Fatal Hit and Run Accident Kills Pedestrian in Bel Air

            Last Friday night, a mother and her daughter were crossing route 40 at Maryland Route 7 in Bel Air when the mother was hit by two different cars.  The first car that hit her never stopped, but the second car stopped immediately to see what happened.  Very little information is known about the first vehicle.  The victim’s daughter says the car was a passenger vehicle with damage to the front end and windshield.  In the area of the accident, there are no crosswalks for pedestrians, so it is unlikely that the victim was using a crosswalk at the time of the accident.

Pedestrian safety affects everyone at all times of the day and on all types of roadways.  Many pedestrian accident injuries and fatalities are caused by intoxication or inattentiveness (i.e. texting while walking) on the part of the pedestrian.  However, sometimes there are negligent drivers who run through a crosswalk filled with people, hit someone, and keep driving.  In this case, it is unclear if the pedestrian was at fault because it does not appear that there was a crosswalk.  Another important aspect of pedestrian accidents is that if the pedestrian contributes to the accident in any way, he or she cannot recover any compensation.  This is referred to as contributory negligence.  Sadly, numerous fatal pedestrian accidents occur when the pedestrian is not in a crosswalk and they are not able to collect any compensation from the at-fault driver.  In a hit-and-run accident, the driver will still face criminal charges, but the victim’s family will not be able to recover any damages as a result of the accident because the pedestrian contributed to the accident by not using a crosswalk.

If you or a family member has been injured or killed by a driver as a pedestrian and would like to consult an experienced Maryland personal injury attorney for free, contact our office at (301) 854-9000 to schedule an appointment at one of our office locations in Bel Air or throughout Maryland or visit us online at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Personal-Injury/