Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog
Far be it for us to make light of any traffic accident that has resulted in serious injury or death of any person, but we will say that the old adage, “Haste makes waste,” can be quite apropos in many instances of automobile, commercial trucking and motorcycle-related roadway collisions. Whether a single-vehicle crash caused by speeding or a multi-vehicle wreck resulting from impatience, whenever one reads of a bad road accident, one must seriously ask if shaving a few minutes off a commute is worth days or weeks of painful hospital recovery. There is obviously no reasonable excuse for an accident that causes the death of an innocent person.
As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we can fully appreciate the anger and bitterness that families of victims can feel toward a driver who through thoughtlessness or outright negligence has caused the death of a loved one. No amount of monetary penalty or jail time can bring back a person who has been killed in what can only be called a senseless roadway collision. While the common vernacular refers to car and trucking-related highway collisions as “accidents,” there are instances when the term has no basis in the reality of the act.
Although many automobile accidents can cause some property damage and some minor injuries, there are a percentage of traffic wrecks that result in severe and potentially life-threatening medical complications. Traumatic brain injury, spinal cord damage and extensive first-degree burns are a few of the more deadly injuries that victims of passenger car and commercial truck accidents can experience.
In cases where a car accident has been caused by the actions of another driver, the legal theory of fault comes into play. If the motorist who caused the crash is found to have done so because he or she did not act reasonably while operating their vehicle then negligence can likely be the result as part of a personal injury claim against that driver. It goes without saying that all licensed drivers are required to operate their car, truck or motorcycle in a manner that is reasonably prudent.
From the standpoint of a personal injury attorney, excessive speed, failure to signal a turn or to yield, running a stop sign, or other kinds of moving violations indicate negligent operation of a vehicle, as is needlessly endangering other drivers, passengers or pedestrians. Of course, the burden of proving negligence lies with the plaintiff who files the claim against the alleged negligent driver. In some cases, it may not be difficult to prove negligence, however in some instances the driver who caused a serious crash may also have died in the collision.
Consider the collision that took place in Glen Burnie last fall. According to the news reports following that deadly accident, four people were killed on a Sunday afternoon when two cars smashed head-on along a stretch of Marley Neck Blvd in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Based on reports, a late-model Mazda was going north on Marley Neck when the 30-year-old driver apparently tried to pass some traffic and in doing so crossed over the double yellow.
Unfortunately, just as the Mazda was beginning its maneuver, an oncoming Pontiac struck the car head-on. The ensuing collisions caused the Pontiac to flip over and travel backward about 25 years or so before it came to a stop on the east shoulder of the roadway. Police investigators stated that the Mazda traveled north another 100 feet before it came to a rest in pieces, blocking the southbound lane. A passenger in the Mazda was reportedly thrown from the vehicle as a result of the collision. Police and emergency rescue personnel arrived on the scene just past 1:30pm to render aid to the victims. What they found was a mangled pair of cars and all four of the victims dead from their injuries. Among the fatalities was a three-year-old girl from Glen Burnie, and likely the most innocent of all.
Laurel Resident Among Four Killed in Glen Burnie Crash, Patch.com, November 19, 2012