Maryland Accident Law Blog
Charles County Police are looking into a multi-vehicle accident that occurred last Thursday on the 2800 block of Crain Highway in Waldorf, Maryland.
Initial reports say that on the morning of October 12, a 1989 Cadillac driven by Shirley Ann Watson, 69, is believed to have drifted into the lane where Indian Head resident Charles Hurbert Posey, 79, was driving a dump truck. The Cadillac reportedly hit the truck’s front right tire. The dump truck is then said to have gone over the median, hit a Charles County Sheriff’s Office cruiser, and struck a pickup truck driven by Fort Washington’s Donald Raymond Lloyd,60. The pickup truck is said to have flipped over as a result. A Toyota matrix driven by Waldorf’s William Curry Peel, 74, hit debris from the cruiser, while a sixth vehicle managed to avoid the multi-vehicle collision and hit a curb instead.
Lloyd was taken to Prince George’s Hospital Center by a Maryland State Police helicopter and treated for injuries. Posey and his passenger were treated for minor injuries at Southern Maryland Hospital Center.
According to Helpguide.org, senior citizens are more likely to get into multi-vehicle accidents than drivers belonging to other age groups. They are also more likely to be seriously injured when involved in a car accident:
· By age 40, people with 20/20 vision will not be able to see as well at night
· By age 60, drivers need three times as much light to see at night than they did when they were 20 years old.
Other health factors that can become impaired as a person ages:
· Hearing
· Flexibility and range of motion
· Reflexes
· Reaction time
· Cognitive and motor ability
Environmental factors that can affect a senior citizen’s ability to drive safely:
· Signs and road markings that are difficult to see or to read
· Complex and confusing intersections
· Older vehicles that lack automatic safety features
· Newer dashboard instrument panels with multiple displays
In 2001, according to Automedia.com:
· 5,113 drivers, 70 and older, were killed in motor vehicle crashes.
· People 65 years of age and older made up 18% of all traffic-related deaths.
If you are a senior citizen (or you know a senior citizen) who has been injured in a motor vehicle accident due to the negligence of another driver, you may want to file a personal injury lawsuit. Contact the law firm of Lebowitz and Mzhen, and they can assist you with a free consultation.
89 Cadi Initiates Six-Vehicle Accident Involving Dump Truck And Police Cruiser, Southern Maryland News, October 12, 2006
Senior Driving: Risk Factors, Safety Tips, And Transportation Options, Helguide.org
The Dilemma Of Older Drivers, Automedia.com
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