In March 2019, a fatal Maryland truck accident killed a 65-year-old man and a 7-year-old boy in Hanford County, Maryland. According to the Baltimore Sun, around 7 AM one morning a tractor-trailer truck was traveling south on Route 24 in Bel Air when it crashed through a line of traffic that was stopped at a red light at the intersection with Ring Factory Road. The truck then burst into flames as it came to rest. The crash caused a pinball effect, sending cars into each other, creating some awful wreckage. Many individuals were left with significant injuries. For example, one woman suffered a traumatic brain injury in addition to severing a nerve in her head. And, tragically, the man and the second-grader were killed.
While this Maryland truck accident made serious headlines in 2019, it fell out of the public eye in the ensuing years. But recently, the case was in the news again, as the criminal trial for the truck driver, a 51-year-old man, began. The case highlights the interesting relationship between the criminal and civil law systems in Maryland. When someone drives negligently, or recklessly, and causes the death of others in a serious truck accident such as this one, they may be subject to both criminal and civil liability.
This criminal trial illustrates how one can be held criminally liable. The driver in the case is charged with two counts of gross negligence manslaughter by motor vehicle, two counts of criminal negligence manslaughter by motor vehicle, and four counts of causing serious injury while using a cellphone. Prosecutors are making their case in front of a jury, trying to prove that the defendant was grossly negligent and should be held criminally liable.
Are Criminal Trials Important for Personal Injury Victims?
But, regardless of what happens with the criminal trial, the defendant in the case may still be held civilly liable in separate proceedings: personal injury lawsuits. These lawsuits, unlike criminal proceedings, aim to hold the defendant liable through monetary damages to compensate the victims. Instead of jail time or fines paid to the government, if the defendant is found liable in a personal injury lawsuit, they will be ordered to pay the plaintiff money to cover their medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, funeral and burial costs, and more. That is why many Maryland truck accident victims find that these suits are more beneficial for their recovery than criminal charges. The defendant serving jail time does not help them pay their bills and offers no actual compensation. But, unlike criminal charges, Maryland truck accident victims have to bring these civil suits on their own, which is why many end up working with a personal injury attorney who can help them through every step of the way.
Call a Maryland Truck Accident Attorney Right Now
If you’re looking for information on how to file a Maryland truck accident lawsuit, look no further and call the personal injury attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen, LLC. Our attorneys have decades of combined trial experience and can help you and your loved ones hold a negligent driver responsible for your injuries. Call us today to learn more at 800-654-1949.