While some Maryland truck accidents involve only the truck and another vehicle, it is not uncommon for an accident to involve several vehicles. This is because most truck accidents happen on the highway, which means these accidents often occur in close quarters and involve fast speeds. Often, inattentive motorists will not have sufficient time to react to avoid a collision and may end up causing a chain-reaction accident.
In these multi-vehicle accidents, determining which parties are legally responsible to the victims can be a difficult and complex task. For example, the obvious defendant is the driver who caused the initial accident. Establishing this driver’s liability is no different than if there were only two vehicles involved. However, there may be additional parties that bear responsibility.
If a motorist is traveling too fast for the conditions or is distracted at the time, they may not realize that traffic has slowed in front of them until it is too late. The result is often a chain-reaction accident. In these situations, the speeding or distracted motorist may also be named as a defendant.
It is important for Maryland accident victims to keep in mind that naming all of the potentially liable parties is critical to success. This is because if a party goes unnamed in a lawsuit, that gives the named defendants the opportunity to shift blame onto the non-present party. If this is successful, the victim will likely be precluded from recovery from any of the at-fault parties.
Chain-Reaction Truck Accident Kills Five
In late March, a chain-reaction truck accident claimed the lives of five people and injured several others. According to a local news report, the accident occurred in the evening hours on a congested highway.
Evidently, a U-Haul truck was involved in a single-vehicle accident and was left blocking several lanes of traffic. This caused a slow-down. About an hour after the initial accident, three semi-trucks that were approaching the traffic jam failed to stop in time and crashed into one another. A fourth semi-truck then crashed into the back of a minivan that was stopped in traffic.
Tragically, the minivan contained a family of five, four of whom were pronounced dead by emergency responders. Only the father survived. The driver of the fourth semi-truck was also killed in the collision.
Have You Been Injured in a Truck Accident?
If you or a loved one has recently been injured in a Maryland truck accident, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. The dedicated truck accident attorneys at the law firm of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers have extensive experience representing victims and their families in all types of Maryland personal injury and wrongful death cases. We offer all victims a free consultation to discuss their case and determine how we may be able to help pursue the compensation they deserve. Call 410-654-3600 to schedule your free consultation today.
More Blog Posts:
Court Refuses Defense Request for Instruction on Mitigation of Damages in Recent Truck Accident Case, Maryland Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog, published March 20, 2018.
Virginia Court Dismisses Product Liability Case Against Truck Manufacturer, Maryland Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog, published April 4, 2018.