Single-vehicle accidents number in thousands across the country every year. As a Baltimore and Washington, D.C., automobile accident attorney and personal injury lawyer, I have seen, up close, the aftermath of multi-vehicle and single-car wrecks. Just because there is no other vehicle involved, such as a semi tractor-trailer or other large vehicle, many people could be excused for thinking that these kinds of one-car accidents are less serious — they would often be wrong.
Serious bodily injury and even death can occur as a result of a single-vehicle accident. Not long ago, a Boonsboro, MD, driver was charged in connection with SUV accident that sent him and two passengers to the hospital. According to news articles, the crash happened just before midnight on a Saturday along a stretch of Alternate U.S. 40, just east of Maryland Avenue.
Police reports indicate that the accident, which occurred between Middletown and Frederick, Maryland, was possibly the result of reckless driving. Although details were sketchy, police statements indicate that the driver, 19-year-old Job Smith, may have ignored traffic signs in the area prior to his SUV leaving the roadway and colliding with a tree.
Following the traffic accident, police and other emergency responders found the vehicle and three occupants near the roadway. Smith and one of his two passengers, Ashleigh Shepherd, also of Boonsboro, were helicoptered out to R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. A third occupant, Lucas White of Frederick, was taken to Washington County Hospital. He was subsequently discharged.
Smith was reportedly released from Shock Trauma a couple days after the accident, while Shepherd was released several days after that. The third person also left the hospital not long after. According to the news, Maryland State Police have charged Smith with a number of violations, including reckless driving, negligent driving, failure to obey a traffic control device and failure to wear a seatbelt.
Boonsboro man charged in connection with SUV accident, Herald-Mail.com, August 26, 2010