The law requires passenger car drivers and commercial truckers, among others, to be properly licensed by the state. This is not just a way for Maryland and other states to create an income stream, it’s done to make public roads safe for all people. When a driver operates a motor vehicle on a suspended license, not only is he or she is breaking the law, that person could be endangering the safety of the road-going public.
The sad thing is that the same people who break the law and are punished by having their driver’s license suspended many times go right back driving illegally on the road. Every year, residents of Maryland and other states are injured or killed by people driving illegally on a suspended license, or no license at all.
As Baltimore car accident lawyers and personal injury attorneys, we have seen the outcome of terrible highway wrecks and serious automobile collisions caused by unlicensed and unfit drivers. Fatal traffic accidents occur every day, but those that are caused by another person’s negligence can result in a wrongful death lawsuit being filed against an individual.
Not long ago, a Maryland mother, father and the couple’s two twin babies were injured in an accident caused by a taxi cab driver whose operator’s license was currently under suspension. According to news reports, 21-year-old Patricia Machuca sustained deep cuts and bruises following a near fatal multi-car and pedestrian accident out-of-state.
The crash occurred in Manhattan as Machuca, her husband and their two children were headed back to their home in Baltimore following a family reunion. Police reports indicate that the driver of a livery cab ran a red signal and struck a minivan. That vehicle in turn struck a third vehicle that then hit the Machuca family, injuring not only the woman and her husband, but also hurting the two nine-month-old babies who were being walked in a stroller on the sidewalk.
News reports following the traffic accident showed that the livery car driver was operating his vehicle under a suspended license. According to news articles at the time, both the mother and father were still recovering from their injuries and could not work. Meanwhile, one of the two infants was still hospitalized with head injuries resulting from the crash. The cabbie, Gregorio Patino, 57, was charged with several traffic-related offenses including driving on a suspended license, speeding, and reckless driving.
Mother of Twins Struck by Cabbie Breaks Silence on Horrific Crash, NBCNewYork.com, January 6, 2011