The Baltimore Sun reported on two incidents in one night last week that involved two innocent fatalities resulting from high-speed police chases, including one 12 year-old victim. Both innocent victims were not involved in criminal behavior, but were struck by fleeing suspects. These accidents are just one of many that occur every year. A study published in the British Medical Journal analyzed crash statistics involving high-speed police chases over a nine-year period in the United States. Researchers found one-third of fatalities resulting from police chases involved innocent bystanders.
Who’s to Blame?
Innocent victims and their families are often left with damaged property and physical injuries. Who is to compensate them? The short answer is that each case in unique. As is true with any car accident, liability must be proven. Who was truly at fault? In the case of a police pursuit, more investigation is needed. Was the innocent driver ignoring police sirens? Were the police negligent in some way? Was the fleeing suspect 100 percent at-fault? The bottom line is no one is above the law, even the police. They are not allowed to violate laws, including traffic laws, even in a high speed chase. If they do, the innocent victim could receive compensation from the municipality the driving officer represents. Conversely, the fleeing criminal could be at-fault or it may be a combination of both.
An Advocate for the Innocent
Media reports frequently focus on the fleeing perpetrator and the dangerous positions many officers are put in. However, innocent bystanders are often times ignored. It’s important they have an advocate on their side. Criminal and/or civil litigation is often an option for victims. However, due to the unique nature of each accident, it’s important to have a maryland accident attorney with extensive experience representing car accident victims. The attorneys at the Law Offices of John Critzos, II have just that type of experience. Contact us before settling any insurance claims or accepting any compensation.
Tags: accident attorney, accident lawyer, anne arundel county accident attorney, anne arundel county accident lawyer, anne arundel county personal injury attorney, auto accident, automobile accident, charles county accident attorney, charles county accident lawyer, charles county personal injury attorney, d c accident attorney, d c accident lawyer, dc accident attorney, dc accident lawyer, eastern shore accident attorney, eastern shore accident lawyer, injury attorney, injury lawyer, kent county accident attorney, kent county accident lawyer, mary's county accident attorney, mary's county accident lawyer, maryland accident attorney, maryland accident lawyer, Maryland personal injury attorney, maryland personal injury lawyer, montgomery county accident attorney, montgomery county accident lawyer, motorcycle accident, oxon hill personal injury attorney, prince georges county accident attorney, prince georges county accident lawyer, prince georges county personal injury attorney, st, traffic accident, traffic crash, truck accident, virginia accident attorney, virginia accident lawyer 0 0
