Articles Posted in Fatal Traffic Accidents

When we lose a loved one unexpectedly in an accident, it can be extremely stressful knowing what steps to take next. Whether it’s figuring out medical expenses that your loved one incurred or working out how you will provide for your family in the wake of losing your loved one, the process is far from easy. Although adding a lawsuit to the mix can be additional stress, it is often an important part of the recovery process—and can resolve many financial issues that occur following the loss of a loved one if the case is successful.

According to a recent local news report, a fatal accident that took place in Frederick remains under investigation. When local authorities responded to the scene, they found a Honda that had toppled over in the middle of the road. Based on an initial investigation, a Jeep was heading eastbound when it made an aggressive lane change, which was filled by the Honda. The Honda swerved off the left side of the road, overcorrected, and then ran across several other lanes before crashing into a guardrail and overturning. The Jeep fled the scene. The passenger in the front seat of the Honda was pronounced dead on the scene, while the driver was transported to a local hospital for treatment. The accident remains under investigation and the Maryland State Police Crash Team plans to continue to look into the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Maryland multi-vehicle and chain reaction accidents often involve the complex interplay of various contributing factors. These incidents generally elicit two types of threats: primary impacts and secondary impacts. Primary impacts occur when a negligent driver sets off a series of events by instigating the initial crash. The secondary impact occurs when a driver attempts to avoid crashing into another object or with another vehicle but precipitates other crashes—recovering damages after a multi-vehicle accident requires plaintiffs to address the fault and causation of each party they wish to recover damages from.

Establishing liability is critical in Maryland because of the state’s strict contributory negligence statute. In Maryland, plaintiffs who bear any responsibility for the accident will not be able to recover damages. Essentially, claimants must establish that they were not responsible for the accident or their injuries. An attorney is an invaluable asset to these cases as they can help prepare a compelling and legally sound case for compensation.

Following an accident where a preventable death of a loved one has taken place, you may feel overwhelmed and unsure what to do next while processing your grief. Depending on the circumstances of how the death took place, however, you or the loved ones of the deceased may want to consider filing a lawsuit on their behalf to recover compensation. Usually, potential plaintiffs file either a wrongful death or a survival action claim, but it can be confusing to figure out what the distinctions between the two are at first. Knowing the difference is an important step to getting started with your lawsuit.

According to a recent local news report, a woman died following a major crash. Local authorities were pursuing the driver of the vehicle in an active police chase at the time of the crash. The chase began as a routine traffic stop, but when the driver pulled into a nearby parking lot, presumably to stop for the officers who had pulled him over, he instead sped away. Authorities pursued the driver but lost sight of the vehicle after it swerved in front of another vehicle near a curve in the road. As police continued down the road, there was debris on the road and authorities realized that the vehicle they were pursuing had crashed.

The driver fled from the car following the accident, and his passenger was located on the ground near the car with life-threatening injuries. First responders attempted to treat the passenger on the scene, but she was pronounced dead. Several officers subsequently began to conduct a search for the driver with the use of K-9s and a helicopter. Officers later located the driver in a nearby neighborhood, where he was taken into custody. Investigators believe that narcotics may have been a contributing factor in the crash and are working to identify witnesses. Local police had their dashboard camera and microphone activated during the accident, and as the footage is released, the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash continues.

Maryland car accident injury lawsuits are often complex. The state’s strict contributory negligence laws prohibit recovery if the plaintiff is at all responsible for the accident. Insurance companies often use the state’s laws to their advantage and unnecessarily impute liability on a claimant. Fortunately, in most cases, injured passengers fare better during an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit.

Maryland car accidents can cause serious injuries, especially those involving head-on collisions or where both drivers were speeding. For instance, national news reports recently highlighted the tragic accident involving NFL player Deshazor Everett and a reputable occupational therapist. According to reports, the victim, a lifelong Maryland resident, was a passenger in the football player’s car when the car clammed into several trees and flipped over. Emergency responders transported the woman to a hospital, where she later succumbed to injuries. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Maryland law requires drivers to have third-party insurance. This system allows passengers to recover from the at-fault party’s insurance carrier. Typically, the passenger may collect from any responsible party; issues may arise in the rare case that the passenger was responsible for the accident. However, insurance companies may try to deny, delay, or under-compensate claimants unlawfully. In these cases, victims have options such as a bad-faith lawsuit against the insurance company or a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault driver.

A 13-year-old boy died after a recent Maryland car crash in Camp Springs. According to one news source, the crash occurred when the driver of the vehicle with the 13-year-old boy as a passenger was traveling north on Allentown Road. The driver reportedly made a left turn into a shopping center and crashed into another car that was traveling south on the same road. The boy was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead. The drivers of both cars were injured but their injuries were reportedly not life-threatening. An investigation into the crash continues and anyone with information is asked to call the police.

The recent crash highlights the dangers of left turns for Maryland drivers. Research shows that left turns are a factor in many crashes. In one study, left turns were shown to be three times more likely to produce a serious injury or fatality as compared to right turns. In another study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), the critical pre-crash event in 22.2 percent of crashes was a left turn. This means that about one-fifth of the crashes were caused by a left turn. In comparison, right turns made up only 1.2 percent of the crashes studied.

Researchers have explained that in making a left turn, drivers have to make a number of calculations within a short amount of time, drivers have to turn against the flow of oncoming cars, drivers’ view can be obstructed, and that such turns involve a wide turn radius.

Although traffic nearly disappeared at the beginning of the global pandemic, road conditions have never been more deadly—especially for Maryland drivers. A combination of speeding, recklessness and other dangerous behaviors among local drivers has resulted in an unexpected increase in dangerous or fatal accidents in the last 20 months.

According to a recent local news report, Maryland roads have increased in danger since the beginning of the pandemic and are seeing a new high in rates of deadly crashes due to excessive speeding and distracted driving. Maryland State Police have noted that based on recent numbers, there have been more local drivers dead per collision, drivers moving at higher speeds, and more instances of driving under the influence or while impaired than ever before.

In 2020, the Maryland Department of Transportation noted that it saw its highest number of fatal crashes in six years due to excessive speeding. Although traffic numbers were down at the beginning of 2020, there was an increase in the number of total fatal crashes overall with 573 deaths in 2020 compared to 535 deaths from the year before. Despite fewer drivers traveling in 2020, the accidents that took place were more severe, which led to an increase in car accident fatalities.

If there is one sure thing in life, it is that it often deals you the most unexpected hand at the most unexpected time. Often, this takes place through events out of our control, such as major accidents or incidents caused by others. When this happens, it is often impossible to be fully prepared—but understanding the basics of how to move forward legally following a major accident, death of a loved one, or similar incident can better equip you and your loved ones for your next steps.

According to a recent local news report, a three-car accident left a toddler dead and four adults severely injured. Local authorities reported that the driver of a Ford was turning left when it crashed into an Acura and a Honda. The impact from the Ford caused the Acura to skid off the road and hit a brick wall. The three individuals in the Acura, including a three-year-old who was in the backseat, were all transported to the hospital for further treatment. The driver and one of the passengers of the Acura had serious but non-life-threatening injuries, but the toddler later died at the hospital. The drivers of the Honda and Ford were also transported to local hospitals but were expected to survive. The accident remains under investigation by local authorities.

Following an unexpected and tragic accident involving the sudden passing of a loved one because of another party’s negligence or recklessness, filing a lawsuit may be the furthest thing from your mind. There are, however, many legal options that you and your loved ones should consider in the wake of such an accident, including potentially filing a wrongful death claim in Maryland courts.