Runaway Car Plows Into High School Students | The Jaklitsch Law Group

Accident Attorney Jaklitsch

As four children waited for a bus to take them to Montgomery Kennedy High School, a Jetta veered off the road and hit them.

Police are still investigating the wreck, which involved a Ford Five Hundred and a Volkswagen Jetta. Apparently, the Ford driver pulled out of a gas station without adequately looking for oncoming traffic. The Ford collided with a Jetta, and the Jetta then careened out of control and onto the sidewalk. As a result, four students fell injured, and one of them left in critical condition.

This wreck is the latest one in a string of recent Montgomery County student tragedies. About a week earlier, a Northwest High School student died in a collision with a box truck as he headed to an internship opportunity. And, in 2012, a Seneca Valley High School student died while she waited for the school bus.

Pedestrian Injuries in Maryland

Their parents may not believe it, but these children were actually lucky,” remarked Maryland personal injury attorney Rick Jaklitsch, which is why it is important to hire an experienced attorney immediately. “In my experience, high-speed pedestrian collisions like this one are almost always fatal.”

The statistics support that observation. At 30mph, auto-pedestrian wrecks have about a 10 percent fatality rate. But that rate skyrockets to 90 percent if the tortfeasor (negligent driver) is traveling faster than 40mph.

Due to the serious and sudden nature of these injuries, pedestrian injury medical bills are often ridiculously high. Making matters worse, because of liability issues, many health insurance companies refuse to cover these costs.

Fortunately, an attorney can send a letter of protection to medical providers. Until the case comes to resolution, this letter defers payment. So, victims pay nothing out of pocket for medical and other expenses. As a bonus, this medical care comes from a top medical professional who’s experienced in car crash cases.

Foreseeability in Car Crash Cases

In the above story, it appears that the Ford driver may be legally responsible for the victim’s injuries, even though the Jetta actually hit the students. That’s because of the foreseeability doctrine.

Legally, tortfeasors are responsible for any damages that are a foreseeable result of their conduct or misconduct. If a tortfeasor hits another car, it’s foreseeable that the other car might careen off the road and hit a pedestrian.

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