Whether the cause of a collision is defective equipment, ineffective vehicle maintenance or just plain driver error or inattention, a traffic accident between a large commercial truck and a much smaller passenger vehicle can be quite serious, to say the least.
It goes without saying that drivers of small cars and motorcycles must always be on the defensive when driving near a delivery truck or semi tractor-trailer rig, but even individuals operating larger vehicles, such as SUVs, full-size vans and pickup trucks must be wary of the dangers posed by Freightliners, Macks and Peterbilts.
Because trucking accidents can be very costly, not only in terms of physical injury or death but also financially, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) require that trucking companies carry a minimum amount of insurance. By requiring that companies maintain a high level of financial responsibility, hopefully this encourages the safe operation of their vehicles on public motorways.
As a Maryland personal injury lawyer and trucking accident attorney, my firm is equipped to help victims of truck and automobile accidents try to recover costs arising from a traffic accident. Large or small, it’s a fact of life that injuries sustained in a car or truck collision can result in major medical bills, lost wages and long-term care costs.
Not long ago a traffic accident near Towson University illustrated the typical kind of car-delivery truck accident. According to news articles, a Pepsi truck collided with a passenger car along York Road in the mid-afternoon on a Thursday. Based on police reports, the crash occurred just outside of the university’s administrative offices.
Police said that the delivery truck hit and forced the smaller motor vehicle off the road around 3pm. Baltimore County police officers responding to the scene and found a blue car sitting to the side of the road. At the time of the article no mention was made as to the number of victims or the extent, if any, of their injuries. Police were still investigating the cause at that time.
Not long after that accident, another two-car crash was reported at about 4pm just south of the initial car-truck accident, at the corner of York and Murdock. That collision, which was also under investigation, involved a Honda Accord and a Nissan. Both drivers reportedly refused an ambulance ride to the nearest hospital for medical treatment.
Pepsi truck collides into vehicle on York Road, TheTowerLight.com, August 26, 2010