A 28-year-old off-duty police officer was killed in a motor vehicle accident in Clinton, Maryland recently. The early results of the investigation showed that the driver of a SUV caused the crash.
Police said the driver, a 61-year-old woman, will be charged in the death of the Prince George’s County officer, though the exact charges were not immediately announced.
Police said the officer was traveling northbound along Branch Avenue when the accident occurred at the intersection with Surratts Road. The county police chief said the woman’s SUV had been stationed in the left-turn lane, but she inexplicably then crossed several traffic lanes and hit the officer’s police cruiser. The impact sent the cruiser into a utility pole.
The officer died after being transported to a nearby hospital. The woman was taken to a different hospital and admitted with injuries not considered life threatening. Results of toxicology tests taken were not yet available.
Police said early evidence indicates the woman’s erratic driving caused the fatal accident. The officer leaves behind two children, ages 11 and 5.
Given that every indication of the accident was not the man’s fault, the survivors of the officer should consider filing a personal injury lawsuit. While nothing will compensate them from the loss of their father, the man’s children will need financial support for a number of years due to their young age. A successful personal injury lawsuit could be a start toward their financial support for the coming years. It might have been a different story had the officer was on duty, but when behaving as an average citizen, everyone deserves the same rights and protections.