Maryland Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

Student on His Way to School in Creskill Killed When Struck by Semi-Truck

June 25, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Cresskill, a middle-school student was struck and killed by a semi-truck as he was riding his bike to school. According to one local news source, the tragic accident took place in the morning hours on Grant Avenue.

Evidently, the driver of the semi-truck was making a left turn onto Grant Avenue when he struck the student, who was riding his bike at the time. The student was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency workers. The cause of death was listed as blunt-force trauma to the head.

A crossing guard who witnessed the accident told reporters that she first noticed the truck because she thought it couldn’t make the turn onto Grant Avenue. Then, she said she heard the truck’s driver screaming “Oh my God! Oh my God!” She then discovered that the young boy had been hit. The same crossing guard told reporters that “it was just a tragic accident” and that “nobody should be blamed.” However, she also told reporters that she had scolded the young boy earlier in the week for riding his bike too fast while on his way to school.

Truck Overturns on Capital Beltway in Prince George’s County, Spilling Load of Potatoes on the Highway

June 18, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Prince George’s County, a semi-truck overturned and spilled its load of potatoes all over the Capital Beltway, causing major delays and injuring the driver. According to one local news source, the accident took place early on a Wednesday morning on the Capital Beltway, right before Pennsylvania Avenue in Forestville.

Evidently, the driver of the truck sustained a major injury to his arm and was flown to Shock Trauma in Baltimore. The accident also resulted in one lane of the Beltway being closed for most of the morning rush hour. Also inside the truck’s cab was a pit-bull belonging to the truck’s driver. She has yet to be found.

Police investigating the accident told reporters that it looks as though the driver of the truck may have fallen asleep prior to the accident. However, the investigation into the cause of the accident is still ongoing. Charges against the driver may later be filed, pending the outcome of the investigation.

Ambulance Driver Strikes Truck, Kills Passenger Aboard

June 11, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Wachapreague, Virginia, one man was killed as he was being transported to the hospital in an ambulance when the vehicle he was being transported in struck a bus. According to one local news source, the ambulance had its lights and sirens on when the accident occurred.

Evidently, the 38-year-old driver of the ambulance failed to obey a traffic signal and entered the intersection without checking if it was clear, striking a transit bus. After the collision, the ambulance lost control and rolled several times before coming to a rest.

The 60-year-old man being transported in the back of the ambulance died from the injuries he sustained in the accident. There were no passengers on the bus, and the bus driver was uninjured. The driver of the ambulance and two emergency responders who were also in the ambulance suffered minor injuries but are expected to make a full recovery.

Tracy Morgan Settles with Wal-Mart Regarding Last Year’s Truck Accident

June 4, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In June of last year, a Wal-Mart truck allegedly failed to slow down for an approaching construction project, rear-ending the limousine that Tracy Morgan and his entourage were occupying. A fellow comedian, and one of Mr. Morgan’s good friends, James McNair, was killed in the accident. Tracy Morgan was seriously injured, suffering a broken leg, broken ribs, and a broken nose.

According to one news source, Wal-Mart and Mr. Morgan reached an agreed-upon settlement for the case earlier this month. The details of the settlement agreement have not been made public, likely as a condition of the agreement. However, Mr. Morgan told reporters that “Wal-Mart did right by me and my family, and for my associates and their families. I am grateful that the case was resolved amicably.”

The allegations in the case were serious. There was evidence that the truck was traveling at around 20 miles per hour over the speed limit at the time of the accident. Additionally, the driver of the truck was allegedly near his drive-time limit and had not slept for the past 24 hours.

Truck Overturns on Maryland Bay Bridge, Injuring One

May 29, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, a tractor-trailer overturned, injuring one man and blocking traffic for several hours. According to one local news source, the accident occurred on the westward span of the bridge and blocked traffic for about six hours as emergency workers cleaned up the wreckage.

Evidently, the accident occurred around 2:45 in the afternoon, when after tipping over the truck became wedged between the railings of the bridge, completely blocking all lanes of traffic. Those on the bridge at the time of the accident were escorted by police all the way to the front of the bridge and then allowed to proceed over the eastern section of the bridge.

After the truck toppled over, emergency crews needed to upright the truck to get it off the bridge. However, once they started to do so, fuel started leaking from the truck’s tanks. Thankfully, any fuel that spilled was able to be controlled by the roadside crews, and no fuel spilled into the Bay.

Accident Resulting in Gravel Spill on Intercounty Connector Claims One Life

May 22, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month, an accident on Route 200, more commonly known as the Intercounty Connector, claimed the life of one man and injured another. According to one local news report, the accident occurred around two in the afternoon, between the Layhill Road and New Hampshire Avenue exits.

Evidently, a dump truck from Montgomery County was carrying a load of gravel when it inexplicably skidded across the eastbound lanes and then toppled over in the median. Thousands of pounds of gravel spilled from the truck as it fell. Shortly thereafter, a Nissan car that was approaching the overturned truck was unable to avoid a collision.

The driver of the dump truck was tragically pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The driver of the Nissan was taken to Medstar Montgomery Medical Center in Olney, not far from the site of the accident. He was admitted with non-life threatening injuries and is expected to make a full recovery. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

Cement Truck Runs Red Light and Crashes into Car, Seriously Injuring One

May 15, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Decatur, Georgia, a cement truck carrying a several-ton load was involved in an accident with a small passenger car. According to one local news report, the accident occurred when the cement truck driver ran a red light and crashed into the car that was traveling through what was a green light for the car at the time.

Evidently, after the collision, the car became wedged in between the cab of the truck and the truck’s load. One nearby citizen showed up seconds after the accident to take pictures. He told reporters: “I didn’t even realize there was a car even there when I first walked up to the accident … It’s hard to see how somebody could survive that.”

But survive she did. The driver of the car was taken to the hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the truck was also sent to the hospital with serious injuries but is expected to make a full recovery.

Queen Anne Semi-Truck Accident Claims Three Lives

May 8, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Queen Anne, Maryland, a three-truck accident resulted in three fatalities when one of the trucks inexplicably crossed the center line. According to one local news report, the accident occurred on Maryland Route 404 in the morning hours.

Evidently, the semi-truck, which was being driven by a man from Tennessee, crossed over into oncoming traffic and side-swiped another semi-truck. After the initial collision, the truck continued on and then collided head-on with a third truck. The driver of the first truck was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

The driver of the second truck, which was struck from the side, caught fire upon impact. Both the driver and the passenger inside died as a result of the injuries they sustained in the accident. The driver of the third semi-truck was not injured. Police are currently conducting an investigation into the accident.

Dump Truck Rear-Ends Montgomery County Bus, Injuring Ten

April 22, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Montgomery County, an accident between a dump truck and a county bus sent 10 people to the hospital with various injuries. According to one local news report, the accident took place about five miles away from Silver Spring in the White Oak area.

Evidently, around two o’clock in the afternoon at New Hampshire Avenue and Tracey Drive, a dump truck crashed into the back of the county bus, which was carrying a total of 16 passengers and a driver. After the accident, emergency crews ended up taking nine adults and one child to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries. Both drivers were not injured in the accident.

A police investigation is underway, but at this point it seems as though the dump truck rear-ended the bus while the bus was stopped. Authorities are not sure why the dump truck was unable to or did not stop in time.

Virginia School Bus Driver Charged After Accident with Dump Truck

April 15, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Nottoway County, Virginia, a school bus driver was charged with reckless driving after he was involved in a serious collision with an oncoming dump truck. According to one local news report, the accident occurred at around 3:50 in the afternoon while the bus was taking students home. Twelve students were onboard the bus at the time of the accident.

Evidently, the school bus was heading north on Route 614 when it unexpectedly drifted out of its lane and into the eastbound lanes of Route 460, directly into the path of a Peterbilt dump truck. All 12 students, the driver, and one aide aboard the school bus were fine, suffering only minor injuries. However, the driver of the dump truck was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, as was his 12-year-old passenger.

“Professional” Drivers and Accident Liability in Maryland

School bus drivers, like truck drivers, taxi drivers, and any other motorist who is paid to operate a motor vehicle, have a duty to their passengers as well as others on the road. While the specifics of this accident are not known, it seems reasonable to think that the driver of the bus was somehow distracted in the moments immediately preceding the accident.