Serious trucking accidents; we’ve all seen them on the evening news with mangled metal, twisted vehicles and scorched pavement and crushed or burned-out cars. But what happens after a severe semi tractor-trailer crash? Once the victims have been taken to the hospital; after the fatalities have been tallied and the relatives notified of the tragedy; now the grieving begins.
As a Maryland personal injury attorney representing victims of commercial truck accidents, I understand all too well the pain and anguish that families are left with following the severe injury or death of a loved one. As Baltimore truck crash lawyers, I and my colleagues know that negligence is often a factor in these kinds of accidents.
In fact, even if a truck driver is not charged in a criminal court, the family of an 18-wheeler crash can still sue for wrongful death in a civil court. One important thing to keep in mind after such a terrible crash is not to speak with the other party’s insurer until you explore your legal options with a qualified auto injury attorney.
Recently, a multi-truck collision resulted in the death of one person and injuries to three other people. According to news reports, the crash on Rte 50 occurred on a rainy afternoon not far from Annapolis, MD, when a Penske moving van apparently left the roadway and struck another commercial truck parked on the shoulder.
Based onpolice reports, William Edward Comegys, Jr., Rigoberto Domingos-Ayala and Jose Rohas Santa-Cruz had pulled their ‘96 Izuzu box truck off to the side of the road to fix a broken windshield wiper. The truck, belonging to Ebb Tide Tent & Party Rentals, was stopped when it was hit by the westbound Penske truck just before 1pm.
The moving truck, which was being driven by Robert Frederick Lee, hit the rear of the box truck injuring the occupants of both vehicles. Emergency response personnel arrived at the scene to find Comegys suffering from life-threatening injuries. The Penske driver and the other two Ebb Tide employees — Domingos-Ayala and Santa-Cruz — reportedly suffered serious injuries in the crash.
EMS crews treated and transported all four of the victims to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore via ambulance because weather conditions reportedly had grounded the rescue helicopters at the time of the crash. According to police, Comegys went into cardiac arrest on route and his ambulance was redirected to Baltimore Washington Medical Center in Glen Burnie. Sadly, doctors could not help Comegys who died from his injuries.
Although police did not know at the time of the article what caused the Penske vehicle to veer off the road, defective vehicle equipment could be one reason. Until the results of a complete investigation are known, judgment on the cause will have to wait.
1 killed, 3 injured in Rt. 50 crash, HometownAnnapolis.com, September 28, 2010