• 23
  • January
    2012

We like to think of the urban environment as being relatively safe when compared with the wilds of nature. The perception may be fed by the many rules and ordinances on the books designed to protect Maryland residents from known dangers. But accidents happen unexpectedly. When they do, they can be life-altering. To recover some semblance of a normal life takes resources.

Many people aren't set to face such catastrophic situations on their own. Insurance coverage can help, but very often the insurance companies don't want to acknowledge their responsibility to pay for personal injuries or wrongful deaths. Holding them accountable may require the help of an attorney.

Hopefully that won't prove to be the case for a 46-year-old Baltimore area man. He was struck by a subway train at Lexington Market Station earlier this month after his wheelchair somehow got onto the tracks. At last word, the Maryland Transit Administration reported that the man was being treated for injuries that are not considered to be life threatening.

An official with the MTA says they have no idea how the man got onto the tracks in the first place. They say the accident occurred in mid afternoon that day. An eastbound train approached the station and, while the operator saw the man on the tracks, officials say the train didn't stop in time to avoid a collision. They say the man became trapped under the first car and it took emergency workers nearly an hour to get him free.

He was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore where the MTA says he was treated for cuts and bruises.

Source: The Baltimore Sun, "Man in wheelchair rescued from under subway car," Candus Thomson, Steve Kilar, Jan. 11, 2012