Any traffic death is a tragedy, but those automobile accidents that take a young, promising life are all the more horrendous. As a Maryland car accident lawyer, I try to help the families of these victims find some sort of closure. Though nothing can bring back a loved one killed in a car or truck accident, the monetary awards that some victims receive can help the family to recover after a loss of this magnitude. News of a recent traffic death on the GW Parkway illustrates the senseless waste of human life that an auto accident can inflict.
According to reports, 22-year-old Ashley Roberta was killed in late October when the sport utility vehicle she was riding in crashed into a metal guardrail on the parkway around 3:15am. The University of Maryland graduate was pronounced dead at the scene.
Roberta, a native of Phoenix, Maryland, graduated from the university last May with a degree in criminology. She reportedly had planned to attend law school and was interviewing for a job as a paralegal, according to a friend and senior family advisor.
Police reports indicate that the single-vehicle accident occurred on the southbound side of the George Washington Parkway near the Memorial Bridge where the parkway crosses Boundary Channel. The vehicle was carrying three people including U.S. national team soccer star, Charlie Davies.
At the time of the reports, police had not finished assessing the scene, but initial reports point to either driver error or a mechanical failure caused perhaps by defective vehicle equipment. The force of the crashed crash split the SUV in two, causing severe injuries to Davies and the unidentified female driver, and killing Roberta.
Davies was critically injured with a broken tibia and femur and fractures to the face and elbow. He reportedly underwent six hours of surgery and was initially listed in serious but stable condition. At the time of the reports, he was expected to recover. There was no information at the time on the condition of the driver of the vehicle.
The accident was so horrific that the sport utility vehicle the three were traveling in was litterally ripped in half, requiring two tow trucks to haul the wreckage away.
The girl ‘everyone wants to talk to’, DiamondBackOnline.com, October 20, 2009