Personal responsibility is one of the more important facets of a civilized society. As we see every day, individuals who are negligent and cause damage to property or injury to another person are routinely expected to own up to their mistake and make amends to the victim and/or his family. This is the civilized thing to do; however, when someone does not follow the law, then the law provides avenues for the victims to recover damages resulting from that negligent or willful act.
As parents everywhere know, teenagers of driving age can be a concern almost daily. A driver’s license or even a driving permit represents, for many, freedom from the constraint of the home and parents. And while a driver’s license may be a rite of passage in our modern world, this new-found independence can be frightening for mothers and fathers.
A car, pickup truck or motorcycle can offer a young person much more than a way to get around, it can also become a social gathering point; but this may be where the danger starts for a young person just getting a taste of his or her independence — as every mature adult understands, teenagers do not always possess the same commonsense that the rest of us take for granted after years of life experience.
As Maryland personal injury lawyers, we understand how a car full of teens can lead to distraction and potentially dangerous driving situations. Sadly, this potential scenario continues to be played out in the real world, with real world consequences, every year. Under normal circumstances, it’s not uncommon for young children and minors to be hurt as a result of auto and trucking accidents. Although kids are resilient, thousands of children are sent to hospitals nationwide each year because of poor or negligent driving.
The reason we mention this is because of a news reports a short while back; a report that covered a multiple-injury traffic accident involving just one vehicle filled with young people aged 17 to 19 years of age. According to the news, the accident involving these teens occurred early on a Sunday morning in November just after midnight. Baltimore County Police stated that a ’96 Toyota Tercel was carrying five teens at the time its driver apparently lost control, causing the car to leave the roadway.
The vehicle was reportedly traveling westbound along a stretch of Philadelphia Rd. prior to sliding into a nearby drainage ditch, hitting a concrete embankment and finally hitting a utility pole, according to news articles. At the time of the news report, police were still carrying out an investigation, however initial comments indicate that speed was likely a contributing factor in the crash; there was no mention of any mechanical problem that may have also resulted in this single-vehicle wreck.
The driver and one of the other victims sustained what authorities termed were life-threatening injuries. Based on reports, the 17-year-old male driver from Dundalk and an 18-year-old male from Reisterstown were in critical condition following their arrival at Maryland Shock Trauma. The two were transported by medevac helicopter, while the other three occupants, were treated by emergency responders and then taken by ambulance to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center for further observation and medical attention.
2 Teens Critically Injured in Philadelphia Road Crash, Patch.com, November 14, 2011