A tragic set of circumstances led to the untimely death of a Bowie man and his young daughter on Interstate 70 last week. According to Maryland State Police, the deadly collision happened in Lisbon around 6:30 p.m. on June 30 near the Route 97 exit. While traveling in his 1929 Ford Model A, Richard Dashiell, 62, and his 10-year-old daughter were hit from behind by a 2007 Dodge driven by Paul Davis of Glen Burnie.
As a Maryland auto accident law firm, we have had experience with situations not unlike this one. Of course, summertime offers many great opportunities to get those vintage and antique vehicles out of the garage and onto the road. Unfortunately, today’s cars, trucks and SUVs are faster and sometimes larger and heavier than older antique autos. Combine this with all the “normal” dangers of everyday driving and owners of vintage vehicles must be extra careful to avoid inattentive drivers and hopefully prevent an automobile accident.
Sadly, in this case, even though the Model A’s driver was apparently following the proper procedures, he still could not avoid this crash. According to news reports, eye witnesses told police that Dashiell’s vehicle was traveling in the far right-hand lane of the interstate at about 50 mph prior to being hit from behind. Police also said that Dashiell’s car had a “Slow Moving Vehicle” sticker on the rear window.
As a result of the crash, Dashiell and his daughter, Amelia, were both thrown from the vehicle as it was flipped on its side by the impact. Many owners of older, vintage cars choose not to retrofit seatbelts to their vehicles, so this may have been a contributing factor in the fatality. Police said the driver of the other vehicle was not injured and no charges have as yet been filed, although the accident is still under investigation.
Bowie Man, Daughter Dead in Antique Car Crash, WashingtonPost.com, July 3, 2009