Family Of Crash Victims Delaney Gaddis And Deborah Limmer Sues Baltimore County For Allegedly Ignoring Road Safety Complaints
TIMONIUM, Md. (WJZ) -- The family of a woman and a five-year-old girl who were killed while walking in a Timonium neighborhood two years ago is suing Baltimore County, accusing the county of ignoring years of complaints about an unsafe intersection.
Five-year-old Delaney Gaddis and her grandmother, Deborah Limmer, 60, died after being hit by an SUV on Girdwood Road near Dulaney High School on July 23, 2018.
"(Delaney)" was our life, our everything," her mother Jennifer Gaddis said.
"She was everything I could have possibly asked for in a daughter," she added. "She was funny, she was caring, she was sweet, thoughtful."
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Delaney often spent the night with her grandma. On July 23, 2018, video showed Limmer pushing Delaney in a stroller along Girdwood Road during an early morning walk.
Moments later, 23-year-old Callie Schwarzman hit them with her Kia SUV.
"I got a phone call at work from my brother. (It was) the worst phone call of my life," Jennifer said, tearing up.
Her brother told Jennifer her mother was at Shock Trauma and her daughter was at Sinai Hospital. When she and her husband got to Sinai, a doctor met them to say Delaney's heart had stopped beating.
The couple then learned Limmer had also died, and evidence showed she was killed trying to shield Delaney.
The crash happened right in front of Joe Hartnett's house.
"She was just writhing in pain," he recalled. "I saw something I never imagined. She had the grill of the car up her arm."
He called July 23, 2018, the worst day of his life.
"I went to the little girl. She was breathing," he said. "I was talking to her, telling her everything's going to be okay."
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Schwarzman pleaded guilty to two counts of automobile manslaughter and was sentenced to ten years in prison.
Officials said Schwarzman had THC and methadone in her system and was driving nearly 20 miles per hour over the posted 25 mile per hour limit on Girdwood Road at the time.
"I wasn't just angry with the driver; I was angry with Baltimore County when I learned about the public safety concerns the community had for years," Jennifer said.
Hartnett shared the same concerns when Jennifer stopped to meet him days after the crash.
"She just wanted to thank me for being there for her daughter and mom at the time," he said.
That meeting turned into a mission to get the county to pay attention.
"They didn't really listen to the people that lived here, the people that warned them that something bad is gonna happen," Hartnett said.
Filed community complaints date back to 1985. Since the crash, the county has installed stop signs and a median island.
Still, the family said it shouldn't have taken two deaths for the county to take action.
"This was preventable," their attorney Joe Angelos said, "if Baltimore County had simply done and complied with the standards of design, construction and maintenance of this intersection."
The family said their lawsuit isn't about the money -- damages in the case are capped -- but they're hoping to make sure the county listens to residents to prevent future tragedies.
"I'm sure it will take away some of the anger we have," Jennifer added.
During their interview with WJZ, the couple shared some hopeful news: Jennifer is 28 weeks pregnant with another little girl.
Angelos said the case could go to court within two years.
WJZ reached out to Baltimore County for comment; in a statement, the county said:
"While the county does not generally comment on matters related to pending litigation, the death of Deborah Limmer and Delaney Gaddis was a tragedy and the county continues to offer its condolences to the Gaddis and Limmer families and their loved ones."
