As a Baltimore trucking accident attorney and personal injury lawyer, I know the heartache associated with the physical injuries sustained during a bad traffic accident. Most of the people we represent in the course of our work are drivers and passengers of sedans, minivans and pickup trucks. When these smaller vehicles go up against a larger motor vehicle, such as a Peterbilt, Kenworth or International semi tractor-trailer rig, the passenger car and its occupants usually end up losing.
While most Maryland trucking accidents result in minor to severe injuries, occasionally occupants can suffer fatal injury as a consequence of a trucking wreck. The higher the speed, the more seriously people can be hurt. Multiple vehicle crashes involving semi trucks can raise the injury or death toll at an accident scene.
A recent news article reported a multi-vehicle collision involving a tractor-trailer on Route 113 in Worchester County and Ironshire Station Road near Berlin, MD. The incident occurred just after noon during bad weather and poor visibility, which police say were contributing factors to the afternoon crash.
According to reports, a Honda passenger car and a following van both were slowing down because of the poor weather conditions when a semi struck the two vehicles from behind. The tractor-trailer then jack knifed, blocking the southbound portion of the roadway.
A passenger vehicle following the truck slowed down for the first accident and was rear-ended by a other motor vehicle. That impact pushed the vehicle into a third one, causing some minor injuries.
The chain-reaction continued as a second tractor-trailer rig slowed to a stop to avoid the second crash site, which resulted in a sport utility vehicle (SUV) crashing into the second semi. The SUV was subsequently hit from behind by a pickup truck. Several drivers in all were taken to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The drivers of the two semi trucks were not injured.
The three related accidents, which resulted in a total of nine damaged vehicles, caused Route 113 to be closed for nearly two hours while emergency crews cleared the wreckage.
Multi-Vehicle Crash in Worcester County, WBOC.com, February 11, 2010