Being hit by another vehicle can, without a doubt, by a shocking and nerve-shattering event for anyone in a passenger car. Few traffic accidents are uneventful experiences, though fatal car crashes are, thankfully, not as common as those causing minor to severe injuries. Nevertheless, fatal and near-fatal roadway collisions are a sad fact of life these days; which can make driving in Baltimore, Gaithersburg and the District a nail-biting way of life for many commuters.
Injuries from car, motorcycle and trucking-related accidents abound and include a range of injury from minor cuts and bruises, abrasions and first-degree burns, to spinal cord damage, closed-head trauma and life-threatening nearly full-body burns. Motorcycle riders injured as a result of a car- or truck-collision make up one of the most at-risk groups when it comes to fatal traffic wrecks; even those who survive horrendous car crashes can face weeks or months of medical treatment, not to mention months of physical rehabilitation and possibly years of continuous care.
News of a couple traffic accidents caught our eye a while back. These two multi-vehicle collisions resulted in one death and a number of injuries. In Howard County, according to news reports, a three-vehicle collision out in Ellicott City, resulted in one person being critically injured along a stretch of Rte 100. The victim, a 31-year-old local woman, was taken to the hospital in condition following a Monday evening wreck.
According to news reports, Anita Kudagunti was a riding in one of the three vehicles at the time of the crash. Based on police reports the crash occurred around 7pm in late November when a the driver of a Toyota sedan apparently lost control of the car as it was exiting Long Gate Pkwy and heading onto eastbound Rte 100. According to reports, the vehicle spun out as traveled on the ramp leading to the highway; the Toyota was hit on the passenger side by an Infinity FX35, which itself was then struck by a smaller Toyota Corolla.
The victim, her husband, and the couple’s two children were all riding in the family’s Toyota when the crash happened. Based on reports, the two kids were slightly injured in the accident; both the 3- and 6-year-old were treated by emergency response personnel for non-life-threatening injuries. At the time of the news article, the initial police report suggested that excessive speed and a wet roadway surface may have contributed to the crash. All member of the family were taken to shock trauma in Baltimore.
In another, completely unrelated incident out in Glenn Burnie, an individual was killed and another was seriously hurt following a crash along a stretch of Crain Highway. Based on information provided by the Anne Arundel County Police, the deceased victim was driving a Honda Civic when it was struck by a Chevy pickup. Tha driver, 67-year-old Wilda Scott from Millersville, apparently died at the scene of the crash.
Based on the police department’s initial investigation, the pickup truck hit the victim’s car as she was reportedly attempting to across three lanes of Crain Highway in order to reach the median. At the time of the news article, police stated that pickup truck’s driver appeared to be under the influence of alcohol; however, charges were yet to be filed at the time of the news item.
Md. woman dead in Glen Burnie crash, WashingtonPost.com, November 22, 2011
Three-car crash in Ellicott City leaves one critically injured, BaltimoreSun.com, November 22, 2011