3 Maryland teens dead, accident investigation continues

As one Maryland high school prepared for its graduation, students, families and faculty found out that three students had died in a single-vehicle crash. The three, who were members of the junior class in school, were reportedly returning from a pre-graduation event when tragedy struck. The accident investigation remains ongoing as officials attempt to ascertain the factors that led to the deaths of the teenagers.

Preliminary reports indicate that it was about 11:30 p.m. when the 17-year-old driver of the pickup truck lost control of it for an as yet unknown reason. The vehicle then left the roadway and violently crashed into a tree. When police arrived, they discovered that one of the teens was barely alive in the mangled wreckage.

The driver and another passenger, an 18-year-old man, had succumbed to the injuries they suffered in the impact. Emergency medical personnel rushed the third teen, a 17-year-old, to a hospital in the Clarksburg area, which is where the accident took place. Sadly, he, too, succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter. Authorities do not believe that impairment was a factor in the crash, but instead believe that the inexperience of the driver and speed led to it.

When the accident investigation is complete, the results could be used as evidence of negligence in wrongful death claims filed by the families of the two deceased passengers. Establishing that the driver was negligent could result in a Maryland civil court considering an award of damages to the surviving family members of each deceased passenger. Any restitution received could help with the financial losses that accompany the premature — and unexpected — death of a loved one.

Source: fox5dc.com, “3 Clarksburg High School students killed in car accident hours before school’s graduation ceremony”, June 8, 2016