17 Injured As Vehicle Runs Red Light
17 people were taken to an area hospital after an MTA bus was crashed into by a Lexus, ultimately landing in an apartment building in Baltimore. A dozen of the patients were not seriously injured, and another five required the Shock Trauma unit, though none had life-threatening issues. What caused the crash? Witnesses described a black Lexus that sped through a red light and smashed into the bus. As the bus driver struggled to avoid colliding with additional vehicles, it instead slammed into the apartment building.
Running Red Lights
Thousands of injuries and deaths occur every year as a result of people running red lights. The biggest danger is the potential of a T-bone collision, where one vehicle smashes into the side of another, often at high speeds. There are plenty of reasons to stay away from this dangerous choice: here are three:
1- It’s against the law. Drivers enter the road with a duty of care to other motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. Failure to live up to that duty means you could be held liable for accidents that occur due to your negligence. Clearly, a traffic ticket is the least of your worries. Loss of your license, criminal prosecution, civil suits, and the agony of knowing you caused serious harm to an innocent person could plague you for years after one reckless mistake.
2- Your own life and property are risked. Risky decisions often have perilous outcomes. That could mean a serious, even fatal outcome for others, or for you and others in your vehicle.
3- It’ll cost you. Your insurance will cover initial costs, but you, personally, may have to come up with additional funding after an accident at which you were at fault. That means that you’ll not only suffer serious financial harm—you may also lose your vehicle insurance altogether, especially if you have a history of driving issues.
It Happens A Lot
One study found that in busy intersections, someone runs a red light every 20 minutes. That rate increased during peak driving hours. Despite acknowledging such behavior is dangerous, nearly 30 percent of people surveyed admit having run a red light at least once in the last month. Who are these drivers? Among those involved in fatal crashes, the majority were male, younger drivers with a history of prior collisions and/or drunk driving violations. They were also usually speeding at the time of the collision.
After a Collision
If you have been injured because a reckless or negligent driver smashed into your vehicle while running a red light, there’s a good chance you may be entitled to significant damages to address the medical costs and more. To discuss, schedule a confidential consultation with a knowledgeable Baltimore personal injury attorney at the Law Office of Hasson D. Barnes today.
Source:
swoknews.com/ap/national/baltimore-bus-crash-involves-2-other-vehicles-injuring-17-this-bus-driver-here-saved-a/article_27e7f66f-1505-5658-b93f-5fefbfe82d1a.html
