Officials in Maryland have confirmed reports that the car that sideswiped the tractor-trailer that fell off the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on August 10 was driven by a 19-year-old woman that fell asleep at the wheel. The driver, Candy Lynn Baldwin, was also injured in the catastrophic auto crash, which killed truck driver John Short. The Maryland medical examiner’s office cited drowning and multiple injuries as the trucker’s cause of death.
Baldwin has undergone several surgeries since the accident and will likely undergo more. According to NBC4.com, she also faces a wrongful death lawsuit from the accident.
Baldwin’s Chevrolet Camaro struck the large truck after crossing the center line. The impact of the collision caused the 40,000 pound tractor-trailer to crash through the jersey wall and drop into the Chesapeake Bay. The accident happened at around 4am and when traffic moving in both directions were sharing the bridge’s eastbound span.
Meantime, the Maryland Transportation Authority is continuing to investigate the accident. Just last week inspectors were examining the bridge. According to Maryland Transportation Authority chief engineer Geoffrey Kolberg, “We have no doubt about the safety of the bridge, but we will do as thorough a job as possible.”
If you believe that you were injured in a motor vehicle accident because another party was negligent, you should speak with an experienced Baltimore personal injury lawyer right away. There may be more than one party that is liable for your injury accident, and our car crash lawyers can explore all avenues of recovery for you.
If someone you love has died in a truck crash, car collision, motorcycle accident, or bus crash that you believe occurred because someone was reckless, negligent, or careless, a Maryland wrongful death lawyer can speak with you.
Bay Bridge Lane Closes; State Inspection Follows Fatal Crash, BaltimoreSun.com, August 19, 2008
Woman Faces Civil Lawsuit In Fatal Bay Bridge Crash, NBC4.com, August 21, 2008
Related Web Resources:
Bay Bridge, Maryland Transportation Authority
Truck Driver Dies In Bay Bridge Crash, WashingtonPost.com, August 10, 2008