As personal injury lawyers with decades of experience practicing law, we have seen the scenario many times: A person is injured in an accident that was not their fault. They sought medical help and were diagnosed with an injury. But later, they missed a physical therapy appointment or forgot to fill a prescription. Without a knowledgeable lawyer to defend them, that small misstep could cost them thousands of dollars in a personal injury claim.

Belsky & Horowitz, LLC is proud to host an annual scholarship aimed to help students obtain a higher education. The Fall 2021 submission period recently came to a close, and we were humbled by the applications we received. Thank you to every student who applied!

We’re pleased to announce we’ve chosen a winner.

Congratulations to Helen Chen of Brooklyn, New York!

Helen will be attending Columbia University.

This was the essay topic:

2020’s COVID-19 pandemic made us rethink numerous ways we, as individuals and as a society, live and function. What’s the biggest positive lesson the pandemic taught you, and how does that lesson inform your life now?

Although it is well-known that drunk and impaired driving causes thousands of unnecessary deaths and injuries each year, many people still choose to ignore the consequences and get behind the wheel when they are unfit to drive. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), roughly 28 people die every day in the U.S. in crashes involving drunk drivers. And in the state of Maryland alone, the statistics are tragically high. State law makes it illegal to drive with a blood alcohol content (BAC) at or above 0.08%, and there is a zero-tolerance policy for drivers under the age of 21. However, between 2009 and 2018, there were 1,515 people killed in crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver in Maryland.

In the United States, unlike many parts of the world, civil and criminal cases are handled under two separate and distinct areas of jurisdiction. Civil laws are in place to resolve disputes between individual parties, while criminal law deals with offenses that have occurred against the government or state. The type of law that applies to a situation depends on the circumstances. Knowledge of the difference between civil and criminal jurisdiction will help you know how to proceed, should you face a situation which calls for legal action. It is always beneficial to seek the guidance of an accomplished personal injury lawyer if you are unsure whether your situation falls under civil or criminal jurisdiction.

Substantial research has shown that cell phone use while driving is one of the leading causes of accidents on the road. Some studies have even concluded that the impairments associated with mobile phone use behind the wheel can be as extreme as those associated with drunk driving. Drivers who neglect their duty to keep themselves and others safe on the road put everyone at risk. In the state of Maryland, it is illegal to use a handheld phone while driving.

According to research conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), crashes involving stopped or disabled vehicles have been responsible for hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries over the past several years. Today, on average, 300 people are killed each year as a result of stopped-vehicle accidents. This statistic is particularly alarming in light of the fact that there has been an over 25% increase in stopped-vehicle accident-related deaths since 2014.

For those who have been injured at work, it is a relief to know that workers’ compensation can provide help in the form of payment for lost wages or medical expenses. Nevertheless, most people who have been involved in a workers’ compensation case know that the process of claiming your benefits is not always an easy one.

When you are injured on the job, your medical information becomes legal evidence. One of the most important aspects of your workers’ compensation case is making sure that your injury is clearly and accurately documented in your medical records. Workers’ compensation exists in order to provide much-needed benefit to employees who experience injuries or diseases directly related to their work. But if your medical records, a key component of your case, are not obtained or considered, you may suffer serious consequences. This may mean that you are not able to receive the best treatment options as recommended by your doctor, or that your claim may be denied.

In the aftermath of a work-related injury, it can be discouraging to learn that your initial claim to receive workers’ compensation benefits has been denied. Fortunately, there are structures in place that allow those whose claims have been denied to take legal action. By working with an experienced lawyer through the appeal denial process, you can be confident that you are taking all the right steps toward being justly compensated.

Tunnel vision, also known as peripheral vision loss (PVL), impairs your peripheral vision capability, or your ability to see to the side. People who are experiencing tunnel vision may say that they feel as though they are looking at the world through a tube. For this reason, tunnel vision is sometimes referred to as tubular vision. Like highway hypnosis, another visual phenomenon which may occur while driving, tunnel vision can come on suddenly and seemingly without cause, creating a dangerous situation and increasing the likelihood of a car accident.