FATAL Accident Chaptico, Sat., 16-JAN

[Editor]

Type of Incident: Fatal Motor Vehicle Collision

Date and Time: 1/16/2016 at 0945 hours

Location: MD Rt 234 East of Knotts Lane, Chaptico, STM, MD

Vehicle(s): Vehicle #1 1998 Ford Windstar

Vehicle #2 1995 Ford F-450

Driver/passengers(s):

Driver Vehicle #1: Bruce Allen Comfort Jr W/M, 31 of King George, Va (Deceased)

Driver Vehicle #2: David Clay Bowling W/M 55 of Montross, VA

Passenger Vehicle #2: Douglas Clay Bowling W/M 55 of Siler City, NC

Narrative:

On 1/16/2016 at approximately 0945 hours, Troopers from the Leonardtown Barrack responded to a reported motor vehicle collision, involving an overturned vehicle with a subject possibly not breathing.

Upon arrival, Troopers observed a Ford Windstar minivan in the roadway with extensive front end and driver's side damage. There were emergency medical personnel providing life saving measures on the operator of the minivan. The second vehicle, Ford F-450 box truck, was off the roadway with extensive driver's side damage.

The investigation revealed the Ford Windstar was traveling westbound Rt 234 (Budds Creek Rd) in the area of Knotts Lane, when for unknown reasons it left the roadway. The Ford Windstar continued traveling in the ditch/culvert and then re-entered the roadway. It crossed over into the eastbound lane. The Ford F-450 was traveling eastbound and attempted to take evasive maneuvers to avoid striking the Ford Windstar, but was unable to do so. The vehicles subsequently collided in an off-set head-on collision. After the collision, the Ford Windstar came to a final rest in the roadway and the Ford F-450 traveled off the roadway and overturned once. The Ford F-450 came to a final rest on its wheels off the roadway.

Comfort was pronounced deceased on the scene by medical personnel at approximately 1024 hours. The occupants of the Ford-F-450 had minor injuries and were going to be treated at Medstar- St. Mary's Hospital.

The collision investigation is being conducted by Tpr. Manning of the Leonardtown Barrack.

 

[officeguy]

The Ford Windstar is basically a tent on a motorized platform. In the last year of production, Ford was pretty much giving them away.

 

[littlelady]

The Ford Windstar is basically a tent on a motorized platform. In the last year of production, Ford was pretty much giving them away.

This is why I miss my grandpa 1995 Land Rover Discovery that I donated 2 years ago to Purple Heart. I felt so safe in that double steel body. I have a Toyota 4 runner now that is 12 years old (we bought for daughter to have at Frostburg, but have gotten it back) and love it as well for the safe feeling it gives me. I haven't bought a car in so long, I wouldn't know what to pick. All the crap about cars, air bags, brakes, and lying by auto manufacturers makes me leery of buying another car some day. Hopefully, I won't have to. RIP to the person that lost their life in this accident.

 

[glhs837]

An egg in a steel cage is gonna have a bad day in a crash, LL. You can doubt modern safety tech ask you wish, but the survival rates for crashes is much better than it was. People walk away from what would have been fatal crashes 20 years ago all the time.

 

[David]

It seems that there are a lot of accidents these days where people are driving down the road and all of a sudden they lose control and run off the road or hit some else for no obvious reason. We never seem to hear what the root cause was.

A few years ago I heard an explosion and the power went out. Some minivan had run off the road all by itself and took out a power pole and the transformer exploded. Middle of a sunny summer day. Coming back from Mechanicsville a few months ago there was a car that had run off the road and hit a power pole, all by itself.

There are also plenty of single vehicle accidents being reported in the news.

What is going on? Are they people having a medical emergency? falling asleep? zoning out? texting? mechanical failure? dieing behind the wheel?

It seems unusual, but, maybe its not.

If they are texting, or cell phoning, and the police establish that was the cause of the accident, and someone else is hurt, they should revoke the driver's license for 5 years or more, if they live. Forever, if someone else dies.

 

[officeguy]

In this case, the distracted driver is dead. No point in fining him.

 

[kwillia]

In this case, the distracted driver is dead. No point in fining him.

But hopefully his insurance/estate can cover the cost of what was obviously a service truck full of tools and equipment and most likely the livelihood of one or both of those in the truck.

 

[dixiepeach]

Cars travel WAY TOO FAST on Budds Creek Rd ALL THE TIME!!!!!! The police need to set up radar on a daily basis.

 

[DoWhat]

Cars travel WAY TOO FAST on Budds Creek Rd ALL THE TIME!!!!!! The police need to set up radar on a daily basis.

Why?
Is that going to stop accidents?

 

[luvhh]

This seems like some kind of medical incident, from the description of the accident, and the fact he was not breathing from the onset. Maybe a seizure?

 

[officeguy]

But hopefully his insurance/estate can cover the cost of what was obviously a service truck full of tools and equipment and most likely the livelihood of one or both of those in the truck.

The box truck looks like it rolled. They are lucky that they survived.

 

[glhs837]

Cars travel WAY TOO FAST on Budds Creek Rd ALL THE TIME!!!!!! The police need to set up radar on a daily basis.

You realize that the odds of this having anything to do with the accident in question is pretty low. Want to bet that speed causes very few of the crashes on that road? I know people drive stuipd fast, but as fas as using enforcement actions to enhance safety, that's a poor way to go, I think.

 

[itsbob]

You realize that the odds of this having anything to do with the accident in question is pretty low. Want to bet that speed causes very few of the crashes on that road? I know people drive stuipd fast, but as fas as using enforcement actions to enhance safety, that's a poor way to go, I think.

Obama needs to sign an executive action to require all cars be retrofitted with lane sensing and emergency braking systems.. we can pay for it from the Obamacare fines fund.

 

[officeguy]

This seems like some kind of medical incident, from the description of the accident, and the fact he was not breathing from the onset. Maybe a seizure?

Doesnt sound like that at all. Did you look at the pictures ? He wasnt breathing because his van collapsed around him. 'Not breathing' is dispatch speak for 'dead'.

 

[PeoplesElbow]

It seems that there are a lot of accidents these days where people are driving down the road and all of a sudden they lose control and run off the road or hit some else for no obvious reason. We never seem to hear what the root cause was.

Generally someone drifts off the roadway and it pulls them farther off the road so they jerk the wheel to get back on, instant over correction and they shoot across the road.

Best thing to do in such a situation is let off the gas, grasp the wheel firmly and slow way down or simply stop before re-entering roadway.

My aunt had such an accident in the 60's but lived to tell the tale, she just missed the oncoming car and ran through a fence and into a barn on the other side of the road.

On a related note I was on I-85 just around Dinwiddie VA in the right lane, a car in the left lane went by me and drifted to the left, the soft shoulder pulled it farther to the left and it smacked the guard rail, pieces went flying. He jerked the wheel and came over in my lane, luckily I was slowed down because I could tell what was going to happen, dumbass just kept driving with pieces of his almost new car all over the road.

 

[dixiepeach]

You realize that the odds of this having anything to do with the accident in question is pretty low. Want to bet that speed causes very few of the crashes on that road? I know people drive stuipd fast, but as fas as using enforcement actions to enhance safety, that's a poor way to go, I think.

Yes, I think using law enforcement to slow the traffic on Budds Creek rd would be useful. Yes.

 

[glhs837]

In what way? If speed isn't causing the crashes, then how is it useful to slow people down?

 

[ginwoman]

Why?
Is that going to stop accidents?

I totally believe it would help.

 

[vince77]

I totally believe it would help.

drop the speed limit to 45 mph. Gives distracted drivers more time to react.

 

[PeoplesElbow]

drop the speed limit to 45 mph. Gives distracted drivers more time to react.

When I go through there at 65 I often have people blow by me, some even risk passing with oncoming traffic.