As a Maryland trucking and automobile accident attorney, I have a certain amount of professional experience when it comes to understanding the implications of a serious tractor-trailer traffic accident, especially where a crash involves a smaller vehicle such as an economy car, sedan or minivan. But the size of the smaller motor vehicle makes little difference since a semi is many times more massive than any passenger vehicle.
The fact of the matter is, few if any passenger cars — whether a four-door luxury sedan or a large sport utility vehicle — can withstand the crushing force of a commercial delivery truck, 18-wheeler, tanker truck or auto carrier. The bottom line is that the occupants of a passenger car or light truck are more apt to be injured or killed in such a traffic accident.
Something else that’s important to remember is that injuries suffered in automobile accidents can be non-life threatening yet pose lingering aftereffects that can last months or years, even a lifetime, after a crash. This is why it is always important to consult a personal injury lawyer following a traffic accident, if not for yourself, then do it for your family.
An example of an accident that is commonplace in congested urban areas happened not long ago when a passenger car was hit by a tractor-trailer along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. According to news reports, the accident occurred on a late Friday afternoon when a big rig semi smashed into a man’s car on the westbound lanes of the bridge.
Based on police reports, the Anne Arundel County Fire Department responded to the crash just before 5pm. Emergency personnel arriving on the scene found a 24-year-old man trapped inside his car, which apparently had been crushed by the massive semi. Firefighters had to utilize special rescue equipment to free the motorist, who reportedly suffered serious injuries that were thankfully not life threatening.
According to authorities, a Maryland State Police helicopter was used to transport the injured man to Baltimore’s shock trauma center. Meanwhile, it took another hour to clear two of the three westbound lanes of the bridge in order to get traffic flowing again. At the time of the report, police had not determined the cause of the crash and were continuing to investigate the accident.
Accident Closes Westbound Bay Bridge Span, WUSA9.com, August 21, 2010