caused an accident that led to the death of an 86-year-old man after they reportedly fled police officers who were attempting to stop their vehicle for questioning. According to a Baltimore Sun report, officers in plain clothes approached a black Acura based on a suspicion of drug activity after seeing a man whom they believe conducted a drug transaction. Allegedly, the suspects were in the vehicle.

When the police officers attempted to box in the Acura, the suspects allegedly sped away from the scene. The officers hurried to their vehicles and an immediate pursuit followed.

The police believe the Acura eventually crashed into the elderly couple’s vehicle and later crashed into a fire hydrant. The impact of the collision caused the vehicle of the elderly couple to collide into the home of a nearby resident. The 86-year-old man was taken to the hospital where he later died. He was the father of a city patrol officer. The police declined to release the patrol officer’s name. The elderly woman who accompanied the elderly man was listed in serious condition.

Police stated that they found 35 grams of raw heroin in the vehicle of two suspects who were also charged with MD vehicular homicide. Court records indicate that one suspect had three prior drug convictions and two prior handgun violations that were dropped.

If you have been charged with a serious crime, you need attorneys who can assist you when you may be facing harsh legal consequences. The Maryland defense attorneys of Meng & Alpert, LLC have solid reputations for providing their clients with aggressive and effective defense services. Our lawyers have decades of experience in criminal defense cases including but not limited to DUI, assault, drug offenses, sex crimes and vehicular manslaughter.

The attorneys at our firm provide free legal consultations to potential clients. Call Meng & Alpert, LLC today at 1-866-4446363 for your free evaluation of your case.

A teenage mother returning home after shopping for baby clothes for her son was struck and killed by a pickup truck while she was trying to cross the street at a Baltimore county intersection. According to a Baltimore Sun article, the mother was pushing a baby stroller with her son inside when the incident occurred.

The infant boy was not injured in the Maryland pedestrian accident. Family members of the victim believe the young mother pushed the stroller that carried her son out of the way before she was struck and killed. The police could not confirm whether the force of the impact or the mother’s bravery pushed the infant’s stroller away from harm.

The father of the infant had reported the mother and son missing after they failed to return home after a trip to a local shopping center. His worst fears were confirmed when he learned of an accident involving a pedestrian and stroller. The father was reunited with his son at Maryland Shock Trauma Center where the toddler was being held overnight for evaluation.

The driver of the truck stopped his vehicle after the accident to aid the victim.
However, the police are still investigating the case and the driver may still face charges.

Continue reading " Maryland Pedestrian Accident Kills Teenage Mother " »

Statistics gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that DUI-related motorcycle accidents have decreased in the Washington, DC area in the past six years. The greatest decreases have been in DUI-related motorcycle accidents that caused death.

In 2008, the most recent year for which NHTSA has completed its statistical analysis, five motorists in DC were killed in accidents involving both a motorcycle and a person driving under the influence of alcohol. The statistics do not show which party in each accident was driving under the influence, nor which party was killed. However, the number of DUI-related motorcycle accidents has decreased significantly from 2004, in which twenty-one such accidents resulted in deaths.

NHTSA has released a preliminary report discussing traffic safety statistics from 2009, but the agency has not specified how many of 2009’s Washington, DC traffic accidents involved a drunk driver.

Driving under the influence, or DUI, is a charge that can be made against any motorist driving while under the influence of alcohol, whether that person is in a car or on a motorcycle. Furthermore, even sober motorcyclists are at greater risk than drunk drivers, both because motorcycles are harder to see than cars and also because motorcyclists’ bodies are less protected from collisions than are drivers in a car.

If you have been charged with a DUI or DWI in Maryland or Washington D.C., the experienced criminal defense attorneys at Meng & Alpert, LLC can help. Our Washington D.C. DUI defense attorneys will examine the details of your case and construct a strong defense that fully protects your rights and seeks the best possible outcome. Contact our offices at (866) 444-6363 for a free and confidential case evaluation.