As Maryland personal injury lawyers, we know of few more terrifying accidents that driver can find themselves in than a car or truck fire. While pedestrians and motorcycle riders who are hurt in traffic accidents can receive some bad injuries, being trapped in a burning motor vehicle and knowing that one’s fuel tank is filled with the equivalent of many sticks of dynamite can be a horrifying experience, and one that survivors of such events are not soon to forget.
Roadway accidents happen all over the state of Maryland and the Washington, D.C., area. But vehicle fires are not always seen, though they do occur with some frequency. As auto accident attorneys practicing in the Baltimore area, I and my colleagues are ready to assist those victims of car, truck and pedestrian accidents, as well as to assist the families who have lost a loved one following a tragic and untimely death.
A while back we heard of one accident that would likely send chills through drivers everywhere. The roadway crash in question took place on a Friday evening when a commercial tanker truck carrying a load of gasoline crashed and burned in the area of Port Deposit, Maryland. According to news reports, the incident took place around 9pm at the intersection of Main St. and Rte 222 in Cecil County, MD. According to the Maryland State Police, the tanker truck was rounding what officials describe as a “sweeping curve” as it came down a rather steep incline heading westbound from Interstate 95 on the way into Port Deposit.
The driver of the semi tractor-tractor rig apparently lost control of his vehicle, which then caused the truck to crash and spill its contents across the roadway and into the nearby area. The trucker, a resident of Maryland, was killed in the incident, according to police. Emergency response personnel from Harford and Cecil counties responded to the accident not long after receiving reports of several loud explosions and a fireball that shot up into the sky.
Maryland State Police officers from the North East Barrack stated that the 35-year-old truck driver was pronounced dead at the crash site. The victim was identified as Brandon Logan, a resident of Windsor Mill, MD. Police told news outlets that no other cars or trucks were involved in the wreck, and that no other individuals were injured as a result of the fiery crash. However, according to news reports,
148 electrical customers lost power following the roadway accident, according to a spokesman from the Delmarva Power company.
One local resident, who was not a witness to the initial crash but saw the subsequent fire, stated that it resembled a “gigantic fireball” with flames climbing up the side of the radio tower at one corner of that intersection. Following two or more large booms, the woman and her husband realized the power lines were on fire as they approached the crash scene just in their vehicle just moments after the crash.
That couple could likely count themselves luck since they and a couple other vehicles were heading into town on Rte 222 just a short time after the tanker truck crashed and exploded into flames. The woman’s husband reportedly got out of the car and headed toward some nearby homes to help anyone who may have been in danger of the gasoline fueled fire. At one point, one of the largest explosions occurred, which caused the husband to think he may not make it through the evening. Fortunately, the only casualty was the trucker who perished in the crash.
Apparently, the people who live in this area have learned to deal with threats such as this. The potential danger posed by roadway collisions and other highway accidents involving large commercial vehicles is quite high in this part of Maryland with trucks and railroad freight cars, many of which carrying hazardous materials as their cargo, travel close by the community of 700 on a daily basis.
Tanker Truck Blaze Kills 1 in Port Deposit, Patch.com, August 24, 2012
One dead, as tanker truck carrying gasoline crashes, burns in Port Deposit; BaltimoreSun.com, August 26, 2012