A young man from Baltimore County, MD, was tragically killed after the vehicle that he was driving left the road near the junction of Interstate 83 and the Baltimore Beltway. The single-car accident occurred on a southbound I-83 offramp near Lutherville, Maryland. According to police, 17-year-old Kwest T. Logan, a resident of Cockeysville, was headed to the westbound Baltimore Beltway when his vehicle veered off the roadway and crashed some distance from the interstate.
As a Maryland car accident attorney, I know that a crash such as the one described here could have happened as a result of a number of causes. Driver error is always a possibility, however defective steering parts, a blow-out from old or improperly maintained tires, or warn out brakes could be the cause. In the end, defective equipment can many times be due to the negligence of another person or company.
In this case, according to the news report, Logan’s black 1997 Nissan Maxima for some reason left the roadway and hit a tree about 75 feet from the offramp, most likely during the evening hours of Sunday, September 27. It wasn’t until the next morning that a passing motorist called police after noticing light reflecting off the car while driving in slow-moving traffic during morning rush hour.
Police and emergency vehicles arrived at the scene of the accident around 10am Monday morning, however the young man, who was a senior at Dulaney High School, was already dead. In their preliminary investigation, police believe Logan not wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash. There were no other occupants, according to police. According to the news article, Logan’s mother called Baltimore County police to report the teen missing around 9pm the night before.
Baltimore County teenager killed in crash on I-83 ramp, BaltimoreSun.com, September 29, 2009