Annapolis Personal Injury Law Blog
Last year, Maryland police began investigating the drowning death of a 76-year-old man. Until recently, little information about the tragedy was publicly available. It was revealed that another man present on the scene has been charged with crimes, including manslaughter, and the victim’s family may want to seek compensation in a civil court.
According to the year-long investigation, the victim was on a boat with a 54-year-old man. The victim fell overboard and drowned, and the death was originally ruled an accident. After other evidence came to light, police are now charging the 54-year-old with the death of his friend.
It seems that, after the victim fell overboard, his fellow boater did not attempt to rescue him or seek immediate help. Police say the younger man returned to his vehicle and sat there for over a half hour before calling for help or reporting the accident. The younger man allegedly took verbal responsibility for the death, saying that he was too intoxicated to try to pull the victim back into the boat. Boating under the influence is a crime in Maryland, and the man now faces criminal charges, including, but not limited to, manslaughter.
The victim’s family may now want to consider taking action in a civil court. The death, originally thought to be an accident, may have been prevented if the younger man had not been intoxicated and took immediate action to get help for the victim. Instead, he let the victim float helplessly in the river while he sat by his vehicle. The victim’s family may want to consult an attorney to help explore avenues to hold this man accountable for the death in a court of law, and they may be entitled to compensation if a favorable verdict is reached. Financial compensation can help cover things like outstanding medical bills and final expenses, which may otherwise fall upon the victim’s family who is already struggling to come to terms with loss and grief.
