Prince George’s County, Maryland – A two-vehicle collision unfolded late Wednesday night in Prince George’s County, resulting in the loss of life of a passenger in a Toyota Camry.
Shortly before 11 p.m., troopers from the Maryland State Police College Park Barrack responded to the crash scene, located on eastbound U.S. Route 50, just east of Maryland Route 202. Preliminary investigations indicate that a 1994 Toyota Camry and a 2004 Peterbilt dump truck were both traveling eastbound on Route 50 when the Toyota Camry rear-ended the dump truck.
The passenger of the Toyota Camry, identified as 26-year-old Joan Louise Briggs of Bowie, was declared deceased at the scene by emergency medical services personnel. The driver of the Toyota, 25-year-old Jacob Donato Roberts, also from Bowie, was transported to an area hospital for medical care.
The driver of the dump truck declined medical treatment at the scene.
The roadway was temporarily closed for approximately four hours following the collision.
The circumstances surrounding this accident remain under investigation.
Fatal Rear-end Accidents Must Be Investigated Before Drawing Conclusions
These accidents happen all the time. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, rear-end accidents account for 29 percent of collisions, resulting in severe injury or death. Unfortunately, most people, including officers and other personnel, quickly conclude that the Camry driver is at fault before an independent investigation has been performed and all potential causes disproved.
However, after decades of experience representing victims in similar crashes, I have learned that no conclusions can be drawn until after an investigation is conducted by trained legal professionals willing to explore the events leading up to the crash.
For instance, we have handled a number of cases over the years where it appeared the deceased driver was at fault when they ran into the back of another motorist. However, after investigating the crash, we determined that the driver’s brakes failed, preventing the deceased from stopping in time. While this is not as common as distraction or other causes of rear-end collisions, it should not be discarded as a cause of this crash before being properly investigated. Especially when a young woman was killed and another seriously injured.
If the brakes were faulty or had an issue, the family should be provided these answers and an opportunity to hold the manufacturer/repair company responsible for the death of their loved one.
Likewise, we have handled cases where trucking companies have forgone routine maintenance and repair at the expense of the motoring public. Trucks are required to have lighting in compliance with federal regulations to ensure the large, deadly vehicles are visible to the motoring public. It is well understood that crashing into the back of a full-sized dump truck is extremely dangerous and routinely results in serious injury and death.
If the trucking company or truck driver were operating a truck without proper lighting and limiting the driver’s ability to see the truck in the darkness, the trucking company and/or driver must account for their actions.
With the information available, we cannot determine the cause of this crash. A proper investigation must be conducted. The injured and the deceased’s family have a right to know if there was wrongdoing on the part of a manufacturer, other driver, or commercial company.
I offer my condolences to Ms. Brigg’s family during this difficult time of grief and hope for a full and speedy recovery on behalf of Mr. Roberts.
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The Ammons Law Firm represents clients nationwide in truck accident cases, with extensive experience in dealing with commercial truck accidents.
Disclaimer: This post is not legal advice. Information contained in this blog was compiled from third-party sources or is the opinion of the author. Please inform us immediately if false or misleading information is contained in this post.
