A few weeks ago in Sudlersville, a single-truck accident closed down Route 301 for hours while emergency crews cleared the scene. According to a report by MyEasternShoreMD.com, the accident occurred just before 7 a.m. on Route 301 near the intersection of 290. The police report explains that “the truck careened off of a guardrail on the slow shoulder, crossed both travel lanes and struck a bridge embankment.”
Luckily, no other vehicles were hit or otherwise involved in the accident. The truck, however, sustained heavy damage and took hours to get off the highway.
As it turns out, the driver of the truck was from Detroit, Michigan and was not legally permitted to operate the truck because he only had a Class A learner’s permit. The other driver, who was supposed to be the one behind the wheel, was asleep in the sleeping portion of the vehicle when the accident occurred. The trucking company claims that they were not aware that the inexperienced driver was operating the truck.
The driver was cited for driving without the required supervision and driving a commercial vehicle without the proper qualifications.
When Truck Drivers Cut Corners, Accidents Can Happen
Every driver on the road has the potential to cause serious harm. However, that is especially the case when the vehicle being driven is a semi-truck, tractor-trailer, or a tanker truck. These large vehicles are several times the size of the other vehicles on the roads and have the potential to cause mass destruction when things go awry. It is for this reason that the federal and state governments regulate who can drive these monstrous machines.
Generally speaking, in order to drive a semi-truck, a driver must have a valid, current commercial driver’s license. The criteria required to obtain a commercial driver’s license varies according to what state issues the license, but in Maryland, prospective truck drivers must:
- Meet certain physical requirements that indicate they are physically capable of controlling a large vehicle.
- Pass several knowledge tests, depending on the type of commercial drivers license sought.
- Pass a skills test.
Once all the above are satisfied, a prospective commercial driver can obtain a provisional learner’s permit. Until a driver completes all the criteria and obtains an official commercial driver’s license, they are not legally permitted to operate a commercial vehicle.
Have You Been Injured in a Maryland Truck Accident?
If you or a loved one has recently been involved in a Maryland semi-truck accident, you should speak to an experienced Maryland personal injury attorney as soon as possible. You may be entitled to monetary damages if the other driver is determined to have caused the accident due to negligence. If, as was the case above, the driver of the semi-truck was not fully licensed, the jury can hear that information when determining if the driver (or the trucking company) was negligent. Click here, or call 410-645-3600 to speak to a dedicated Maryland personal injury attorney.
More Blog Posts:
Couple Pinned Under Semi Survives major Kentucky Truck Accident, Maryland Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog, published February 19, 2014.
Tanker Carrying 11,000 Gallons of Gasoline Crashes, Creating Scare in Massachusetts, Maryland Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog, published February 12, 2014.