Maryland Injury Attorney Blog

A county police officer involved in a Harford County hit-and-run accident that took a man's life may face up to seven years in prison. Officer Dane Hall, 29, of Perryville, Maryland, plead guilty to negligent homicide while intoxicated in addition to leaving the scene of an accident in the death of Antonio Martinez, 28.

In this unfortunate case -- as we Maryland car accident lawyers have seen time and time again -- the lives of not one but two families are changed forever when someone's alcohol-impaired driving causes a car accident that takes someone's life.

According to news reports, Hall admitted he had been drinking with several other police officers at an after-shift party the night of January 27, 2008. Hall left the party in the early morning hours of Jan. 28 and drove his Nissan Pathfinder into the back of Martinez's Ford Explorer on I-95 near the Maryland House rest stop. The impact sent the Explorer spinning out of control before it flipped over and landed in the southbound lane.

Officer Hall claimed that though he thought he hit something and knew his airbag deployed, he didn't see anything and drove his vehicle home. State Police found his license plate in the wreckage, linking Hall to the fatal accident. Hall will be sentenced July 24 and could face up to 7 years in prison -- the maximum sentence allowed in the plea agreement with the state.

This case of a Harford County, Maryland police officer convicted in a fatal hit-and-run drunk driving accident shows that alcohol-impaired driving can affect anyone, regardless of their profession.

Harford County, Maryland Car Accident Statistics
According to National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) data gathered for the year 2007...

• Of the 29 traffic fatalities in Harford County, 6 deaths involved alcohol-impaired driving.
• In comparison, Harford County drunk-driving deaths were lower than in neighboring Baltimore County, which saw 31 traffic fatalities due to alcohol-impaired driving (urban areas in Maryland have a higher traffic fatality rate than in rural areas). In nearby Carroll County, 1 of the 21 traffic deaths was due to drunk driving.
• The state of Maryland had 614 traffic fatalities during that year, and of those, 179 deaths were attributed to drunk driving.

County officer guilty in fatal wreck
HometownAnnapolis.com April 18, 2009

NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts for Maryland 2003-2007 (searchable by county)

Related Web Resources

Harford County, MD, Government Home Page

Maryland State Police

Posted by Jeff Butschky | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Automobile Accidents , Drunk Driving Accidents , Settlements & Verdicts , Wrongful Death

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In what is most likely the largest individual settlement of its kind, the State of Maryland agreed this week to settle the suit of a 6 year old child abused while in foster care. Presently, the severely brain-damaged boy, Brandon, is confined to a hospital bed in his Southwest Baltimore home, where he requires daily dialysis and tube feeding. In July of 2004, young Brandon sustained his horrific injuries when a teen age girl in his foster home with a history of violence allegedly slammed his head into a set of concrete steps. Amazingly, the Department of Social Services had removed another child from the same foster home in 2003 due to abuse by the same teenager, but for reasons unknown the home was re certified later that year. Brandon was placed in foster care in May of 2004 after his mother suffered a sickle-cell anemia episode, while she was in the Maryland Witness Protection Program. Prior to sustaining his brain injuries, Brandon also had his arm broken, a fact also missed by DSS.
This settlement is long overdue, and clearly highlights the ongoing problems with Maryland Social Services. It is unfortunate that preventable tragedies like this are allowed to occur. It is even more sad that the State of Maryland has to be forced to acknowledge the extent of the problem through litigation. Kudos to Brandon's legal team for this groundbreaking settlement.

Posted by Jeff Butschky | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Settlements & Verdicts

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