Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog
We’ve mentioned it before, but we’ll say it again; reading the various news stories about traffic accident across this state could lead one to believe that personal responsibility and accepting the blame for a traffic accident one has caused is a thing of the past, at least for some people. Of course, the majority of motorists out there are decent people and upright citizens, but there are also a certain percentage of scofflaws and negligent individuals who prefer to run from their problems instead of stand and take their punishment.
Being personal injury attorneys, representing those innocent victims of car, truck and motorcycle accidents here in Maryland and also over in Washington, D.C., I and my staff know the pain that can be inflicted — both physically and emotionally — when a driver commits a thoughtless or outright negligent act against another driver. And remember, not only do other motorists suffer injuries during a roadway collision, but the occupants of those cars as well as individuals standing nearby can be hurt or killed as a result of a car crash.
The point we would like to make is that there are good drivers, there are bad drivers, and there are truly despicable driver; the last of this group are represented by those individuals who drive away following a bad car or trucking-related accident. Police can usually catch the perpetrators, but this is not always possible. In the end, the driver who committed the bad act must live with his or her conscience; yet that is cold comfort for the victims of such motor vehicle accidents who must sometimes live for months or years with constant pain. Never mind the families of people killed in hit-and-run car accidents.
We were reminded of some individuals’ lack of personal responsibility when reading an older news report of a two-car accident that happened just after before the New Year. That car crash was allegedly caused by a Baltimore County resident when his vehicle reportedly struck two other cars at the intersection of Rte 152 and Interstate 95 in Joppa, MD.
According to police reports, 46-year-old Robert Freeman was operating an ’06 Volvoe along a stretch of Rte 152 when for some reason the car smashed into the backend of a Honda Civic sitting at a red light. Witnesses told Maryland State Police troopers that Freeman attempted to leave the site of the accident, driving further down 152 until he got to another red light.
At that point, the driver of the Honda and a second driver who reportedly witnessed the initial crash caught up to Freeman’s vehicle and attempted to box his vehicle in so that he couldn’t flee again. When the driver of the Honda got out of her car to confront Freeman, he reportedly struck the woman as he attempted to drive off again. The victim on foot was not seriously hurt. In the process of trying to flee a second time, the suspect’s vehicle caused some damage to the Honda and the other driver’s car, a Volkswagen Passat.
According to the Maryland State Police traffic accident report, Freeman had in his vehicle two young occupants — 9-year-old girl and 11-year-old girls. Police charged the man with a 15 separate offenses including drinking and driving, DUI while transporting minors, failure to avoid a collision, failure to return to the scene of an accident, failure to stop at the scene of an injury-related traffic accident, as well as negligent and reckless driving, and hitting a pedestrian.
Baltimore County driver hit with 15 charges after Christmas Day incident in Joppa, BaltimoreSun.com, December 27, 2011