MySpace Affects Settlement
Posted on Sep 28, 2010 9:46am PDT
WTOP News has reported that a settlement involving a Bay Bridge fatal drunk driving car crash in 2009 has been reached.
John Short, 57, died on the morning of August 10, when he was forced to swerve the 18-wheeler he was driving off of the Bay Bridge to steer clear of an oncoming Camaro driven by Candy Baldwin, 19.
Ted Staples, the attorney for Candy Baldwin, says that Baldwin's insurance company will pay the award, $100,000.
Baldwin admitted to being asleep at the wheel.
An investigation ensued when photographs of Baldwin appeared on the Internet social networking site MySpace - she was shown with a bottle of liquor in her hand while behind the wheel of a car - and police became alerted to the possibility of Baldwin driving while under the influence of alcohol.
Police determined, after an lengthy investigation, that Baldwin would only be charged with traffic offenses.
Since the 2009 accident Baldwin, now 21, has married, moved to Alaska and is expecting her first child.
Staples said that Baldwin is very sorry for what happened. He then elaborated on the need for diligence when using social networking sites.
"You've got to be really careful about what you put on Facebook, because it doesn't go away. Just hitting the delete button or hide button doesn't mean it's gone."
Prosecutors and attorneys are turning to social networking site for the sole purpose of locating incriminating postings and photographs - all admissible in court. Any images put up, by anyone, whether deleted down the road or not, only need to be authenticated before use in court.
Staples continued, "When you're out with your friends you have to be cognizant of any picture taken of you. Someone else can post that picture on their wall and you have absolutely no control over who that's disseminated to. I don't care if it was there for a millisecond, if someone grabbed it, they grabbed it. If you've laid your life out there for everyone to see because you don't have the appropriate privacy settings, well, that's on you."
Baldwin's father died recently, and the Short family was made aware that she received no inheritance or assets.
The stability of the jersey support barriers, in the four-mile bridge that spans the Chesapeake Bay and is used for travel for both of Maryland's eastern and western shores, has been the subject of interest since the 2008 accident.
An earlier claim made by Baldwin's family - that was later dropped - contended that the bolts that support the bridge's protective barriers might have failed.
This is not the first time the jersey barrier couldn't stop a crash that ended with fatalities, reported the Maryland Transit Authority. Other accidents, per the Associated Press, included a gas tanker in 2004 and a truck loaded down with lumber in 2006.
If you, or someone you hold dear, has been the victim of a wrongful death or personal injury, contact a Personal Injury Attorney near you today!