Being injured in an automobile wreck or commercial trucking collision is quite common here in the Baltimore area. With the dense traffic in the metro area and high speeds on our parkways and interstates, the chances of being involved in a traffic accident are better than that in the more rural areas of the state. As personal injury attorneys representing people hurt in road accidents here in Maryland and over in the District of Columbia, we understand how painful and long lasting some injuries can be.
For anyone who has been involved in a serious auto accident, we don’t have to tell you that broken bones and compound fractures are just one of the many kinds of injuries that a person can receive in a bad roadway collision. In the case of broken bones, both drivers and passengers can suffer equally. The high forces imparted by a car hitting another vehicle can result in multiple breaks in arms, legs and the pelvis, among other areas. Worse results can come when a commercial vehicle, such as an 18-wheel semi tractor-trailer hits a much smaller and lighter passenger car.
Brain injury is another common result of a bad traffic collision. Known variously as closed-head trauma or traumatic brain injury, these types of injuries can lead to a range of conditions including physical, mental and emotional problems. Brain damage resulting from a vehicle accident can be brought on by any number of issues, such conditions such as concussions, brain contusions, bleeding inside the brain itself or complications from a fractured skull.
It’s not uncommon for individuals who have suffered a closed-head injury during a car, truck or motorcycle accident to complain of sporadic to near-constant headaches. Sometimes a severe headache can be traced to a traumatic neck injury, as well. Whatever the reason, the headaches that follow a serious traffic accident can be more than uncomfortable and may be particularly debilitating.
Of course, it is not uncommon for a brain injury to eventually lead to death — sometimes within minutes or hours, but also months or years later, depending on the type and severity of the injury. We are reminded of these types of life-threatening brain injuries whenever we read of a bad car or truck wreck like several from last fall. In a number of instances, each of the victims died from their injuries following traffic collisions in and near Baltimore County.
According to news reports, a Towson man died following an early morning crash at the crossroads of York and Fairmount after he apparently lost control of his Jeep, which subsequently crashed into a utility pole. Based on information from the Baltimore County police, the 26-year-old driver was likely traveling at too high a speed when he attempted to make a turn onto York from Fairmount. The man reportedly lost control of the vehicle, which then struck a curb and a nearby traffic sign before hitting a traffic light pole at the side of the roadway. The victim was taken to Shock Trauma by chopped, but passed away several hours after being admitted to the hospital.
In a second episode, a pedestrian was fatally injured in what police described as an early morning hit-and-run accident in the vicinity of Frankford Ave. According to the news article, the accident occurred a little before 2am on a Saturday and possibly involved a black four-door Mazda sedan with Maryland license plates. The victim was taken to Bayview hospital following the crash, but doctors were apparently unable to save him and he died a short time later. At the time of the news report, police had yet to locate the suspect vehicle.
One Dead In Towson Crash, WBAL.com, November 16, 2012
Baltimore Police Investigate Fatal Hit-And-Run, CBSLocal.com, November 17, 2012