Maryland Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog
Being a good driver — or even being an exceptional driver – does not necessarily give one immunity from ever being involved in a traffic accident. The fact is, as trite as it may seem, accidents happen every day, every hour; and, quite frankly, avoiding any kind of a car, truck or motorcycle collision may be a matter of simply staying off the road and away from the curb.
While this may come across as overly simplistic, the real truth is that few people can avoid exposing themselves to potential injury in this modern world. Driving to work, crossing the street, walking through a parking low; each of these activities offers some chance for a personal injury accident. As Maryland automobile, trucking accident lawyers, I and my staff know all too well how easy it can be to get caught up in a roadway accident.
Whether you are a driver, passenger, public transportation commuter, pedestrian or cyclist, the opportunities are all around us. Staying alert to the dangers and pitfalls of car accidents and commercial trucking wrecks is just part of the routine; if one wants to stay as safe as possible. Still, even the mostly vigilant among us can find themselves smack-dab in the middle of a highway collision.
Whether you live or work in Rockville, Howie, Baltimore or the District, driving or walking near other motor vehicles is the first requisite for a traffic accident. Professional drivers, like cabbies and tractor-trailer drivers, should be among the best, most experienced drivers; however there are poor drivers in every segment of the population and we advise anyone in a passenger car to give wide berth to 18-wheelers in particular.
A crash involving a big rig semi and a smaller sedan or minivan can be disastrous for the occupants in the smaller passenger car. At more than 20 times the mass of a four-wheeler, a tractor-trailer rig can turn a small car or truck into a ball of metal. A while back, we read of an accident between a trucker and patrolman, which apparently left the officer and two others in a separate vehicle hospitalized.
In this case, even though both vehicles involved should have been operated by experienced drivers, one realizes that the crash happened regardless of either driver’s experience or training. According to news reports, the accident took place in Towson, MD, as a Baltimore County police cruiser was apparently merging onto a stretch of I-695 from Providence Rd. Details at the time where sketchy; however the police officer’s vehicle was reportedly struck by the semi during the incident.
Based on those reports, the Baltimore Beltway crash resulted in three people being sent to the hospital: the officer and two people in a Jeep that was subsequently hit by the patrol car. Few specifics were given, but in cases like this it is not uncommon for occupants of the smaller vehicle to receive a variety of injuries including cuts and bruises, back and neck injuries, as well as closed-head trauma.
News reports indicate that the crash took place on a Wednesday just before 12pm at the Providence Rd. exit. The after the officer’s cruiser was hit by the big rig, the force of the collision apparently sent the police car across every lane of traffic, after which it hit a nearby jersey wall. There was no mention of how the Jeep and its occupants were involved; but the two women inside that vehicle were also injured as a result.
Once other police officers and EMS personnel had arrived on the scene, the patrolman was choppered out to Maryland Shock Trauma Center with non-life-threatening injuries. Based on the news article, the two occupants of the tractor-trailer were not hurt. The expressway was closed off for almost 3 hours as the crash scene was being investigated and then cleared of debris from the accident.
Maryland Officer Injured in Crash With Tractor-Trailer, Officer.com, December 29, 2011