Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog
Even those people charged with the safety and security of others can be thrust into a situation where their lives are placed in jeopardy. Police officers, fire fighters and ambulance personnel are just a few of the civil servants that respond to automobile, commercial truck and motorcycle-related traffic accidents as part of their job to help and protect the public.
As Maryland car accident lawyers and personal injury attorneys, our experience has taught us that anyone can be injured or killed in a traffic collision. This includes experienced individuals whose job it is to keep us and our families safe. As is well known, occupants of vehicle involved in highway and urban car crashes can receive some horrendous injuries, such as internal bleeding, spinal cord damage and traumatic brain injury. That says nothing about the potential harm that can come to a pedestrian or other bystander when a vehicle goes out of control.
According to news reports, a Glen Bernie crossing guard was herself hit by a school bus when the driver allegedly failed to yield the right of way. Police reports indicate that 54-year-old Vicki Whitehead was stuck by a county school bus a little before 8am on a Wednesday morning as she was standing in a crosswalk near Point Pleasant Elementary School.
Reports indicate that Whitehead had entered the crosswalk at the intersection of Sunny Brook Dr. and Furnace Ave. to assist one of the local elementary school students cross the road. At the same time, a school bus driven by 53-year-old Linda Grant, which had previously been stopped at the intersection, made a left turn and hit the victim in the crosswalk. No mention was made about the child, who may or may not have been in the crosswalk as well.
Witnesses said that Whitehead was bleeding and semi-coherent following the incident. Emergency responders apparently found that the woman was in shock when they arrived on the scene. Whitehead was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center where she was listed at the time of the news articles as being in critical but stable condition.
It did not appear that any of the four children on the bus were injured at the time of the crash. Three other kids, who were on their way to school at the time, also witnessed the crash. According to news articles, counselors were made available to students as this type of pedestrian-related traffic accident can be a traumatic incident for children.
Crossing guard hit by school bus in critical condition, HometownAnnapolis.com, May 5, 2011