Earlier this week, a Philadelphia man was sentenced to five years for hitting and killing a woman in a 2012 drunk-driving hit-and-run accident in Pokomoke, Maryland. According to a report by Delmarvanow.com, not only was the man drinking from a bottle of brandy as he was driving, but he was also driving with a suspended license.
Back in December of 2012, the victim had finished dinner out with a friend and was heading home when the friend’s car somehow ended up on the side of the road. As the victim stumbled from the wrecked car across the highway, she was struck by a truck that was drifting between lanes. Bystanders stopped to render aid to the woman, however, the driver did not.
The “black box” that all new cars are equipped with showed that the driver hit the woman while traveling at about 58 miles per hour and did not attempt to slow down before the collision. When police searched the scene of the accident the following day, they found a bottle of brandy and a receipt to a nearby liquor store; surveillance footage from the liquor store on the night of the accident showed the man purchasing the brandy.
New Types of Evidence Are Constantly Becoming Available in Maryland Personal Injury Cases
Years ago, there is no way a jury could have heard the exact speed at which the driver in a Maryland car accident was traveling. However, with advances in technology, such as the “black box,” juries are able to hear a more complete story. If you consider a civil trial to have a truth-seeking element to it, this is a good thing.
However, with new types of evidence comes additional rules on the admissibility of the new evidence. For example, Maryland recently developed a set of rules determining when social media postings could be admitted into evidence. This is another example of something that, ten years ago, would not have been an issue.
Generally speaking, two of the biggest hurdles that new evidence must face in its quest for admissibility are verification or authenticity and hearsay. Both of these concepts are technical in nature but—to oversimplify—both legal concepts are in pace to ensure that the evidence is what it is alleged to be and that it is reliable.
Have You Been Involved in a Maryland Car Accident?
If you or a loved one has been involved in a Maryland car accident, you may have a case for monetary damages against the driver who was at fault for the accident. In many cases, Maryland personal injury cases are not as cut and dry as they seem at first glance. This can be because of restraints on the admissibility of certain evidence, complex legal theories that are applied to some cases, or the confusing procedural rules in the Maryland justice system. To speak to an experienced and dedicated Maryland personal injury lawyer, contact the law firm of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers. The skilled and passionate lawyers at Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers are prepared to meet with you for a free initial consultation at your convenience. Click here, or call 410-645-3600 today.
More Blog Posts:
Maryland College Student Killed in Hit and Run Accident, Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog, published February 6, 2014.
Pedestrian Killed in Prince George’s County Accident, Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog, published January 20, 2014.