Maryland Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

Lack of Sleep Cited as Potential Cause of Accident that Critically Injured Comedian Tracy Morgan and Killed Another Comedian

June 20, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

If you have been paying attention to the news media in the past few weeks, you have certainly heard about a fatal truck accident in New Jersey that claimed the life of one comedian and sent several others to the hospital. Comedian Tracy Morgan was with several of his friends heading north on the New Jersey Turnpike late at night when the limo they were riding in slowed down due to slowing traffic ahead.

As the limo began to slow, the truck that was behind the limo failed to do the same. Eventually, the truck slammed into the rear end of the limo. The crash killed one man and sent four others to the hospital. Four other cars were also involved, but none of their occupants was seriously injured.

According to a recent report by the LOHUD, the truck driver may have been on the road without sleep for the past 24 hours. The driver of the truck has been charged with several criminal offenses for his role in the tragic accident, including assault by automobile and vehicular homicide. Just last week, the driver of the truck—a Wal-mart employee—entered a not guilty plea to all charges. He has posted $50,000 bond and is currently out of custody.

Truck Driver Killed When Trailer Detaches from Truck

June 13, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Arbutus, Maryland, a truck driver was killed when the trailer he was towing inexplicably detached from the truck and sent the truck careening over a bridge embankment. According to a report by WBALTV 11, the truck driver was heading south on Interstate 95 near the Patapsco River bridge around 11:30 in the morning when the trailer he was towing became detached from the truck.

The truck driver lost control of the truck and crashed into the side of the bridge embankment, going right over it. The truck fell to the ground and landed in a park below before it caught fire. The truck driver was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. He was the only person in the truck, and no other people were injured in the accident.

Police are not sure what caused the trailer to separate from the truck, and they are investigating the accident in hopes of finding out more information. Investigators are unsure how fast the truck was traveling when the trailer separated from the truck.

Trucker Gets into DUI Accident on 301, Another Trucker Gets Hit on the Detour

June 6, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The early morning hours of May 28 was not a good time to be traveling southbound on 301. According to a report by the Star Democrat, a truck driver was involved in an accident at around four in the morning that blocked all three southbound lanes near Millington.

Evidently, the truck driver got into an accident that resulted in the truck overturning in the middle of the highway. Responding officers cited the driver for driving under the influence. Due to the blockage of all three lanes of southbound traffic, traffic authorities had to come up with a detour. They chose to reroute drivers down Route 544.

A few minutes later, a truck driver stopped to ask police for directions because he was unfamiliar with the area. Police directed the driver to head west onto Route 544. However, as he did so, he was struck by another semi-truck. This accident blocked the intersection of Route 544 and 301, so a second detour than had to be arranged.

Tractor-Trailer Crashes in Delaware, Spilling Millions of Bees onto the Highway

May 25, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In one of the odder accident stories we have seen in a while, a tractor-trailer carrying millions of bees crashed on a Delaware highway last week. According to a report by a local ABC affiliate, the truck driver was heading north from Florida when he lost control of the truck while negotiating the ramp from Route 896 to I-95.

Apparently, as the truck driver took the turn onto the on-ramp, the boxes housing the bees shifted, causing the truck to overturn and slam into the guardrail. As the truck toppled over, the crates containing the honey bees fell off the flat-bed truck and onto the ground, bursting open and spilling the bees into the air.

It is estimated that 16-20 million European honey bees escaped after the accident. The driver of the truck and one of his passengers were each stung between 50 and 100 times. They were taken to the hospital for treatment of their injuries. The driver was also cited for carrying dangerous cargo without the proper permits.

Semi-Truck Accident in Florida Leaves Critically Injured

May 18, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week in Deland, Florida, a semi-truck rear-ended a car that was coming to a stop in front of the truck, pushing the car into traffic and ultimately severely injuring the driver. According to a report by a local news affiliate, the accident also involved a school bus. Three vehicles in all were involved.

Evidently, the driver of a Toyota pick-up truck was driving southbound and was slowing down for a school bus that was traveling westbound and was dropping children off. A semi-truck driver approached from the rear end of the Toyota. Apparently, he did not come to a complete stop before he ran into the back of the Toyota. The truck was then pushed across several lanes of traffic into the path of the school bus. The right side of the Toyota collided with the front of the bus.

Of the 14 students who were aboard the bus, two were treated for minor injuries. The driver of the Toyota truck was taken to the hospital with serious injuries but is expected to recover. The Florida Highway Patrol commented that it may charge the driver of the semi-truck with a moving violation for his role in the serious truck accident.

Maryland Residents Forced to Evacuate After Propane Tanker Accident

May 9, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier last month in Garret County, a propane tanker was involved in an accident that resulted in it toppling over on the side of the road. In an abundance of caution, officials in the city of Oakland decided to reroute school bus service and evacuate a part of the town. According to a report by a local ABC affiliate, that accident occurred in the small town of Oakland, which is about 60 miles south of Somerset. Evidently, the accident occurred shortly after 10 a.m.

The local hazmat team was called in to investigate and clean up the accident. Luckily, there were no lives lost, and injuries were kept to a minimum. In addition to rerouting school bus routes, the county jail and 911 center were also evacuated. It is not clear at the moment how the accident occurred, and who was at fault for it. However, an investigation is underway. Currently, police do not believe that drugs or alcohol were involved in the tanker accident.

Truck and Tanker Spills

On occasion, trucks and tankers carry dangerous chemicals, gases, or other cargo. When these trucks and tankers get into an accident, there is an additional danger, namely that the hazardous cargo will cause harm above and beyond the physical harm caused by the accident.

Tractor-Trailer Runs Stop Sign and Crashes into School Bus

May 2, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week in New York, a tractor-trailer rolled through a stop sign and collided with a school bus. According to a report by a local news source, the accident occurred shortly after 8:30 a.m. Thankfully, the bus driver had just dropped off the students at school, leaving the bus empty except for the driver.

Evidently, the tractor-trailer did not stop at a stop sign and collided with the school bus, which was traveling on a road that did not have a stop sign. The immense force of the crash actually pushed the school bus in the opposite direction and caused incredible damage to the vehicle. So much, in fact, that the driver of the bus needed to be extricated from the wreckage by emergency personnel. The driver was taken to the hospital in stable condition. The driver of the tractor-trailer was uninjured in the accident.

At this point, police do not believe that drugs or alcohol had anything to do with the accident; however it is still under an ongoing investigation. Residents in the area told reporters that the intersection where the accident occurred is a dangerous one, pointing to a 2009 fatal car accident that took the life of a 33 year-old man.

Ten Dead in Tragic California Bus Accident

April 22, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Last week, ten people lost their lives in Orland, California, when a Fed Ex truck crossed the center median of the highway and got into a head on collision with a bus full of high school students on their way to visit a northern California university. According to a story by the Huffington Post, the bus was head north from Los Angeles to Humboldt State University, when it was involved in the tragic truck accident.

Once the two vehicles collided, students, counselors, and chaperones all tried to escape the bus before it caught fire and eventually exploded. Most of the 44 aboard made it out of the bus alive, however, nine aboard the bus did not. The driver of the Fed Ex truck was also killed in the accident.

The bus was taking low-income, high-achieving high-school seniors on a trip to visit the college campus. Two other busses from the Los Angeles area arrived safely at Humboldt State.

Two Dump Truck Accidents Across Maryland Send Two to the Hospital

April 15, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Last week, in a series of dump truck accidents, several were sent to the hospital with injuries and several roads were closed as a result of the accidents. The first accident occurred in Towson at the intersection of Towson Blvd and Charles Street. According to a report by the local NBC affiliate, the accident trapped one person in their vehicle and sent another to the hospital. All victims are expected to recover. At the time of the article’s publication, police were still looking into the cause of the accident.

The second dump truck accident was in Anne Arundel County and, according to a report by the same NBC affiliate, occurred when the driver lost control of the truck. The dump truck crossed the center median and entered the oncoming lane of traffic. It continued off the other end of the road where it collided with a tree. The driver was the only one to sustain injuries in the accident. He was taken to University of Maryland Shock Trauma with serious injuries. He is, however, expected to recover. Police are currently investigating the cause of the accident.

Dump Truck Accidents in Maryland

When most people think about an accident involving a big truck, they think of a semi-truck, big-rig, or a tractor trailer. However, as these two accidents show, accidents involving dump trucks consist of a large portion of big truck accidents in Maryland.

Two Semi-Trucks Collide on the Bay Bridge, Resulting in Spilled Fuel and Delayed Traffic

April 8, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week, two tractor trailers got into an accident in one of the westbound lanes of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. According to a report by the Baltimore Sun, the two trucks were “wedged” into one another, although luckily both trucks remained upright throughout the incident.

Traffic was delayed for about three hours while emergency crews cleared the bridge of the two trucks. A team was also called out to clean up some spilled fuel from one of the trucks. One of the truck drivers was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, and he is expected to recover.

Shortly before the accident officials instituted a wind restriction on the bridge due to winds that were gusting up to almost 50 mile per hour. The restriction was aimed at semi-trucks and tractor-trailers without heavy loads, because the wind could potentially blow the large, lightweight vehicles into guard rails or out of their lane of travel. It is unknown whether either of the trucks involved in the accident were subject to the restriction; however, at the time of the articles publication, authorities were still investigating the accident.