Maryland Accident Law Blog
Five teenagers died in a fiery motor vehicle collision on Tuesday when the SUV they were riding in struck a tractor-trailer. Bailey Goodman, Hannah Congdon, Meredith McClure, Katherine Shirley, and Sarah Monnat had been members of Fairport High’s varsity cheerleading squad in New York, although Shirley left the team following her freshman year.
The girls were headed to a vacation home along Keuka Lake when the sports utility vehicle that they were riding in swerved into ongoing traffic and crashed into the tractor-trailer. Both vehicles then crashed into a fence next to a bed-and-breakfast outside East Bloomfield. The five girls died in the fiery collision. Four friends traveling in another motor vehicle witnessed the deadly crash. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not hurt.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
An investigation to determine who is at fault will have to take place anytime there is a motor vehicle collision and someone is seriously injured or killed.
A person who sustains serious injuries from an SUV, truck, car, or motorcycle accident because someone else was at fault may have grounds to file a personal injury claim. If someone was killed in a traffic accident because another person was negligent, the victim’s family members may have grounds to file a wrongful death lawsuit.
A good personal injury lawyer can determine who was at fault for causing the accident. He or she also has the knowledge, tools, and experience to figure out if a defect in the vehicle caused the accident and a manufacturer or distributor is to blame. Common grounds for a motor vehicle product liability claim include defective tires, defective airbag, defective seatbelts, and defective breaks.
Recovering from an accident is stressful enough without having to worry about medical or recovery costs.
If you or someone you love was hurt in Maryland or Washington D.C., contact Lebowitz and Mzhen today. We are known for getting great results for our clients in all areas of personal injury.
Town mourns 5 cheerleaders killed in fiery crash, CNN.com, June 28, 2007
Crash Kills 5 NY High School Grads, ABC News.com, June 28, 2007