Alleges mix of methadone & other drugs missed

BELCAMP, Md. - When investigators first looked at the fatal crash on Route 543 in Harford County, they learned a car had been travelling more than 20 miles over the speed limit, it had crossed the center line and it had t-boned another car killing 64-year old Carolyn Dicocco.

It was later learned the driver, 28-year old Nicole Ashley Albers, was high on methadone, Xanax and amphetamines, and the victim’s family is now suing the methadone lab in Belcamp for failing to test her for the other drugs before dosing her with the heroin addiction drug.

"You can directly link that back to the negligent act of MATT because they had the knowledge that this person, this patient of theirs, was one who would come into the clinic having taken other drugs and then boost the methadone effect," said Attorney Karmen Slezak.

"They're more worried about taking the money for the methadone than following the procedures and checking her for drugs that could have saved our clients life," added Attorney Ronald Parker.

It’s been said that you can’t place a price on a person’s life, but Albers is now serving five years behind bars for her role in the crash, and the lawsuit is asking for $20 million in damages from the Medication Assisted Treatment Technologies, or MATT, Clinic of Belcamp.

The family is also lobbying Maryland lawmakers to create new measures to insure such a tragedy never happens again.

"There are other states whereby laws have changed that require the actual clinic to drive their patients to and from the methadone clinic so that they can get there and back safely and so that they don't harm the public at large," said Slezak.