As careful as we all try to be, accidents do happen. Whether it’s a slip-and-fall at a local restaurant or a highway collision in Annapolis, unexpected events can always be a shock; not just emotionally, but financially as well. In the case of automobile and commercial truck accidents, these can be devastating both physically and in terms of a family’s finances and savings. If the victim is a primary breadwinner, the results for a growing family can be catastrophic to say the least.
As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we know how bodily injuries sustained in a car, truck or motorcycle crash can require extensive medical attention. But an individual who has been put in the hospital by the negligent actions of another driver does have recourse. In instances where a person has been hurt in a roadway collision, the victim or his family can file a personal injury claim against the responsible party. This kind of lawsuit can be brought against another driver or negligent party whether the actions that caused the injury were simply the result of careless driving or negligent operation of a motor vehicle, such as aggressive driving.
Whatever the situation, as auto and truck accident lawyers, we know that money alone cannot possibly make a family whole, especially after a tragic car crash resulting in a fatality. Wrongful death lawsuits are also an option, especially when the victim was the sole income earner for his or her spouse and children. Anyone who is injured as a result of a negligent individual or even by a defective product should speak to a qualified legal expert in the area of injury law.
I and my colleagues see the results of auto wrecks on a daily basis across Maryland, as well as in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, we also hear and read about fatal car and trucking-related collisions in which the victims were taken from their loved ones much too soon. Not too long ago, we ran across news articles detailing a couple separate car accidents that resulted in the deaths of two individuals.
In the first incident, a single-vehicle crash caused the death of a woman in Mechanicsville, MD. According to police reports, the accident occurred along a stretch of N. Sandgates Rd. near Sandgates Trail Ln. Based on the news article at the time, a ’96 Dodge sedan carrying three people was travelling west along N. Sandgates when the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle. The car veered off the road and headed into a couple telephone poles.
The 21-year-old driver and a rear-seat passenger survived the accident, but the front-seat passenger, a 23-year-old local resident was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency rescue personnel. The two survivors were taken to Prince George’s Shock Trauma center with non-life threatening injuries. Police investigating the crash stated that none of the occupants were wearing their safety belt.
In a second incident, this one in Bedford County, a five-year-old child was killed on a Sunday morning when the minivan he was riding in was hit head-on by an oncoming vehicle along a stretch of Rte 220 in Bedford Twp. According to news reports, a sedan driven by a 23-year-old local man crossed the centerline of the roadway directly into the path of the minivan carrying four people. The force of the impact between the minivan and the other car caused the young victim to be thrown from the vehicle. The 57-year-old driver, another 28-year-old adult passenger and a two-year-old infant sustained only minor injuries as a result. Sadly, the little boy was pronounced dead at the crash site by the county coroner.
Maryland child loses his life in vehicle accident Sunday in Bedford County, Tribune-Democrat.com, April 30, 2012
Fatal Accident in Mechanicsville, TheBayNet.com, April 28, 2012