Articles Posted in Fatal Traffic Accidents

Maryland fatal accidents can occur for a variety of reasons. Drivers may be distracted, speeding, or even operating their vehicle under the influence. When a fatal accident occurs, the responsible driver hurts both victim and their surviving loved ones. After losing a loved one in a fatal Maryland accident, you may wish to hold the responsible party accountable through a wrongful death action.

For example, according to a Maryland State Police news report, two people lost their lives in a multi-vehicle accident. The fatal crash occurred in Prince George’s County on I-95 when a Dodge Charger in the right lane attempted to pass a tractor-trailer by moving to the middle lane. The vehicle then rear-ended a Hyundai Elantra traveling in the left lane, causing both vehicles to veer into opposite sides of the road. The Hyundai then caught fire. Sadly, the Hyundai driver and passenger died at the scene. The Dodge driver was transported to the hospital for his injuries.

How Can You Recover Damages After a Fatal Maryland Accident?

If you have lost a loved one in a fatal Maryland accident, you can bring several actions against the responsible driver. First, you can bring a wrongful death claim, which allows a victim’s loved ones to recover damages so long as the victim, had they survived, would have a claim against the driver. Accordingly, to prevail on a wrongful death claim, the plaintiff must prove the defendant owed the deceased a duty of care, breached that duty through their negligent behavior, that their negligence caused the fatal accident, and that the victim died as a result.

One of the hallmarks of reckless driving is illegal speeding. Unfortunately, the probability of death or serious injury rises with impacts at higher speeds. According to some estimates, the risk of serious death or injury doubles for every ten miles per hour over 50 miles per hour that a vehicle is traveling. As a result, pedestrians and bicyclists struck by cars driving 40 miles per hour are eight times more likely to die than a pedestrian or bicyclist struck at 20 miles per hour. A recent news report detailed a fatal car accident.

According to the news report, the crash occurred in the evening on Tuesday, June 13, when a Mercedes, operated by a 34-year-old man crashed into a Subaru, killing a couple, and causing a third car to be hit. The two people in the Subaru were a 75-year-old man and a 77-year-old woman, both of whom were pronounced dead at the scene by emergency responders. The prosecutor in the case did not state if speed was a factor in the crash, and investigators appear to be waiting for data from the Mercedes to determine the driver was speeding. Law enforcement officials did say, however, that the Subaru had very extensive damage to the side where it was hit. The driver of the Mercedes experienced serious injuries himself and was transported to the hospital. The third car struck, a Hyundai, was also hit by the Mercedes. The driver of the Hyundai experienced minor injuries and was transported to the hospital.

The case is currently being investigated as a case of reckless driving, and the driver of the Mercedes was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter and two counts of second-degree vehicular homicide. He is currently being held pending a pre-trial detention hearing in Superior Court. According to the Department of Transportation, the crash shut down Route 27 for hours on Tuesday evening, as the crash occurred during rush hour.

It is no surprise that speeding can lead to serious and devasting injuries for the driver involved in speeding and for other motorists, passengers, and pedestrians. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2020, speeding killed 11,258 people, or an average of 30 people a day. Some of the risks that result from driving a vehicle at a high rate of speed include losing control of the vehicle, the increased degree of crash severity and severe injuries, and increased economic damages. Speeding is considered a form of aggressive driving. The high rate of speeding-related accidents may be attributed to multiple factors, including road rage, alcohol-impaired driving, running late, and traffic congestion.

A recent news report revealed that there was a multi-vehicle crash in Elkton, Maryland. A Hyundai was traveling east at a high rate of speed when it struck the passenger side of a Honda Civic as the driver attempted to make a left turn. The driver of the Hyundai and the driver and passenger of the Honda were all declared deceased at the scene. The highway was closed for six hours following the crash.

What Are the Maryland Driving Laws and Statute of Limitations?

In the state of Maryland, drivers are required to abide by the maximum speed limit and also always drive at a safe speed, which is required by the basic speeding law. A driver is in violation of Maryland’s maximum or absolute speed laws if they drive over the absolute speed limit. For example, if the absolute speed limit on a particular road is set at 40 mph and a driver exceeds that limit, they are in violation of law. Additionally, in Maryland, motorists must always drive at a safe speed under the circumstances. When these laws in Maryland are violated, it can put other motorists and pedestrians, and the speeding driver, at risk. If you are injured as a result of another driver’s speeding, you may be considering bringing a lawsuit to recover damages for any injuries you suffered as a result. In Maryland, for personal injury suits, there is a statute of limitations of 3 years, or in other words, a plaintiff will have a three-year deadline by which they must file their claims, with the time period starting at the date of the car accident.

Speed limits are created in order to provide guidance for drivers on safe and reasonable speeds. Speed limits help keep drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and bicyclists safe. There are various categories of speed limits that are set for different circumstances, may be set for different roads, or that can be set for different times. According to the Federal Highway Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation, statutory speed limits are established by State legislatures for specific types of roads. This includes for interstates, rural roasts, and urban streets, and these limits vary from state to state. Statutory speed limits are enforceable by law and can be applied even if the speed limit is not posted (I.e. statutory speed limits of 25 mph in school districts).

Posted speed limits, according to the Federal Highway Administration, are those that are sign-posted along the road and are also enforceable by law. Additionally, special conditions speed limits include school zone speed limits, which are used during specific hours when children are traveling to and from school, and also include work zone speed limits. Advisory speeds are posted for a small portion, such as a sharp curve or ramp to inform drivers of safe driving speeds. A common misconception is that the federal government sets or enforces speed limit, when in actuality, this authority belongs to state and local agencies with jurisdiction.

A recent news report revealed that a two-car crash left three residents dead in Elkton, Maryland. According to the report, a 2014 Hyundai was traveling eastbound on Route 40 at a high rate of speed, slamming into the passenger side of a 2010 Honda Civic. The driver of the Honda was attempting to turn left. The Hyundai’s driver and two of the Honda’s occupants were pronounced dead at the scene. The crash is still being investigated.

Oftentimes, car collisions do not just involve two drivers on the road. Passengers, pedestrians, passersby, and police officers can also quickly become involved in accidents, especially when there are multiple vehicles involved in the crash. A recent collision in Maryland demonstrated the unfortunate effects of one driver’s detrimental mistake, a mistake that ultimately harmed several individuals and left another individual dead.

This crash re-surfaced in local news reports after the Maryland Attorney General’s office made public body camera videos from the October 8 incident. The videos show jarring images of the effects of a collision that left one individual dead and several others injured.

According to reports, officers in Baltimore were following a Honda CR-V when the car sped up and collided with two cars ahead of it. This original crash caused a chain reaction in which the cars collided with a fourth vehicle, ultimately creating a chaotic scene that confused other drivers on the road. One of the car’s passengers was a 17-year-old from Baltimore, and he ultimately died from injuries sustained in the crash.

When one accident results in multiple tragedies, sort of like a chain-reaction, it can be extremely devastating, unexpected, and scary. An initial accident between two vehicles can lead to more vehicles becoming involved in a collision. After a car accident, it is important to immediately seek medical attention when necessary and notify proper authorities, and if there are no immediate injuries that require immediate attention, it can be additionally important to ensure that all parties involved are able to move to a safe location if on a busy road or highway.

According to a recent news report, a woman recently died in Maryland after being ejected from a crash involving multiple vehicles. The accident occurred near Maryland Route 100 in the Elkridge Area. A Porsche rear-ended a Mazda, and both drivers lost control of their vehicles. A passenger in the Mazda was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene. The Mazda’s driver and three other passengers were not injured. The driver of the Porsche got out of his vehicle, attempted to cross I-95, and was struck by an oncoming vehicle. The driver was taken to Shock Trauma. As a result, Southbound I-95 was shut down for about 5 hours.

Chain Reaction Collisions and Determining the At-Fault Driver

Traffic lights play an important role in maintaining order, the flow of traffic, and the safety of road users. When traffic lights are not obeyed, it can lead to serious injuries or even death. When drivers run red lights, drivers of other vehicles or even pedestrians can, unfortunately, face the consequences of another’s actions. In addition, the drivers who run red lights also face the risk of serious injury. Red light cameras have played an important role in discouraging drivers from running red lights, with the penalty of facing fees. According to a study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), “cameras reduced fatal red light running crash rate of large cities by 21 percent and the rate of all types of fatal crashes at signalized intersections by 14 percent.” Failing to obey traffic signals can result in serious harm, which is why it is important for drivers and pedestrians to play their part by following these signals.

A recent news report revealed that Easton Police responded to a serious crash at the intersection of eastbound Ocean Gateway and Airport Road in Maryland. A 59-year-old man was attempting to turn left in his pickup truck when he had a green arrow. As the pickup truck was turning, a 27-year-old driver of a Chevrolet Tahoe hit his vehicle. According to witnesses, the driver of the Chevrolet was speeding past other vehicles that were stopped on the right shoulder. The Tahoe rolled several times along the road shoulder before crashing in a grass field. The Tahoe driver was ejected from his vehicle. As a result, he was airlifted to a Trauma center and was last known to be in critical but stable condition. The driver of the pickup truck was taken to a local hospital for minor injuries.

The Failure to Obey Traffic Signals

In devastating news, two Maryland teenagers were pronounced dead on the scene of a crash after their sedan crashed into a tractor-trailer on a highway. The driver of the sedan and the right rear passenger were the two teens who died at the scene. The third teen, who was sitting in the front passenger side of the sedan was flown to a shock trauma unit, but later succumbed to his injuries. The 71-year-old tractor-trailer driver was not injured in the crash.

Although investigations are still occurring to determine what led to the crash, initial investigations appear to reveal that the sedan was merging onto a highway in Hagerstown at a high rate of speed when it crashed into the passenger cabin of the tractor-trailer. There were no obvious signs of impairment, although this is still under investigation. The highway area near the crash was closed for almost 5 hours as state police responded to and investigated the crash.

What Does It Mean to be the “At-fault” Driver of a Car Accident?

In legal terms, if someone is considered the at-fault driver in a personal injury lawsuit, you may be wondering what this exactly means. An at-fault driver is considered liable for the car accident, and is the driver who was found to be negligent. Driver negligence can range from speeding at the time of the accident, which contributed to the accident, to texting while driving. It can also include rear-ending another vehicle, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and other actions (or inactions) that caused the accident to occur.