Walking home tonight, just outside my building, a quick squeal shot into the night behind me, quickly followed by a crash of some sorts. Sure enough, two cars had collided at the intersection of 16 & Crescent.
For those not in the know, 16th Street NW in DC holds the title of the city’s “meridian.” 16 splits the DIstrict’s diamond straight up the middle, and by that nature carries a decent load of traffic. At the right time of day, one might zip up and down 16 rather speedily. Most intersections, if not all, benefit from traffic lights. 16 & Crescent certainly does. And those turning out of Crescent don’t get the green all too often. And Crescent only exists on the west side of 16, as the Meridian Hill Park encompasses a number of blocks along the east.
I couldn’t tell you which car was coming out of Crescent and which was speeding up 16, really, I only witnessed the aftermath. A bystander informed me that the driver going north on 16 ignored the red light, or maybe tried to beat the red and gave up hope of slowing down… doesn’t matter. Who ever zipped up 16 ran the red and collided with the driver making a legal turn out of 16.
But what was on my mind? I’ll tell you: questions. Does DC follow a contributory negligence rule? Partial negligence? Did the driver coming out of Crescent owe a duty to himself and others to be more cautious when turning onto such a major thoroughfare? Has DC adopted a no-fault insurance scheme in the style of Massachusetts’?
I’d rather ponder these questions than “Am I getting sick?” I really don’t want to know the answer to that one.
