Montgomery County car crash leaves one dead, another injured

When someone is a passenger in a vehicle, that passenger is putting his or her safety in the hands of another, assuming that driver will drive safely and without incident. That was not the case after a car crashed into a tree on Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase Village, killing a female passenger and injuring the male driver. The car crashed into the tree a little before noon last Wednesday on the southbound lanes of Maryland State Route 185, also called Connecticut Avenue, near Irving Street, according to Montgomery County police.

The accident caused all lanes to be closed between Chevy Chase Circle and Bradley Lane while police investigated the crash. According to witness reports, the car swerved before it crashed head-on into the tree. After turning her vehicle around, a witness ran to the vehicle and opened the driver’s side door before she saw flames shoot out from under the vehicle. Other witnesses struggled to locate fire extinguishers and tried to help the victims out of the burning vehicle.

When a driver causes a crash which results in serious injuries or death to his or her passengers, those passengers may be entitled to receive compensation for their injuries in the form of a personal injury or wrongful death claim for that driver’s negligence. In this case the female passenger was killed in the crash, which may be considered a wrongful death.

The woman’s surviving family members may choose to file a wrongful death action against the seemingly negligent driver of the vehicle. Family members however, may be awaiting the completion of a full investigation before deciding on whether to proceed with a wrongful death claim. In such cases it may be advisable to contact a personal injury attorney to document and preserve as much of the evidence as possible in case a trial is necessary.

Source: Kensington Patch, “Woman Killed in Chevy Chase Car Crash,” Laura L. Thornton, July 31, 2012

Our law firm is located in Rockville, Maryland, and handles a variety of personal injury and wrongful death cases that result from car accidents throughout the Washington D.C. and tri-state area. Visit our Maryland car accidents page to learn more.