Bowie Personal Injury Lawyer

Having adopted the motto, “Growth, Unity and Progress,” the city of Bowie has lived those words over the past 130 years since its incorporation in 1882. Located in the county of Prince George’s, Bowie has expanded from a modest railroad stop along the Baltimore & Potomac Railway line to the largest municipality in the county. With more than 54,000 residents living throughout its 16 square miles, Bowie is the largest city in the county — also the fifth most populous in the state of Maryland and third largest by square area.

Originally named Huntington City, Bowie’s history as a growing commercial and residential community was marked by the 1853 charter granted to Col. William Duckett Bowie by the Maryland legislature for construction of a railroad line from Baltimore down into the southern portion of the state and terminating at Pope's Creek. By 1869, the area surrounding what is now Bowie, MD, was already populated by a number of small farms and larger tobacco-producing plantations.

Renamed in honor of the Col. Duckett’s son, Oden Bowie, what was then only a town was rechartered in 1880. Having been subdivided early on into approximately 500 residential lots, the town would soon become a larger stop in the early 1900s when the Pennsylvania Railroad bought the Baltimore & Potomac RR and its rail line to Washington, D.C. As one of the largest cities in the state, Bowie now has nearly 20,000 households representing a mix of racial and ethnic backgrounds.

With more than 50,000 residents and many additional people traveling through, doing business and carrying on various types of commerce, it’s not surprising that Bowie has its share of traffic-related accidents and associated personal injury claims. As Maryland automobile and trucking-related accident attorneys, Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, represents victims of car, commercial truck, city bus and motorcycle collisions who have been seriously hurt as a result of another person’s negligent actions.

Injured parties may file personal injury lawsuits in local courthouses, such as that located at 14735 Main Street in Upper Marlboro. Serving individuals in Prince George’s County, Maryland, these district and circuit courts are the venue for a variety of criminal, civil and appeals cases, such as automobile injury lawsuits, medical malpractice claims, divorce hearings and other family law cases. With such a diverse population, Bowie has been the site of numerous motorcycle injury accidents over the years.

Dozens of bikers and motorcyclists are needlessly injured each year in Maryland due to the reckless actions of other drivers. At Lebowitz & Mzhen, LLC, we understand how vulnerable motorcycle riders are, before and after a serious highway collision. The shock of being severely injured combined with facing an uncertain future can be overwhelming, not only for the victim himself, but for his family as well.

While car-to-car accidents can have life-threatening consequences for drivers and passengers alike, the odds of a biker surviving unscathed in even the most minor of traffic accidents can be truly miniscule. This is why, when challenged by the overwhelming physical odds of medical recovery, victims of motorcycle accidents can benefit greatly from having a skilled advocate on their side. Even so, depending on the type of collision, mounting a personal injury case following a motorcycle-related injury accident can sometimes be quite challenging.

When a motorcyclist is involved in a serious Maryland roadway collision, the victim rarely will have the ability to gather evidence at the scene. Most bikers involved in collisions with cars, trucks or SUVs will likely be sent to the local emergency room. Therefore, obtaining a police accident report after the fact is often the only real opportunity. And the observations and determination of fault by the responding officer can be pivotal when pursuing a personal injury claim down the line.

It goes without saying that understanding one’s rights under the laws of Maryland is invaluable when it comes to filing a personal injury lawsuit. Since Maryland is an “at-fault” state when it comes to determining financial liability for any harm caused to a motorcycle rider, the police report following a car-motorcycle crash will likely determine who is legally to blame for the collision, and hence, which party should be responsible for the monetary recovery arising from doctor bills, hospital costs and emergency room treatments incurred by an injured motorcycle rider.

At Lebowtiz & Mzhen, LLC, our Maryland traffic accident team has pursued numerous personal injury claims for victims of car, truck and motorcycle accidents over the years. Our experienced attorneys have the legal training and litigation experience to assist victims in recovering the monetary compensation due them under Maryland law.

As the victim of a motorcycle-related traffic accident, in order to recover damages from the responsible party, you must not only prove that the other motorist was at fault, but you will likely have to show that your own actions at the time of the collision did not contribute to the accident.

Because determining fault is an important part of any personal injury claim, locating the police report covering the motorcycle accident in which you were injured should be an overriding concern. Significant monetary damages may hinge on whether or not the responding police officer’s traffic accident report has determined the other driver was at fault. It is a key piece of evidence in any auto or bike injury accident case.

To obtain a copy of a Bowie police traffic accident report, one may apply in person, by mail, or online. Please allow at least 72 hours from the time of a Bowie traffic accident before requesting a copy of the police accident report.

Police accident reports may be requested at the Police Records office during regular business hours. You will be required to fill out a Report Request form and will be asked to show a government-issued photo ID in order to obtain the report. A fee of $10 — payable by money order, business check or credit card — is charged for each copy. There is a credit card service charge of $1.50 per transaction.

You may request a police report by mail using a Report Request form. If you do not know the police report number, you will need to include as much detailed information as possible with your request (this can include: Incident Date, Incident Location, Incident Type, and Names of Involved Individuals). Without a police case number, there is no guarantee that the Department will be able to locate a particular police report. Police report requests that include a self-addressed stamped envelope will often receive a quicker response.

Mail your request to:
Prince George’s County Police Records
4923 43rd Avenue, 3rd floor
Hyattsville, Maryland 20781

Please note that all police reports requested by mail must include the required $10 fee, payable by business check, credit card or money order. A credit card service charge of $1.50 is included with each transaction. You must also include a copy of your government-issued photo ID with the request form, which must be completed in its entirety.

Bowie traffic accident reports are available on one of two websites: www.BuyCrash.com or www.CrashDocs.org for a fee of $10 per requested report. Applicants must provide the police case number and name of the involved party.

Please keep in mind that police departments are required to verify that any individual requesting a police report is an involved party. Citizens are permitted to receive copies of police reports; however, following the rules of the Maryland Public Information Act, certain information may be redacted from police reports before it is issued.

As personal injury lawyers, the law firm of Lebowitz & Mzhen understands how the rising popularity of motorcycles and scooters means more potential two-wheeled vehicle crashes with passenger cars and commercial motor vehicles. Our legal staff recognizes how our clients’ love of the open road can also lead to unexpected and potentially life-altering roadway collisions. Especially in the case of motorcycles, riders are five times more likely to be seriously hurt in a traffic wreck; and a staggering 25 times more likely to be killed than other people riding in larger passenger vehicles under similar conditions.

The injuries sustained by motorcycle riders are many times quite severe. Already exposed to the elements and riding near other larger and heavier motor vehicles, bikers can easily be injured by contact with another car, truck or SUV; or by the roadway itself after being thrown from their motorcycle during a collision. Even though bike riders are required by law to wear helmets when operating their motorbikes in Maryland, a helmet can only protect an individual so much.

Head and spine injuries — such as concussions, fractured skulls, closed-head, neck- and back-related trauma are some of the more serious and life-threatening injuries. Similarly, motorcyclists can frequently suffer broken bones, compound fractures, deep lacerations and severe skin abrasions (also referred to as road rash) when involved in a highway or urban traffic-related crash.

In some instances, a rider may suffer from paralysis following a motorcycle crash that inflicts a spinal cord injury. This can many times lead to a life-changing permanent disability since in most cases the delicate nerve fibers found in the spinal cord can be damaged to the extent that the victim is left unable to walk, move, or control certain bodily processes. The degree to which any particular individual is affected by a spinal cord injury depends on the location of injury as well as the extent to which the spinal column has been affected.

Individuals with spinal cord injuries that have caused paraplegia and quadriplegia face serious and complicated cases, not only medically and psychologically, but also from a legal standpoint. The attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen are ready to help those victims hurt by the thoughtless, careless or outright negligent actions of another person. Our main goal is to achieve the best possible outcome for each and every one of our clients. Whether the injury is caused by a car accident, a doctor’s or hospital’s medical mistake, pharmacy misfill, or an injury at a nursing home, we strive to provide full and utmost attention to every case.

Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, is located in Owings Mills, Maryland, approx. 16 miles from Baltimore City. Our main offices are situated at 10 Crossroads Drive, Suite 105, Owings Mills, MD, 21117, and can be found by taking the Jones Falls Expressway to Interstate 695 West. (Merge onto I-695 West/ Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop towards Pikesville and then go 4.4 miles to the MD-140 North exit (Exit 20) toward Garrison.) Taking Reisterstown Road/MD-140 West, go about 1.3 miles to Crossroads Drive and make a left-hand turn; take the first right onto Park Center Court. Make a left at the first available street and into the parking lot closest to our law offices. We are conveniently located on the first floor in Suite 105.