On April 24, 2012 at 4:42pm, I got a text that no parent wants from their child, “got in a car accident”. INSTANT MOM PANIC sets in. She kept reassuring me that she and her Dad were ok. As she calmed down, she started complaining of leg pain, I advised her to make sure rescue responded.

ABOUT THE CRASH:

Her Dad was bringing her home. He was traveling south on Rt.5, past Great Mills Rd, past the Children’s Memorial, and then signaled to turn left onto Bay Ridge Rd. At this time of day, Rt 5 northbound is at a virtual standstill. The northbound shoulder has become a means of travel to the impatient driver. As her Dad proceeded to make a left hand turn into Bay Ridge, a white Ford Focus, traveling down the right shoulder T-boned her Dad’s car in the passenger front door- RIGHT WHERE MY DAUGHTER WAS SITTING. Thank you God, she had her seat belt on, that the Ford Focus was low and the impact to the Taurus that her Dad was driving was low on passenger front door.

THE PROBLEM:

 Why is the illegal use of the right shoulder and right turn lane for Bay Ridge being allowed? Only a little over a month ago, St. Mary’s Sheriff’s Officer had officers at Bay Ridge Rd & Rt 5, pulling over for illegal lane use- giving tickets/warnings.
 The sheriff deputy cited her Dad with “failure to yield right-of-way;however the white Ford Focus was the one illegally traveling in the turn lane. Had the driver of the white Ford been driving a larger vehicle or been going any faster, this could have turned out HORRIBLY different!
 The deputy on scene stated that this is an ongoing issue of who can be cited, what is a turn lane to where, and even mentioned Sheriff Cameron in the conversation. Her Dad was told to NOT pay the fine and go to court to give his side of the story and to “beg-the-mercy” of the court,so as not to affect his license.
 THIS IS A MAN WHO HOLDS A “CLASS A CDL,WITH ALL ENDORSEMENTS INCLUDING HAZMAT”. DO YOU REALLY THINK HE WOULD “FAIL TO YIELD RIGHT OF WAY” SO A CAR COULD HIT HIM RIGHT WHERE HIS DAUGHTER WAS SITTING??

So, To:

Sheriff Tim Cameron, St. Mary’s County Sheriff Deputies, Maryland State Police Officers, Maryland State Highway Administration, St. Mary’s County Dept.of Public Works and Transportation: County Highways Division:

How much longer? How many more near-misses and wrecks need to occur before proper lane markings, lane signs or barriers are placed/installed? Everyone needs to work together to correct this problem. I can only hope and pray that no employee(s) of aforementioned departments,(lives or that has family that live in Bay Ridge),ever has to receive a call or text from a loved one that they have “been in a car crash”, as I had on April 24th. I sincerly hope this problem can be corrected quickly.

Thank you,
 Laurie
 A Bay Ridge Resident

FROM THE EDITOR:

Laurie,

Please check out this article: www.thebaynet.com/news/index.cfm/fa/viewstory/story_ID/26469