Articles Posted in Fatal Traffic Accidents

Determining liability in an accident is a critical part of every lawsuit, and it is essential to recovery in Maryland. Maryland follows strict contributory negligence laws, and as such, establishing fault is a priority in every case. While backing-up accidents may seem straightforward, various factors at play can often affect a claim.

In most Maryland backing-up accident cases, the first inquiry is whether the driver backing out had the right of way. Generally, the car that did not maintain the right of way will be liable for the accident. However, there are exceptions to the right of way rule, and when more than one car is backing up, the driver with the legal right of way may not be paying attention to their surroundings. In these cases, the driver with the right of way may be responsible for some portion of the accident. Another factor in these accidents is whether the car was stopped or moving leading up to the collision. If the vehicle was moving but stops with sufficient room, they may not be liable for the accident.

The most frequent types of backing-out accidents involve a driver backing out of a parking lot. When a car backs out of a parking space into a parked car, generally, liability lies on the person backing up. However, there are exceptions if the static car is illegally parked and in a position where the moving car cannot see the vehicle.

Wrongful death claims may be appropriate when a person dies because of another’s negligent or intentional conduct. In these situations, Maryland allows the deceased’s family to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against the at-fault party. While the state permits these claims, the wrongful death statute is challenging and requires strict adherence to notice and filing requirements.

Maryland Code § 3-901 explains that a party may bring forth a wrongful death action if a death occurred because of another party’s negligent act or omission. The primary inquiry is whether the deceased would have been entitled to damages if they survived the incident. In this situation, spouses, parents, and children may be entitled to monetary compensation. These claims may arise from a construction accident, nursing home abuse or neglect, defective products, medical malpractice, and auto accidents.

For instance, news sources recently described a harrowing four-vehicle accident in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. State troopers and Maryland State Police Crash Team responded to the scene of the accident. A preliminary investigation reveals that an Audi crashed head-on with an SUV in the center turn lane. The SUV then swiped another vehicle which flipped over and hit another sedan. The SUV driver and passenger died at the scene of the accident. In addition to a host of weapon possession charges, police charged the driver of the Audi with driving under the influence and reckless driving.

State Police in Maryland are investigating a fatal Maryland pedestrian crash that took place at Quantico. According to one news report, investigators indicated that a 30-year-old woman was standing in the road where she was involved in an argument and that she was hit by a vehicle. The police were called to the scene and found the woman in the roadway. She was pronounced dead on the scene. The crash reportedly occurred just before 1 a.m. Police continue to investigate the crash.

Victims of a Maryland pedestrian crash can seek damages from drivers or other parties at fault through filing a lawsuit in a Maryland court. If a driver is negligent—or purposely injures a pedestrian—they may be liable for damages including medical expenses, psychological suffering, physical therapy expenses, lost wages, and more.

A pedestrian crash is any crash that involves a person on foot, even if a driver exited the vehicle. According to 2018 statistics, a pedestrian was killed in a traffic crash on average every 84 minutes in the United States. Despite seeing less traffic in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maryland Department of Transportation says that pedestrian fatalities were up in 2020, from 124 in 2019 to 134 in 2020. Crash fatalities in Maryland were at their highest in 12 years. The total number of crash fatalities in 2020 was the highest in Maryland since 2008. Pedestrian crashes often occur in urban areas. From 2009 to 2013, about 90 percent of crashes in Maryland involving a pedestrian took place in the metropolitan areas of Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Getting into a car accident can be an overwhelming experience for a number of reasons. Not only is it often an expensive, inconvenient, and stressful endeavor, but it can often be complicated, involve multiple parties, and be unclear who is at fault.

In multiple vehicle car accidents, this is often the case. With multiple drivers, passengers, and vehicles, it only multiplies the potential damages, information that needs to be exchanged, and recollections of how the accident took place. When these accidents happen, it can also make pursuing a legal claim seem daunting, which is why potential plaintiffs are advised to hire an experienced personal injury attorney to guide them through the process.

According to a recent local news report, local authorities are investigating a multiple vehicle accident that resulted in the deaths of three individuals. Maryland State Police’s preliminary investigation revealed that a Camaro was traveling eastbound when it attempted to pass another vehicle but struck a Toyota traveling westbound in the opposite direction. Both the driver of the Camaro and his passenger, along with the driver of the Toyota, were pronounced dead at the scene. There was also a third vehicle involved in the accident, but there was no need for further medical treatment of either the driver or its passenger. The investigation is still ongoing, but authorities believe that speed was a major contributing cause to the accident. In fact, the Camaro may have been traveling in excess of 100 miles per hour when the accident took place, authorities reported.

Maryland car accidents happen every day, and many of them even make headlines in the local news. Maryland residents may see headlines every week about new car accidents happening across the state. But often, the news report discusses the accident and then notes the crash remains under investigation. Readers then likely move on and forget about the crash, and do not fully see or understand the aftermath of these crashes, especially the more serious ones.

For example, just recently, the Southern Maryland Chronicle reported on a fatal car accident occurring on Route 4/Southern Maryland Boulevard at Lower Marlboro Road in Huntingtown, Maryland. According to the report, the accident occurred just around 12:00 pm on a Monday afternoon. A 2003 Dodge Ram, driven by an 18-year-old man, was traveling south on the boulevard when a 2005 Suzuki SUV, driven by a 49-year-old woman, made a left turn onto the boulevard. Both vehicles entered the intersection at the same time, resulting in the Suzuki being struck on the driver’s side. When officers arrived at the scene, they found the Suzuki on its side and the Dodge with damage to its front end.

The driver of the Suzuki was immediately transported to Calvert Health Medical Center, where she sadly died from her injuries. The driver of the Dodge was not seriously injured. As of now, the crash remains under investigation and it is not clear who is at fault.

Car accidents happen in all types of configurations—from fender benders to T-bone accidents, they can all be dangerous, injurious, and even fatal. Perhaps the most dangerous among different types of car accidents, however, are head-on collisions. When these accidents take place as a result of one party’s negligence or lack of care, those who are responsible can be held accountable through a Maryland personal injury lawsuit.

According to a recent news report, a local car accident killed two people. Preliminary accident reports indicate that a Hyundai was being operated negligently by its driver driving westbound in an eastbound lane. The Hyundai then collided head-on with a Toyota that was traveling eastbound. The driver of the Hyundai was ejected from her vehicle and was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Early reports also suggest that the Hyundai driver was not wearing a seatbelt. The driver of the Toyota was trapped in her vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. In addition to local troopers, fire and emergency medical services also responded to the accident, and the crash remains under investigation.

In Maryland, when an accident results in the death of another because the at-fault party conducted themselves in a negligent or reckless matter, you may have grounds to bring a wrongful death lawsuit. Wrongful death lawsuits are typically filed for financial compensation. In this way, personal injury cases are separate from criminal cases, where a conviction results in jail time or fines owed to the state by the responsible party.

A tragic Maryland car accident last month resulted in the death of a 2-year-old boy and left an infant and two adults seriously injured. According to the Maryland State Police, the crash happened around 2:30 PM one afternoon in Waldorf, Maryland on Route 5 (Leonardtown Road) near Pika Road. The toddler’s mother, a 21-year-old woman, was driving a 2017 Hyundai Elantra when the crash happened. Although it’s not clear exactly what happened, her vehicle crashed into a 2018 Ford F-250 truck in what was described as a “nearly head-on” collision. After the crash, the 2-year-old was rushed to the hospital but pronounced dead shortly thereafter. His mother and 2-month-old brother were also taken to the hospital with injuries, along with the driver of the other vehicle. Information on the extent of the injuries of those individuals has not been released. The crash is still under investigation since the cause remains unknown. Police did report that they are investigating what role, if any, the children’s car seats may have played in causing the death or injuries.

In the aftermath of such a tragic accident, families can face some significant financial costs whilst also mourning their loved one. There are medical bills and funeral and burial costs. Affected individuals may end up having to miss some work, causing them lost wages. The financial stress that fatal Maryland car accidents cause can be incredibly difficult for families to deal with, especially as they mourn the loss of a loved one.

While there is, unfortunately, nothing that can undo the accident or the damage it caused, Maryland law allows those injured in these accidents—or those who lost loved ones—to recover financially through a personal injury lawsuit. These lawsuits can provide financial compensation for all damages actually suffered, helping the family at least not worry about finances while they mourn. These lawsuits can be brought against another driver who was at fault and caused the accident—a driver who ran a red light, for example, or was texting while driving and swerved into the other lane.

A recent Maryland car accident, occurring in Gaithersburg, Maryland, left one person dead and others injured, highlighting how dangerous car accidents can be. According to a local news article covering the accident, the crash occurred early one Sunday morning, before 6 AM, along Clopper Road at the intersection with Orchard Hills Drive. The initial investigation of the accident showed that a 29-year-old man was driving a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu west on Clopper Road when, for unknown reasons, he crossed the center line of the road and hit the driver of a 2018 Nissan Sentra traveling east. Unfortunately, the driver of the Chevrolet Malibu died at the scene of the crash, and the other driver, a 27-year-old woman, was taken to a local hospital with injuries. Although the details are not known now, the news report noted that another passenger from one of the vehicles suffered traumatic injuries and that a firefighter was injured at the scene as well.

Accidents like this show how Maryland car accidents can have a range of negative outcomes. Individuals may be seriously injured—perhaps even suffering broken bones or internal bleeding—and require emergency medical attention. Even in less serious cases, car accidents can cause pain and soreness days or weeks later. And of course, in the worst cases, Maryland car accidents can be fatal, leading to the death of drivers, passengers, or pedestrians. Clearly, Maryland car accidents can have severe negative impacts. But what some people do not realize is that the state law allows for individuals to seek financial compensation when they suffer in these accidents. Personal injury lawsuits, filed against a defendant responsible for the accident in some way, can provide injured car accident victims with monetary damages to cover medical bills, lost wages, funeral and burial costs, and more.

To be successful in these personal injury lawsuits, a plaintiff generally must prove four things. First, that the defendant owed a duty of care to the plaintiff. Generally, this duty of care is just to be reasonably careful while driving and follow safety rules. Second, that the defendant breached that duty. Usually, this is proved by showing that the defendant was being careless—maybe texting while driving, ignoring traffic signs, or blowing through red lights. Third, that this breach actually caused the accident. And fourth, that the plaintiff suffered real damages as a result—either injuries or death. If these four things can be proved, a plaintiff can generally recover. But proving them may be more difficult than one expects, and many accident victims choose to work with a personal injury attorney through the process rather than going it alone.