Maryland Accident Law Blog
A Hagerstown man died on Monday afternoon in Ringgold Pike in northern Washington County when the 2005 Honda Pilot SUV he was riding in was struck by a Ford Explorer in a head-on collision. Paul Allen Vanderford died at the accident scene. The driver of his car was his 15-year-old daughter who had her learner’s permit.
A head-on collision is a frontal impact collision and considered to be a major cause of death in car accidents. The impact can be very violent.
There are several kinds of frontal impact collisions:
• Colliding with an oncoming vehicle (head-on crashes)
• Colliding with the back of a motor vehicle
• Collision with a nonmoving object
• Colliding with the side of another motor vehicle
The kind of motor vehicles involved, whether the vehicles were moving or stationary, going slow or fast, whether the vehicles involved had airbags, and whether passengers were wearing seatbelts are all factors in determining the severity of the accident and the kinds of injuries that can result.
When someone you love is killed in a car accident because another party was negligent, you may be able to file a wrongful death claim against the liable person or persons.
Other kinds of wrongful death cases may stem from medical malpractice incidents, airplane fatalities, other kinds of motor vehicle crashes, criminal attacks, products liability deaths, fatal exposure to toxic substances, and death while involved in a supervised activity or because of exposure to dangerous conditions at work.
In a wrongful death lawsuit, your case goes to a Maryland court. A judge and a jury will rule on the kind and amount of damages that you, the surviving family member, are entitled to. Lost inheritance prospects, funeral and medical costs, and loss of financial support and benefits are some of the factors taken into consideration when determining damage amounts in a wrongful death case.
Parents, children, and the surviving spouse are allowed to bring wrongful death claims in Maryland.
Two die in separate crashes, Herald-Mail.com, July 31, 2007
Related Web Resources:
Summary of Wrongful Death and Intestacy Statutes (PDF)
If you have been injured in a head-on collision or any other kind of accident involving a car, bus, truck, or motorcycle in Washington D.C. or Maryland because someone else was negligent, contact the personal injury law firm of Lebowitz and Mzhen right away. We also handle wrongful death claims for family members who have lost loved ones in injury accidents.
Your first consultation with Lebowitz and Mzhen personal injury attorney is free.