It’s a fair bet that anyone who drives here in Maryland travels at one time or another on an undivided highway or high-speed surface street. As human beings most of us don’t dwell too much on the potential carnage that could result from a head-on car collision at almost any speed, much less highway speeds. Sometimes it takes a certain lack of imagination to venture out onto roads with no barriers separating opposing traffic lanes.
Of course, it goes without saying that accidents can and do happen on a rather regular basis in rural areas as well as urban locales such as Gaithersburg, Bowie, the District and Rockville. As a Maryland personal injury law firm, I and my legal team represent victims of automobile, motorcycle and commercial trucking accidents. In cases where a family has lost a loved one to a traffic accident caused by the negligent act of another motorist, we can help pursue a wrongful death claim against the responsible parties.
Nothing is permanent in this life, but the loss of a life through a senseless or preventable act is one of the more tragic ways to lose a parent, child, friend or colleague. While accidents happen all of the time around this country, car and motorcycle wrecks can result in serious injuries, permanent disability or even death. Whether a family has had a loved one die on a Maryland highway, or be injured with weeks or months of medical treatment and rehabilitation ahead of them, it is always a wise choice to contact a qualified injury attorney before talking with the other driver’s insurance company.
In cases of wrongful death, much may be at stake, especially if the deceased was a primary breadwinner for his or her family. We are constantly reminded of the void that is left when a father or mother is killed in a car or commercial truck collision. One story we ran across earlier this year illustrated the suddenness and finality that certain auto accidents can produce.
According to news reports, a 47-year-old motorist died following a fatal roadway collision when a tractor-trailer rig hit the man’s vehicle along a stretch of Rte 22 in Harford County, MD. Based on news reports the accident occurred just after five in the morning near the Beards Hill Rd. intersection. The 18-wheeler, driven by a 38-year-old Pennsylvania trucker collided with the victim’s ‘06 Chevy sedan.
The victim, Robert Simmons, a resident of Aberdeen where the crash took place, had to be extracted from car by local firefighters. The victim was taken to Harford Memorial Hospital in Havre de Grace, MD, but doctors could do nothing for the man. The truck driver was reportedly uninjured in the accident, according to a police spokesperson.
Although not much information was known at the time of the news article, an accident of this kind could have been caused by driver error, or possibly some kind of mechanical problem with one or both vehicles. In cases where a steering or braking system component has failed, either due to a design or manufacturing flaw, there is always a chance that a products liability suit may be in the offing.
Of course, a wrongful death lawsuit or other action against one or more negligent parties would have to wait for a complete police report of the wreck following an accident investigation by the local police department, in this case the Aberdeen PD in coordination with the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Crash Team, as well as the state’s Commercial Vehicle Inspection Team.
Man dies in crash at Route 22, Beards Hill Road in Aberdeen; BaltimoreSun.com; January 26, 2012