Maryland Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

Tractor Trailer Collision and Fire on I-95

August 28, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Drivers traveling on Interstate 95 near the Baltimore Beltway last week may have encountered serious traffic delays in the area just south of Interstate 695, when lanes were closed due to a tractor-trailer crashing and erupting into flames.

Maryland State Police say the blaze started around three in the morning last Tuesday, after a tractor-trailer hit a disabled tow truck, which was being towed away by a second tow truck. Luckily, the driver of the tractor-trailer driver was able to get out of his vehicle before it became engulfed in flames, and no injuries were reported.

A cleanup crew from the Maryland Department of Environment Hazardous Materials responded to the scene in order to clean up some gas that had spilled on the highway. An investigation into the collision is ongoing.

National Report Released Regarding Chesapeake Bay Bridge Accident

August 21, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a report earlier this month regarding its findings in the investigation of the July 19 collision in which a tractor-trailer pushed another vehicle over the railing of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The most surprising conclusion of the report was that the driver of the tractor-trailer was on his first solo drive within the United States.

At the time of the collision, the tractor-trailer collided with a young woman’s car, sending it into another vehicle, and then over a railing. The woman’s car fell about 27 feet into 6 to 8 feet of water. The woman somehow managed to escape vehicle and swim to shore. According to reports, she was subsequently hospitalized for non-life-threatening injuries.

The report further indicated that the driver of the tractor-trailer was licensed in Canada and was a recent immigrant from Hungary to Canada. The driver emigrated as part of Canada’s Temporary Foreign worker pilot program, and was on his first drive in the United States without being paired with a more experienced driver. The report indicated that the driver had already made a delivery in Virginia and was on his way to pick up a load in Maryland when the accident occurred.

Multiple Truck Accident Kills Bel Air Man

August 16, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A tragic accident in Abingdon left one Bel Air man dead after an early morning three-vehicle collision in Harford County.

The collision occurred at approximately 2 a.m. The preliminary report revealed that the collision occurred when a Ford pickup truck collided with the rear of a tractor trailer, which then collided into a tanker truck. The pickup truck then caught on fire before eventually stopping behind the tractor trailer.

Police reported that they believe the pickup’s speed may have played a factor in causing the crash, as both the tanker truck and tractor trailer were traveling five to ten miles per hour due to construction in the area.

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.