She survived with just cuts and bruises, but Rachel Ankrom is far from fine after a harrowing late-night automobile accident on a Maryland interstate that left three of her friends dead after a nightmarish ordeal. As parents we all worry about our youngsters, teenagers and young adults barely out in the world who have less real-life experience than their mothers and fathers, so it’s natural that we worry about them.
As Baltimore car accident and injury lawyers, my office has represented families who have lost loved ones in tragic car, truck and motorcycle accidents. Whether you are young or old, there is no guarantee that any driver will avoid a deadly traffic accident. While most accidents don’t result in death, the chance of a fatal car, minivan or truck wreck is always present on our highways or rural roads.
A recent news story pointed out how terrible a car accident can be. Sadly, the crash mentioned here took the lives of three individuals, while only one of their group survived to talk about the experience. Based on news accounts, the 18-year-old survivor, Rachel Ankrom of Fayette City, was riding in a vehicle with her friends through Maryland on their way to Ocean City, MD, when the vehicle apparently went out of control.
According to police, the car went off Interstate 68 and rolled down a hill. Investigators believed that excessive speed likely had some hand in the cause of the crash. One testimony to seatbelt use, Ankrom was reportedly the only one of the four occupants who was wearing one, which miraculously saved her life.
Still the youngster did not escape injury. Based on reports, doctors were surprised that she survived. In addition to sustaining cuts and bruises, Ankrom also had a partially collapsed lung, lacerated kidney, bruised spleen and a portion of her part of her ear was torn off. Hospital officials say that the 18-year-old has another seven months of recuperation time yet ahead of her.
The accident apparently took the girl by surprise, who remembered seeing the 46-year-old driver being ejected from the vehicle before losing consciousness herself. Originally in the back seat, when she awoke the next morning she found herself in the front seat. She crawled up the embankment and signaled for help.
Aside from speed, there was no addition information on the cause of this terrible crash, although defective steering components or a blown tire could also have caused the accident. Police likely are looking into a possible factors.
Local Teen Survives Tragic Car Accident, KDKA.com, May 15, 2010