Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog
Car and trucking-related accidents can catch almost anybody by surprise, but when it comes to older adults and elderly individuals, the results of any traffic collision can be amplified beyond what younger people might experience. Of course, any kind of roadway crash can be traumatic, but for a senior citizen, the effects may be too much for their older bodies to handle. Bone fractures, extensive internal injuries and even closed-head trauma can send an older person to the hospital with serious or even life-threatening injuries.
As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we know that anyone can be hurt during a traffic wreck; regardless of whether the crash involves other vehicles or just one car, truck or motorcycle. For occupants of automobile, even the safety devices that are designed to prevent serious injury can cause some bodily harm. Seatbelts come to mind as one of the more frequent causes of injury to passengers involved in a car or commercial trucking accident.
Naturally, one should never choose to go without wearing a seat belt when traveling in a passenger car, SUV or minivan, especially in heavy traffic with the threat of a collision ever-present. Since traffic accidents are the main cause of death for those individuals aged five to 34 years, government safety regulations are tailored to help reduce fatalities due to traffic wrecks across the U.S. For years, the legislators in Washington, D.C., as well as safety experts, law enforcement agencies, and other organizations have continuously pressed the world’s auto makers for improved means of protecting occupants in the event of a collision.
To date, safety belts are one of the best ways to prevent deaths, but their use can also cause injuries; posing a potential hazard to both drivers and passengers. Bruising, internal bleeding, weakness in the legs, and difficulty breathing can all be signs of a seatbelt injury. In older adults, some of these injuries can turn out to be life threatening especially those that indicate damage to the heart, lungs, kidneys or other organs.
Not long ago an elderly woman died in a car accident along a stretch of Great Seneca Hwy. in Montgomery County, MD; The victim was a 69-year-old female resident of Gaithersburg. Based on news reports, the accident happened on a Sunday evening as the woman was riding in a Lexus operated by a 77-year-old driver. According to police, the car was headed northbound on Great Seneca Hwy when the driver attempted to execute a left-hand turn onto Lakelands Dr. As a result, the passenger vehicle was hit by a Toyota sport utility vehicle.
News reports indicated that the crash occurred a little before 8pm, although no further information was provided on the reason for the collision or if the one or both drivers were responsible for the accident. Based on Montgomery County Police Department information, the driver of the Lexus was in critical condition following the crash. Two other people in their 20s were riding in the Toyota Highlander at the time of the crash; those two — the 21-year-old driver and her 25-year-old male passenger, both from the Rockville area — received non-life-threatening injuries and ended up being taken to a local hospital for treatment.
The particular portion of Great Seneca Hwy was closed down for a time while police crash scene investigators studied the site for evidence.
UPDATED: One Dead In Kentlands Area Car Crash; Patch.com, September 24, 2012