Earlier this month, an accident on Route 340, near Frederick, MD, claimed two lives and injured four others. According to a report by Your4State.com, the accident occurred on a Saturday afternoon when one vehicle inexplicably crossed the median of the highway and collided with another vehicle head on. After the two vehicles crashed into each other, one of the cars collided with a third vehicle.
The drivers of the two cars that collided head on both were pronounced dead at the scene. Four other passengers, including two minors, were taken to the Johns Hopkins and Frederick Memorial hospitals with non-life threatening injures.
Police spent several hours on the scene of the accident, attempting to piece together what happened, and why it happened. One trooper on the scene described the investigative efforts as follows, “The investigation is very preliminary at this point. Essentially we’re mapping, diagramming the scene, taking photographic evidence, measuring skid marks, everything that we use to determine what actually occurred.”
Accident Scene Investigations
As you can tell by the State Trooper’s explanation above, Maryland takes fatal car accidents very seriously and devotes an enormous amount of resources into determining who is at fault for fatal car accidents and why the accident occurred. Not only is this information helpful to the State of Maryland to determine traffic patterns as wel as whether there are problems with road conditions, inadequate signage, confusing intersections, etc., but it also helps determine civil and criminal liability for fatal Maryland car accidents.
Without these extensive investigations, police may not know when drivers were acting outside the bounds of the law. This includes drunk driving, reckless driving, driving while texting, etc. In addition, such an investigation assists the accident victim (or their family, in the case of a fatal accident) of determining who is at fault and helps them put together their case for recovering damages from the responsible party.
Civil Liability in Maryland Car Accidents
Whenever a driver’s negligence causes a car accident, the victim of that accident is entitled to monetary damages to compensate them for their medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. However, Maryland laws are unique in several ways and may act to prevent some accident victims from recovering if they are not able to prove that they are free of fault. This makes consultation with an experienced Maryland personal injury attorney a near necessity.
Contacting a Maryland Personal Injury Attorney
If you or a loved one has recently been involved in a serious or fatal Maryland car accident, you should speak to one of the dedicated Maryland personal injury attorneys at the law firm of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers. The skilled and experienced attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen understand the nuances of Maryland negligence law and will be able to effective and efficiently counsel you through the Maryland civil justice system. To speak to a dedicate personal injury attorney today, click here, or call 410-654-3600.
More Blog Posts:
If Passed, “Jake’s Law” May Increase the Penalties for Cell Phone Use Resulting in an Accident, Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog, published March 7, 2014.
Fatal Crash In Hagerstown Caused By Improper Passing, Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog, published February 28, 2014.