Maryland Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

Baltimore Commercial Truck Accident News: Snowplow Driver Pleads Guilty to Hitting Pedestrian on Roadway

September 26, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It goes without saying that commercial trucks can cause horrendous injuries in the event of a traffic accident with a passenger vehicle such as a sedan, minivan, SUV or pickup truck. But just consider the effect that a similar crash — involving a delivery truck, 18-wheel semi or dump truck — might have on a pedestrian or motorcyclist involved in traffic collision.

Considering that the relatively protected occupants of these smaller motor vehicles can still receive terrible injuries or even be killed outright in a commercial trucking accident, imagine how small the chances for survival would be for a person on foot, riding a bicycle or traveling on a moped, scooter or full-size motorcycle involved in a similar roadway collision.

As Baltimore automobile accident attorneys and Washington, D.C., personal injury lawyers, we represent numerous clients from around the state of Maryland and the District. We understand all too well the deadly force that a 20-ton tractor-trailer can impart to a much smaller, 3,000-pound passenger vehicle

Commercial drivers have much the same responsibilities as other non-professional drivers on the road. But they also have the duty to maintain and operate their vehicles per federal regulations, all of which have been designed to help keep the public safe from injury or death due to negligence or other careless actions.

While it is common to see news stories about 18-wheel tractor-trailer rigs — such as Peterbilts and Freightliners — that go out of control on the interstate and causing untold misery, other commercial vehicles can cause injury or untimely death when not driven correctly or with the public welfare in mind.

A recent news item caught our attention in regard to the latter of these scenarios. According to reports, a resident of Pasadena, MD, came forward and admitted to police that it was his vehicle that struck and fatally injured 77-year-old Richard Oles last January. Based on police reports, the hit-and-run traffic accident took place in the early morning hours of January 27, at which time Oles was hit by the Ford F-350 fitted with a snow plow and driven by 21-year-old Maximilian Bode.

Baltimore Commercial Trucking Accident News: Police Charge Maryland Tractor-trailer Driver in Multi-vehicle Crash

September 14, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It seems that every time we turn around, there’s another large highway accident caused by a commercial truck driver. This is, of course, not an indictment of all professional truckers out there, many of whom are conscientious drivers who understand the enormity of their personal responsibility to handle these big rigs with care and safety. But, on the other hand, there is a percentage of 18-wheeler, box truck and commercial delivery truck operators who lack either the training or the concern for others on the roadways.

As Maryland commercial trucking accident attorneys and personal injury lawyers, it’s our job to help victims of highway traffic accidents and their families recover from severe and sometimes fatal car, truck and motorcycle wrecks. Nothing can shock a family to its core like a serious injury accident that sends a father or mother to the hospital.

Medical costs alone are difficult enough to manage these days, what with many people being out of work or just hanging on. Throw in the loss of wages due to a terrible car, or truck collision and you have a perfect storm of hospital bills and no, or greatly reduced family income to help pay for them.

While a number of trucking accidents can be attributed to mechanical problems, such as defective safety equipment, poorly maintained brakes, or badly worn tires, a greater percentage of tractor-trailer crashes stem from driver error. It’s not uncommon these days for even a professional truck driver to be distracted by his cellphone or some other device in the truck cab.

Whatever the reason, the carnage wrought by an out-of-control 18-wheeler can be widespread and deadly for occupants of nearby passenger cars. Broken bones, internal injuries, head and neck trauma, as well as other serious injuries can be life-threatening if the victim is not attended to in time.

Maryland Trucking Injury News: Woman Dies in Fatal Highway Accident between Semi and Tow Truck

August 31, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

For many drivers and occupants of passenger cars, light trucks, SUVs and motorcycles, there is nothing quite as frightening as a traffic accident involving a 50,000-pound semi tractor-trailer rig. With 15-times the curb weight of an average sport utility vehicle, these large commercial vehicles can literally crush a passenger car during a high-speed highway collision.

Here in Baltimore, it’s not uncommon to see these huge vehicles mixing with motor vehicles of all sizes, not to mention scooters, bicycles and pedestrians on foot. The opportunity for a serious accident involving a commercial delivery truck, box truck or the aforementioned 18-wheel semi is ever-present. As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we fully understand how people become injured in trucking wrecks.

And, because of the shear size and mass of these large vehicles, we often read of fatal accidents involving Kenworths, Peterbilts, and Mack trucks. Being auto accident lawyers serving Maryland and Washington, D.C., residents, we have the training and legal skills to represent clients who have been injured in trucking accidents or have lost a loved one in such a highway wreck.

Earlier this month, a woman who was co-driving an 18-wheeler was tragically killed when the vehicle she was working on was hit by a commercial towing truck along a stretch of Interstate 70 near the Frederick County line. The crash occurred around noontime on a Monday, after the semi on which she worked pulled over on the shoulder of the interstate due to an overheating problem.

According to police reports, the female co-driver got out of the truck’s cab to make some adjustment on the outside of the vehicle as it was parked alongside I-70. Moments later, the semi was struck from behind by the flat-bed tow truck; the force of the crash reportedly threw the victim into a nearby guardrail.

Baltimore Personal Injury Update: Commercial Trucking Accidents Don’t Always Result in Charges against the Driver

August 29, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It’s a bit trite to say that nobody ever expects to get into a traffic accident, but the fact remains that most people who are involved in a car, truck or motorcycle wreck did not see it coming until the last moment. We’ve said it here before, but fate is not particular when it comes to injury accidents. Men, women and children can all be hurt in a roadway crash, whether it’s a single-vehicle accident or a multi-car pileup.

Of course, some of the most deadly wrecks are collisions involving commercial trucks, such as semi tractor-trailers, heavy construction vehicles such as gravel haulers and cement mixers, and even commercial box trucks. All of these motor vehicles are many times more massive than any passenger car on the road today. When a commercial vehicle strikes a family sedan, minivan or SUV, the odds of occupant injury jump significantly.

As Baltimore auto accident attorneys and Maryland personal injury lawyers, our firm has the skills and knowledge to represent victims of traffic collisions caused by negligent individuals. Whether that person is a commercial trucker, a school bus driver, or delivery truck operator, these people are professionals and as such are expected to handle their vehicles correctly and obey all applicable laws and rules of the road.

While most commercial truck drivers are good at what they do, there is a certain number that, from time to time, give the trucking industry a very bad name. Negligent driving, poor vehicle maintenance procedures, illegal overloading of trailers and tampering with vehicle safety equipment are all potential areas that these bad apples are sometimes accused of doing prior to a serious highway crash.

Maryland Trucking Accident News: Wind causes UPS Semi Tractor-trailer to Tip Over on US-301

August 17, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It doesn’t take much to cause a trucking-related accident, and weather conditions can wreck havoc on semi tractor-trailers, which have high centers of gravity and can tip over one the interstate more easily than smaller vehicles and a lot more often than some people can imagine. With this year’s constant barrage of bad weather all across the country, Maryland has had its share of weather-related traffic accidents.

Although many highway and rural road accidents can be attributable to bad weather and/or poor road conditions, professional drivers are trained to recognize inclement weather conditions that could cause a dangerous reduction in safe vehicle operation. Being able to control a commercial truck, such as a semi tractor-trailer, is the primary job of a commercial truck driver.

While occasionally an 18-wheeler may crash as a result of faulty vehicle equipment, such as poorly designed or maintained braking system components or steering parts, the driver is also a key element in the safety equation. Numerous people have been maimed or killed while riding in a passenger sedan, minivan or sport utility vehicle if only because the vehicle they rode in was hit by a much larger vehicle, such as a Peterbilt, Kenworth, or International truck.

Those passengers and driver of smaller motor vehicles that are struck by semis or other large commercial trucks may escape death, but they can also sustain serious and life-changing physical injuries as a result. Medical complications or simply the typically extensive bodily injuries can be costly in terms of a family’s finances due to high doctor and hospital bills, as well as lost wages if the victim was a primary breadwinner.

Baltimore Commercial Vehicle Accident News: School Bus Crash Caused by Maryland Driver Renews Student Safety Concerns

August 8, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

School bus accidents are a cause for great concern among parents and school officials alike. While the opportunity for serious injury is always present on the street, we would all prefer to believe that our children are safe anytime they leave the house. But as Maryland personal injury lawyers, we know that realistically no one can guarantee that kids will never be hurt while walking to school or while riding the bus.

No long ago, a traffic accident outside of Maryland opened up the discussion again regarding safety belts in school buses. Although the initial reaction whenever this kind of crash occurs is to do anything to lessen the extent of occupant injuries; and nobody can argue with people who say that even the prevention of one child’s death is worth the investment.

The particular rollover accident on I-81 that involved a school bus taking kids to summer camp. According to news reports, more than two dozen adults and children were hurt as a result when the bus crashed into a passenger vehicle and then overturned on a rural highway north of Maryland.

State police officials reported that the crash occurred when a Cadillac, driven by an elderly Hagerstown man, attempted to pass the school bus but failed to notice the oncoming traffic. Overcorrecting, 79-year-old Edward Shaffer steered back into the path of the bus, causing the wreck. The force of the collision caused the bus to roll over, and emergency rescue personnel were needed to free three of the youngsters who were pinned inside the wrecked commercial vehicle. The driver of the passenger car was also trapped until EMS workers could extricate him.

No surprise that the topic of school bus safety is an emotionally charged one, with multiple issues at stake, not to mention the health and safety of young passengers. But over the years it has become more and more obvious that most school systems either don’t have the money or the will to equip buses with safety belts; and a similar situation exists with local and state governments, which are not likely to mandate seatbelts any time soon.

Maryland Commercial Truck Accident Update: Important Things to Remember Regarding Trucking-related Injury Accidents

July 31, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Things happen pretty fast in the case of a traffic accident, and it’s not always easy to remember how the event transpired or even what happened afterward. For this very reason it is always a good idea to consult a qualified auto accident lawyer or Maryland personal injury attorney following a serious car, truck or motorcycle crash.

Knowing what to do following a commercial truck accident, it is important to remember some other things. Especially where injuries or property damage are concerned, the victims may be approached by attorneys representing the trucking company’s insurance carrier. Do yourself a favor; do not talk to anyone until you have consulted a trucking accident attorney to better understand your situation.

For instance, as a person who has been hurt or seriously injured following a trucking-related roadway collision, it is your legal right in Maryland to present the police-issued traffic citation as one of the pieces of evidence should you decide to bring a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit against a commercial truck driver or cartage company.

As Maryland trucking accident lawyers, we know that being involved in a crash with semi tractor-trailer rig can present the victims with serious medical complications, some of which can manifest themselves as life-threatening or certainly life-changing problem. We know this from first-hand experience representing victims and their families.

Whether you live in the Baltimore, Rockville or Washington, D.C., area, whenever an individual is caught up in a serious collision with a commercial delivery truck, tanker trailer rig or even a commuter bus, the resulting medical treatments and physical therapy can present a financial nightmare to those affected.

Baltimore Personal Injury News: Tanker Overturns in Cordova, MD, after Truck Driver Loses Control

July 26, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Being injured in a trucking-related accident is no laughing matter. For those people who have been involved in a traffic accident with a commercial delivery truck or 18-wheeler and can still talk about it, they would probably tell you it was a harrowing experience. Anyone who can walk away from such a truck wreck without a scratch is lucky in deed.

As Baltimore auto accident lawyers and Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my staff have represented trucking accident victims and their families for years. We understand the potential for serious injury and even death when a heavyweight motor vehicle such as a semi tractor-trailer rig, commercial delivery vehicle, tank truck or commuter bus strikes a smaller and more vulnerable passenger car.

One doesn’t need to be a physics major to comprehend how a motor vehicle ten or twenty times the mass of a small sedan or family minivan can wreck devastation on that smaller car or SUV. (We won’t mention the near fatal effect that a trucking-related collision can have on a relatively unprotected motorcyclist hit by 20-ton commercial vehicle.)

Suffice it to say that bodily injury is a typical result when a car is truck by an 18-wheeler, large box truck, cement mixer or other heavy construction vehicle. Broken arms and legs are common, while severe cuts and contusions are also typical. Some accidents cause the occupants of the passenger car to be trapped in their vehicle until emergency responders can literally cut them out of the twisted wreckage; all the while hoping to get to the hospital for possibly life-saving surgeries or other medical treatment.

Not long ago, a tanker truck carrying milk from local dairies overturned on a local roadway in the course of delivering its cargo. Although this was a single-truck accident, and therefore no other vehicles were involved, the example it makes as to the ever-present danger of commercial vehicle crashes is valid. It is road accidents like this one that should be a warning for any driver who approaches or follows a large commercial motor vehicle on Maryland’s roadways.

Baltimore Personal Injury Update: Points to Remember for Maryland Drivers Hurt in Commercial Truck Accidents

July 15, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As professionals, commercial truck drivers are responsible for the safe operation of their rigs. However, this in no way should suggest that trucking-related traffic accidents cannot happen. In fact, tractor-trailers and commercial delivery trucks collide with passenger cars, SUVs, minivans and motorcycles with alarming frequency. The reasons are varied, but driver error usually tops the list of suspected causes of 18-wheeler wrecks.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my legal staff follow news articles and television reports regarding some of the more dangerous and deadly big rig road accidents. Aside from driver error, defective equipment can be a cause of some truck-car collisions. Due to the shear size and mass of a semi tractor-trailer, injuries and property damage resulting from a commercial truck wreck tend to be more severe and extensive than those encountered in passenger car or smaller motor vehicle traffic accidents.

As stated earlier, truck drivers are considered professional drivers and as such these individuals are required to obey specific federal and state commercial vehicle safety laws, including those specified by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR). As part of these regulations, there are a number of requirements that are supposed to limit or reduce instances of driver fatigue, which has proven to be a common cause of trucking-related accidents in the past.

When it comes the vehicles themselves, mechanical inspections mandated by state and federal law can also go a long way toward preventing a large number of traffic accidents involving trucks and other passenger vehicles. Because of their size, commercial vehicles typically have a large number of moving parts and carious safety components which need to work in concert to allow the driver to operate the vehicle safely on public roads.

Numerous cases of equipment failures that caused or contributed in part to serious or fatal trucking collisions have been litigated over the years. Under federal law, trucking operators are required to conduct pre- and post-trip vehicle inspections and also to record the results of those inspections in a log book for future reference. Should a trucker fail to adequately inspect every aspect of a commercial truck’s basic mechanical components for wear or defect, that driver may be guilty of negligence should one of those components fail and cause a serious or fatal roadway accident.

Maryland Commercial Trucking Accident News: Cement Mixer Truck Overturns on I-270; Four People Seriously Injured

July 8, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Big rigs, box trucks, commercial delivery vans and construction vehicles are all large vehicles with enough size and mass to do serious damage to another smaller passenger vehicle should a traffic accident occur. On Maryland’s busy interstates and surface streets, these huge motor vehicles must share the road with family cars, SUVs, mini vans and motorcycles, yet potential catastrophe is only a moment away for some motorists.

As Baltimore auto accident attorneys and Washington, D.C., personal injury lawyers, I and my legal staff are constantly amazed that more people aren’t seriously injured or killed by commercial vehicles, especially in light of the densely populated condition of our cities. So when an 18-wheel tractor-trailer or other large commercial truck is involved in a roadway collision in Rockville, Gaithersburg, Frederick or Bowie, MD, the carnage that results is not all that surprising.

Aside from the “normal” injuries that passenger car occupants can receive in a commercial truck crash, such as cuts, lacerations and heavy bruising, drivers and passengers alike can sustain serious and even life-threatening injuries. Compound fractures of the arms or legs can cause serious blood loss that if untreated can result in death. A person trapped in a severely damaged vehicle must be extricated as soon as possible and taken to a hospital for immediate medical treatment.

Other injuries pose longer term medical complications. Also the result of a car, truck or motorcycle wreck, spinal cord damage and closed-head trauma (also known as traumatic brain injury) can put a person in a wheelchair for the rest of their life, if they even survive those initial injuries.

Not long ago, a concrete mixing truck went out of control on Interstate 270 in Montgomery County, MD. According to news reports, the multiple-vehicle accident happened in Germantown just north of the exit for Father Hurley Boulevard. Police reports indicated that the crash, which took place about half past 2pm on a Monday afternoon, involved three vehicles including the cement truck.