Articles Posted in Fatal Trucking Accidents

It’s amazing when one considers that nearly 200 traffic accidents occur every hour around this country. As automobile, trucking and motorcycle accident lawyers, I and my colleagues are serious when we say that over-worked and over-tired trucker can cause some of the most serious, deadly and large-scale traffic accidents of any motor vehicle drivers on our roads. It’s really a matter of simple physics. With a combined vehicle weight upward of 50,000 pounds or more, the shear mass of an 18-wheeler far outstrips that of our miniscule passenger sedans, family minivans and even the largest of our sport utility vehicles.

To put it succinctly, as well-built as today’s passenger cars and SUVs they are no match against even a lightly-loaded or even an empty semi tractor-trailer rig. The steel structure surrounding a family sedan, which to you and me seems very strong and rigid, cannot very well withstand the impact from a large big rig weighing more than 10, 15 and sometimes 20 times that of the smaller passenger vehicle.

Having practiced for years as auto and trucking accident injury attorneys, the lawyers at Lebowitz & Mzhen have the skills to assist victims of serious traffic accidents recover costs associated with medical treatment, hospital stays and physical therapy. We know from our experience that trucking-related collisions are unlike other motor vehicle crashes. Understanding Maryland’s commercial vehicle law’s, as well as federal regulations governing the trucking industry is important in any case involving injury or death due to negligence on the part of a truck driver or his employer.

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Every Maryland driver must understand that the potential for being involved in traffic accident with a large commercial motor vehicle is a sad, yet inevitable side-effect of sharing the roadways with these large vehicles, in only because modern, large-scale commerce would be virtually impossible without the use of 18-wheelers, fuel tanker trucks, commercial delivery trucks and large construction vehicles. Of course, it doesn’t excuse those truckers from causing a crash, especially if they are found to have operated their vehicle in a negligent manner.

As Baltimore personal injury attorneys, I and my staff of legal professionals understand that after any accident — regardless of whether it is between two passenger cars, an SUV and a pedestrian on foot, a single motorcycle that crashes due to poor roadway maintenance, or a minivan hit by a large 18-wheeler — it is important to assess the situation and determine which party or parties was at fault. This is especially critical in cases where the victims has sustained serious and life-altering injuries, such as spinal cord damage, closed-head trauma or amputated limbs.

As any driver in the Baltimore, Gaithersburg or Washington, D.C., area has likely seen, the aftermath of a commercial trucking accident can be extensive and devastating. Traffic accidents involving these behemoths can turn a standard passenger car into a crumpled, nearly unrecognizable pile of metal and plastic. And no surprise; these large trucks can weigh upward of 80,000 pounds. Compare that to even a good-sized sport utility vehicle at 4,000 pounds; there is no comparison and little defense when such a large and massive commercial vehicle slams into a light-weight passenger vehicle.

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Anytime a life is lost it is a true tragedy, but in cases of traffic accidents one must consider that most circumstances likely could have been prevented. Sadly, tens of thousands of innocent people lose their lives in fatal car, truck and motorcycle collisions every year in this country. As Baltimore personal injury lawyers, we more than most understand the pain, anger and resentment felt by the victims’ families at the time of their greatest loss. Nothing can bring back a loved one who has been killed in a senseless roadway accident; and no amount of compensation can make it alright.

Families who have seen a parent, child, sibling or grandparent taken from them by the negligent action of another driver have recourse. Certainly, if the victim was not killed outright, but suffered from his or her injuries, the family is fully within their rights to file a lawsuit to recover medical costs, as well as punitive damages from the responsible party or parties. When a commercial trucker is found to be negligent, both the driver and his employer may be subject to a wrongful death lawsuit as well.

We all can understand that trucking-related accidents, whether they occur here in the Baltimore area, in Annapolis, out in Washington, D.C., or over in Rockville, are something that none of us can stop from happening. Laws are put in place to help protect the motoring public, but laws can only go so far. Physics and fate are sadly the more influential forces in the real world. Short of banning all vehicular traffic everywhere, there is no way that every automobile or commercial trucking accident can be prevented, at least from a practical standpoint.

Heart-breaking human tragedies happen all too often here in Maryland, not to mention throughout the nation and the world, so there is little sense railing against the nature of fate and unexpected events. Yet, this is just the problem with traffic-related injuries and deaths; so much about car, truck and motorcycle accidents would seem to be preventable, if not mostly avoidable. When a car or trucking accident takes the life of someone, anyone, we all suffer to some extent.

Families suffer through the loss of a loved one; a spouse, a sibling, a parent or a child killed in a tragic traffic accident. Society suffers in some way as well, with the loss of a fellow human being and, in the case of children or young adults, a young life that may have been full of promise, now gone forever. Never mind the financial costs to the family or the community, especially if the victim was a major contributor to the well-being of the local economy or a supporter of charities and other benevolent organizations.

In short, fatal highway wrecks in no way improve the human condition; at best they can only point up deficiencies in the safety of certain vehicles, poor design in particular roads, or lack of care on the part of another, possibly negligent driver. As Maryland injury attorneys practicing in the Baltimore area, as well as Washington, D.C., we understand how a family can be ripped asunder by a senseless and preventable death caused by a highway collision.

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As children we have little choice but to place our lives in the hands of others. Parents and grandparents are constantly responsible for the safety of their young charges, and in choosing a suitable adult with whom they have faith will look after the best interests of their child during car trips, play dates and other activities away from immediate relatives. This is why any injury to a minor or young child hits families hard when a caretaker or other responsible adult falls down on the job of watching over their young ones.

As we get older and move into adulthood, the responsibility shifts to us when we have choices to make that could have a permanent or long-term effect on our health and livelihood. While most people probably don’t dwell much on these matters, it isn’t at all farfetched to consider that every ride with a friend, relative or loved one could be a potential opportunity for disaster. At the risk of sounding morbid, I and my colleagues know that every time someone ventures out on the roadway these days there is always a chance of being involved in a serious traffic accident.

As Baltimore auto, truck and motorcycle accident attorneys, it is our job to dwell on the downside to every choice. But it is also our duty to identify when another person may have taken the faith and trust of another individual for granted, though thoughtless actions or deeds, and altered forever that person’s life. One should not have to suffer from another person’s poor choices. Sadly, people die every day through the negligent actions of a stranger; yet many Americans are killed or seriously injured by the actions of someone they know and trust.

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Surviving a collision with a large commercial motor vehicle can be as random as the initial circumstances that set the traffic accident in motion to start with. One could say that it is simply a “role of the dice” whether or not an victim of an automobile or motorcycle wreck will make it to the hospital, much less recover from his or her injuries sufficiently to live a long and fulfilling life.

Looking as we do at the events leading up to a serious injury accident or fatal traffic collision, it is no mere coincidence that vehicle mass, or weight, plays a significant part in whether or not a driver or other occupants will sustain mild or critical injuries. Being involved in a highway accident between a relatively small passenger car, minivan or sport utility vehicle and a much larger commercial motor vehicle is a case in point.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we know that a significant percentage of injuries are sustained by drivers and passengers of smaller vehicles that are hit by large trucks, such as semi tractor-trailers, large box trucks, commercial delivery vehicles and even heavier utility trucks. It all goes back to physics, but the important thing to remember is that the danger exists. Knowing that a roadway incident involving a larger motor vehicle, drivers should always be on the alert when traveling in traffic alongside one of these vehicles or when approaching an oncoming truck on an undivided road.

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Dozens of traffic-related personal injury accidents take place every month across this state and it doesn’t make much difference whether you live in an urban area like Baltimore, Rockville and The District, or in a less populated portion of Maryland. A bad car, truck or motorcycle crash will likely put one or more people in the hospital. Occasionally, fate plays the unenviable part in a roadway collision, resulting in an untimely death for a driver or passenger of a motor vehicle.

As automobile accident attorneys, I and my staff of experienced legal professionals understand all too well the extent of bodily injuries that can occur as a result of a really bad accident. From compound fractures, collapsed lungs, ruptured spleen or even closed-head trauma, the range of life-threatening conditions that can precipitate from a car or commercial trucking accident are many and varied. What we do know is that recovery, in many cases, will long and drawn out; some people may never fully recover, requiring daily or near-constant care for months or even years.

Car-to-car wrecks can be quite serious, to be sure, especially in the case of head-on accidents or high-speed T-bone crashes at highway intersections and access roads. Speed and size of the vehicles involved play a large role in the potential outcome of most any traffic wreck.

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