Maryland Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

Maryland Truck Driver Narrowly Escapes Injury in Guardrail Collision

August 12, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A Maryland truck driver narrowly escaped serious injury when his tanker truck struck a guardrail in an attempt to exit a freeway for a detour.

According to the Sheriff’s department, the accident occurred at an exit where a detour is currently in place for the beginning of a construction zone on the interstate. The driver reportedly failed to make the turn at the end of the off ramp properly, which resulted in his truck striking the guardrail. Fortunately, the driver was not injured.

A Sheriff’s office spokesperson stated that the guardrail did its job, so to speak, by stopping the truck from going over the steep embankment.

While the tanker, which was filled with vegetable oil, was not damaged, the tractor sustained significant front end damage, which reportedly included a ruptured diesel fuel tank.

The accident remains under investigation. It remains unclear whether the driver was at fault for failing to make the turn adequately, or rather perhaps there was insufficient room for his truck to pass through the detour area properly.

Baltimore Box Truck Driver Killed in I-95 Accident

July 29, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Maryland State Police reported that they had identified the driver of a box truck who was killed in an accident on I-95 near the Riverside exit in Harford County Monday morning as a 21 year old man from Baltimore.

State Police said that the driver was traveling southbound on I-95 in a 2006 Sterling box truck when he lost control for unknown reasons. The accident occurred at approximately 7:50 a.m. near the Route 543 interchange, Exit 80, and no other vehicles were involved.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The man’s 25 year old female passenger was reportedly flown by Police Medevac to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center for treatment of injuries from the crash. Her condition was reported as stable shortly thereafter.

The tragedy, which occurred earlier this month, was the third highway related death in Harford County since June 21. In fact, at least three major accidents occurred on Md. I-95 alone within the span of a few weeks.

Tractor-Trailer Collision Pushes Car Off of Chesapeake Bay Bridge

July 22, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A Maryland woman narrowly escaped tragedy when her car was struck by a tractor-trailer, and forced off of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge last Friday.

Maryland Transportation Authority police reported that a young woman was driving a 2007 Chrysler Sebring which was hit by a tractor-trailer and knocked into the bay 40 feet below. Police said the car ended up in about 8 feet of water. The woman managed to escape the submerged vehicle and swim to safety. After she reached safety, the woman was transported to Maryland Shock Trauma for treatment, and was released the following day.

Three vehicles were reportedly involved in the collision. According to reports, the driver of the truck and the individuals in the third vehicle were not injured.

The company for whom the driver was working at the time of the accident later released a statement, stating that they were glad to hear that no serious injuries occurred as a result of the crash, and that they intend to cooperate fully with Maryland State and U.S. Transportation authorities as they conduct their usual investigations.

Serious Truck Accident Temporarily Shuts Down Southbound Lanes of Interstate 81

July 10, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week, at around 3:25 in the afternoon, a serious collision occurred at the 1 mile marker on Interstate 81 near the Maryland-West Virginia state line, resulting in traffic delays.

According to the Maryland State Police, a car was traveling southbound and suddenly lost control for an unknown reason, striking the center guardrail before coming back across both lanes and hitting a Mack truck.

The driver of the car was flown to the Shock Trauma Center for treatment by helicopter. The driver of the Mack Truck and his passenger were transported to a local medical center by ambulance.

The southbound lanes of Interstate 81 were shut down for a period of time in order for the helicopter to be able to land. One lane remained closed for two more hours as the investigation of the accident continued. The incident remains under investigation, and charges are reportedly pending.

Tractor Trailer Collision Leads to Fuel Spill on Route 351

July 3, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

An accident that occurred late last month involving a tractor-trailer led to a fuel spill and two additional accidents, and consequently accompanied road closures in Frederick, causing some major traffic delays.

According to Maryland State Police, the crash occurred on the ramp from westbound I-70 to westbound Route 15/340 at around 2:30 a.m., when the driver of the tractor-trailer lost control of the vehicle.

The tractor-trailer then careened off of the roadway, striking and displacing a 100 foot stretch of guardrail, before finally coming to a stop after colliding with a concrete bridge abutment above Route 351. The collision with the structure caused debris to fall into the roadway, resulting in two additional collisions on Route 351 itself.

A police spokesperson said that the impact of the crash damaged the tractor-trailer’s fuel saddle tanks, causing gallons of diesel fuel to spill onto the ramp and also onto Route 351.

No information was readily available regarding injuries to the drivers of the tractor-trailer or any of the other vehicles involved in the collisions on Route 351. The cause of the driver losing control, and other circumstances surrounding the crash, remain under investigation.

Car Crashes into Tractor-Trailer on Md. I-95

June 27, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A tragic accident that happened early Wednesday morning on Interstate 95 left one individual dead, and a truck driver undoubtedly shaken up.

The accident occurred near the Intercounty Connector in Beltsville, when one car traveling northbound on I-95 crossed over into the southbound lanes and crashed into a tractor-trailer. As the images in the article show, the car was left almost completely decimated, and tragically the driver was killed. No other injuries were reported.

A second car was discovered nearby in the grassy median, but it is unknown whether that car was involved in the accident. Police reported that the driver of the tractor-trailer remained at the scene to cooperate with investigators.

While the cause of the accident remains unknown, investigators believe that the driver of the car was most likely at fault.

Cause Unknown in Double Tractor-Trailer Accident on Md. I-95

June 21, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Maryland State Police have reported that a man remains hospitalized after his car was hit by not one, but two tractor-trailer trucks on Interstate 95 in Baltimore County last week.

The circumstances surrounding the terrible accident remain unclear. What is known is that the victim was driving southbound on I-95 in Halethorpe, when he suddenly slowed or stopped his vehicle. His car was then hit by two separate tractor-trailers. Details have not been reported regarding the manner of the collision. One of the tractor-trailers, which was reportedly carrying hospital linens, fell onto its side, causing it to spill fuel onto the roadway.

State Troopers reported that the 50 year old victim remains at Shock Trauma, where he was taken following Thursday morning’s accident. State officials had initially reported that the man died, but later revised reports to reflect that he is currently being hospitalized. Both of the truck drivers involved in the collision refused treatment at the scene.

The cause of the accident, and nature of circumstances surrounding the collision, remain under investigation.

Truck Collision on MD 194 Ends Tragically

June 12, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

According to reports, an 18 year old Maryland boy passed away shortly after a serious accident that he was involved in Tuesday morning.

It happened Tuesday morning on MD Route 194, north of the Devilbiss Bridge Road. Police have reported that another driver, a 22 year old young woman, was traveling northbound on Route 194, when she allegedly began to unintentionally veer toward the center of the roadway.

The 18 year old young man, who was traveling southbound on the other side of the road, made a sudden sharp right turn in order to avoid colliding with the woman’s car. Then, he over corrected in steering the vehicle left, forcing his vehicle into oncoming traffic, and causing a collision with a truck.

The young man was seriously injured and, after being transported to Shock Trauma, succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.

The driver of the truck and his passenger were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.

Semi Truck Accident Causes Extensive Collateral Damage

June 6, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

An accident that occurred in Florida last month provides an illustrative example of the extensive damage that large trucks can cause, and the difficulties sometimes faced in negligence cases.

The accident occurred when the driver of a red Mercedes allegedly ran a red light, causing her car to crash into a semi truck carrying a full load of Coca Cola products. Due to the impact of the crash, the soda truck somehow lost control and smashed into a nearby home. The damage the tractor-trailer caused to the home was so extensive that the county has since condemned it, and forced the residents to move out.

However, what’s perhaps the most upsetting about the collision into the home is that it sent one of the residents that was inside of the home at the time of impact into premature labor. The woman was rushed to the hospital, where her son was born prematurely. The baby had to spend time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and depending on how early he was born, could face life long health issues relating to his early arrival.

According to sources, the Florida Highway Patrol has released a report finding the driver of the Mercedes at fault for running the red light.

The new mother’s attorney had attempted to contact Coca Cola for assistance with medical bills or living expenses, since the woman was forced to move out of her home. However, according to a news broadcast, Coca Cola’s spokesperson had said that they were told the driver of the red Mercedes was at fault for the accident.

Freight Train in Maryland Hits Truck Causing Derailment and Explosion

May 31, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A terrible crash happened earlier this week in Baltimore, when a CSX freight train collided with a commercial truck and derailed. Officials said the truck’s driver was seriously injured, and that the crash led to an explosion, which could be both seen and felt blocks away, according to witnesses.

A local firefighter reported that the crash happened in Rosedale, just to the east of Baltimore.

The cause of the accident was not readily apparent. The National Transportation Safety Board is reportedly sending a team to investigate. The explosion that followed the collision sent black plumes of smoke into the sky, but according to CSX there were no toxic inhalants.

The crash has apparently led to damage of several nearby buildings, though firefighters were able to get the fire under control relatively quickly. As a precaution, several nearby residents were asked to evacuate their homes. Video footage depicted at least five of the train’s cars off the track.