Maryland Accident Law Blog
In a deadly Maryland motor vehicle crash that left the vehicle split in two, one Montgomery County high school student is dead and the other has serious injuries. The accident occurred on Sunday afternoon in Rockville.
The driver of the vehicle, 17-year-old Silver Springs resident Johvanny Garmendez, reportedly lost control of the vehicle, which raced down a hill and struck a tree. Garmendez survived the Maryland auto crash with critical injuries. His passenger, 17-year-old Rockville resident Thiago Andrade, was thrown from the 2003 Toyota Camry and pronounced dead at the accident site.
The Camry they were riding in split into two sections after striking a tree. Both parts rolled down the hill separately before landing in an apartment complex parking lot. Another car in the lot was damaged.
Police are trying to determine the cause of the auto crash. According to witnesses, the vehicle was driving at about 45 mph above the speed limit.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 2007 Young Drivers (Ages 15 – 20) Traffic Safety Facts
• 6,982 young drivers were involved in auto accidents where there was at least one fatality.
• 3,174 young drivers died in auto accidents.
• 252,000 others were injured.
• 1,631,000 young drivers were involved in auto crashes in which the police became involved.
• 4% of young drivers involved in auto accidents resulting in injuries had been drinking.
Driver distraction, drunk driving, and driver inexperience are just some reasons why young drivers are involved in auto accidents.
According to the Choose Safety for Life Web Site:
• Nearly 20,000 Maryland auto accidents in 2006 involved young drivers.
• That same year, there were 102 auto accidents involving young Maryland drivers that resulted in fatalities.
1 Student Killed, 1 Hurt In Crash That Halved Car, Washington Post, February 2, 2009
Young Drivers, Traffic Safety Fact Sheet, NHTSA
Young Drivers, Choose Safety for Life
Related Web Resources:
Latest on New Driver Issues, NHTSA
Maryland Teen Drivers, DMV.org
Our Maryland car crash lawyers would like to discuss your personal injury case with you.