Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog
As a Baltimore auto injury attorney and personal injury lawyer, I and my colleagues have seen all manner of severe and fatal automobile wrecks. Many crashes are caused by simple human error, while others can be the result of defective vehicle components, poor judgment, or worse, conscious decision to violate the laws of the State of Maryland.
Malicious or not, these kinds of terrible car accidents can and do claim innocent lives. Regardless of whether the accident involves an automobile, motorcycle of commercial truck, a driver who over-indulges in the consumption of alcohol, prescription medication or illegal narcotics before getting behind the wheel can many times be the cause of a deadly DUI crash. Other individuals, such as the two men implicated in a fatal car accident last month, actively choose to break the law and end up killing or maiming another person.
This latest crash combined a joyriding scenario with drinking and driving. The result was sad, yet not unexpected considering the potential for injury that high vehicle speeds and impaired vehicle operation can cause. According to the news, three innocent people are now dead as a result of a car theft gone wrong on a Sunday night.
Based on Baltimore County police reports, two men who had previously stolen a Lincoln Town Car were driving at a high rate of speed along West Ostend St. The Lincoln hit a second car carrying one female and two male passengers just after 11:30pm. The accident occurred near the intersection of W. Ostend and South Hanover streets, according to police reports.
The victims, all teenagers, were taken to Baltimore’s Shock Trauma Center but doctors were unable to save any of them. All three died early Monday morning from injuries sustained during the accident.
Police officers who were nearby when the crash occurred pursued the two suspects after they left the accident scene on foot and caught them not far from the crash. One suspect, Charles Johnson, believed to be the driver was charged with three counts of vehicular manslaughter as well as vehicle theft. News reports show that the man was also charged with possession of marijuana, a controlled dangerous substance. Authorities indicate that Johnson was already on probation for other instances of theft and records show that he did not have a valid driver’s license a the time of the crash.
At least two dead after crash with stolen vehicle, BaltimoreSun.com, November 1, 2010
Crash Involving Stolen Car Kills 3, WBALTV.com, November 1, 2010