Maryland Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog
As a Baltimore injury lawyer and trucking accident attorney, I’ve observed many times the various types of severe injuries that pedestrians receive when hit by a large motor vehicle. There is no comparison between the relatively fragile and delicate features of the human body and that of a passenger car, not to mention a commercial truck such as an 18-wheeler, or big rig.
It’s a fact that trucking accidents can cause horrendous injury to the occupants of an otherwise enclosed and protective steel-bodies passenger vehicle. But when a Freightliner or Peterbilt truck hits or clips a person on foot, there is no comparison. While drivers of smaller vehicles, such as compact cars and motorcycles, can be serious hurt when struck by a massive semi, commercial box truck or tanker vehicle, pedestrians have virtually no protection from the impact.
Fatal and life-altering injuries are typically the result of a direct impact with an unprotected human body. It is because of this that over-the-road heavy haulers must be piloted by professional and well-trained drivers at the very least. Outside of driver error or negligence, poorly maintained roadways or defective vehicle equipment may also be causes of these kinds of commercial truck accidents. Whatever the cause, however, the costs are always high for the victims due to extensive and costly medical care, lost wages and unmet financial obligations following a serious injury.
According to a news article, police finally identified the individual who was apparently struck and killed by a big rig tractor-trailer along a stretch of I-95 in Dundalk, Maryland. The accident, which forced police to shut down the northbound lanes for nearly three hours happened a little bit past 2pm on a Thursday afternoon.
Based on police reports, the tractor-trailer hit a 36-year-old man who was apparently walking along the highway on foot. The victim, Michael A. Coll of Drexel Hill, PA, was identified by Maryland Transportation Authority Police (MTAP) the next morning following his death on Interstate 95.
According to news reports at the time, an investigation was underway and authorities could not release any additional details about how the collision occurred or why the man was walking along the interstate in the first place. “Our goal is to conduct a thorough investigation,” said a spokesman for the MTAP.
Police identify man struck, killed by tractor-trailer on I-95 in Dundalk, BaltimoreSun.com, August 27, 2010