If anyone needs an example of how distracted driving can result in senseless automobile accident injuries or traffic fatalities, look no further than the pages of your local newspaper. It seems that every day we read about one person or another hurt or killed by the negligence of another driver. As Maryland car accident attorneys, I and my staff recognize the need for better driver education and improved driving safety training.
Smart phones, iPods, vehicle navigation systems, even the lowly car radio; each of these devices and countless other distractions all conspire in their own way to take motorists’ attention from the primary task at hand… driving down the road in a careful and thoughtful manner. This is not just empty rhetoric; newspaper articles and television news anchors constantly describe terrible accidents that maim or kill dozens of Maryland residents every month on our roadways.
A recent story, which may not have gotten much press was that of a 30-year-old Baltimore woman who died following a bad three-car accident in Howard County as she apparently waited to turn left into a local neighborhood. According to reports, the accident occurred just before 8am in Fulton, MD, as Jasmine Ann Brisson was driving her Dodge Neon westbound on Scaggsville Road.
Police reports show that while the woman was waiting to make a left turn onto Fulton Estates Court, her vehicle was hit from behind by a much larger Ford Excursion SUV. The force of the crash pushed the economy car into the eastbound lane, where it was struck again by a Dodge minivan.
Rescue workers arriving on the scene administered medical treatment to Brisson, who was then transported to Howard County General Hospital. Sadly the woman died from her injuries at the hospital. The Grand Caravan driver was also treated at the scene but did not have any life-threatening injuries, according to the police.
At the time of the news report, police were still conducting their investigation; however preliminary findings suggest that the SUV driver may have been distracted when the large truck hit the smaller Neon passenger car. The collision was still under investigation, but based on preliminary information spokeswoman Elizabeth Schroen said the crash appears to have been caused by distracted driving
City woman fatally injured in Howard Co. crash, BaltimoreSun.com, June 8, 2010