Fatal Traffic Accidents

A head-on accident between a passenger car and an SUV in Pasadena, Maryland, killed an 80-year-old woman this past week in what could be a fatal case of drowsy driving. According to reports, the crash allegedly resulted from the victim’s son dozing off behind the wheel, although the time of day — 10:30 a.m. — is somewhat perplexing for this type of accident. Police are still investigating the collision.

Every year, our law firm handles numerous Maryland car accident cases similar to this one. The professional legal team at Lebowitz-Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers is very familiar with the many causes of passenger car, pickup truck and SUV crashes. Whether a result of driver error, mechanical defect or drunk driving, our attorneys have the experience to fight for the accident victims’ best interests. In this situation, drowsy driving may have been a factor in the tragic crash.

According to Anne Arundel County fire officials, the accident happened at Fort Smallwood Road near Carroll Road, when the car carrying Irene G. Ratcliff apparently drifted into oncoming traffic, crashing head-on with a Ford Explorer.

Ratcliff died of injuries sustained during the crash. Her son, Herbert Ray Ratcliff, 64, was taken by ambulance to Maryland Shock Trauma Center with serious but not life-threatening injuries. Based on the initial police investigation, the police believe that the son fell asleep at the wheel and drifted into the northbound lane.

This accident highlights the increasing problem of drowsy driving. Longer working hours, family obligations and other activities can reduce the amount of sleep a person gets. Although it seems less serious than other traffic offenses, such as driving under the influence of alcohol, the consequences of drowsy driving can be very serious, as evidenced this past week.

Drowsy driving is a vexing problem for traffic safety officials. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), it is a factor in more than 100,000 vehicle crashes annually, likely resulting in more than 1,500 deaths and 40,000 injuries around the country — and these may be conservative figures. Many experts say the nation’s progress against drowsy driving is about where the campaign against drunken driving was 30 years ago.

A single-vehicle rollover accident in southern Maryland quickly turned into a two-car fatality with multiple bystander injuries during the early morning hours of May 2. Through a series of unfortunate events, the driver of a pickup truck that crashed and rolled over on Hurley’s Neck Road was killed when a second car hit the truck just as several Good Samaritans were trying to save the man.

The incident occurred, according to police reports, around 3 a.m. early Saturday morning when Christopher J. Atkinson of Mardela somehow lost control of his pickup truck, causing the vehicle to roll over, ending up with a section of the vehicle remaining in the darkened roadway.

Reports out of the Wicomico County Sheriff’s office said a second Mardela resident, Mike T. Brown, and two juvenile female passengers stopped their car and attempted to provide assistance. As the three were trying to free Atkinson from his Dodge pickup, a 2008 Honda Civic driven by 22-year-old William R. Morgan of Salisbury slammed into the passenger side of the pickup truck.

The impact from the Honda resulted in fatal injuries to Atkinson, who was declared dead at the scene by the medical examiner. The Honda driver and the three Good Samaritans were all transported by ambulance to Peninsula Regional Medical Center where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries received at the scene of the crash.

According to authorities, this accident remains under investigation guided by the Maryland State Police Crash Team, but the eventual outcome will define the next steps. Whether the initial rollover was a result of driver error or defective equipment, the subsequent death of the pickup driver and the personal injuries received by the people trying to help could possibly have been avoided.

Articles Posted in Fatal Traffic Accidents

Anne Arundel County, MD, Woman Dies in Possible Drowsy Driving Accident

Pickup Truck Rollover Crash in Wicomico County, MD, Kills Driver; Injures Others