Maryland Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

Maryland Trucking Accident News: Experts Say Maximum Driving Hours Still Killing Too Many People

January 7, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The death last August of a Maryland university professor on an Ohio expressway has raised the question of commercial truck drivers’ ability to function well under the currently legal federally regulated hours of service. It was the untimely death of Stevenson University professor Susan Slattery and numerous other traffic accidents involving commercial truck and passenger vehicles — such as minivan, sedans, SUVs and motorcycles — that has people like Joan Claybrook, former head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), looking long and hard at the current rules.

As a Baltimore trucking accident lawyer and personal injury attorney, I have heard dozens of heartrending stories involving families who have lost loved ones in traffic wrecks due to another person’s negligence. According to a news report, the federal regulations governing the number of hours a truck driver may be one the road could also be to blame for thousands of deaths each year.

To some, semi tractor-trailers are simply rolling time bombs that claim nearly a dozen lives every day across the United States. And it’s most likely true, according to some, that of the dozens of 18-wheelers a driver meets on the road every hour may be operated by a trucker who has been driving for more than the 12 hours. In fact, there is no way for other motorists to know whether or not a commercial driver has been on the road for only five or as much as 15 hours.

Claybrook herself has reportedly been an advocate for reducing the hours truckers can drive for a while now. Known as “Hours of Service,” federal regulations state that truckers can drive no longer than 11 hours with 10 hours off for rest. But these rules could change as early as 2011, now that there have been some successful lawsuits carried out by safety groups.

As a result, the federal government is now carefully reviewing the question of how many hours a trucker could more safely drive in any given shift. Given the possibility of proposed changes to the current rules governing hours of service, a change in the law could be implemented no later than next summer.

Some would say that it couldn’t come soon enough, what with driver fatigue being blamed for as much as 40 percent of fatal trucking-related accidents; claiming about 5000 lives across the nation every year.

Maryland Driver Dies in Baltimore County Traffic Accident; Delivery Truck Ran Red Light, Hit Car

December 31, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

When a commercial truck, such as a box truck, tanker or semi tractor-trailer crashes into or hits a much smaller passenger car the result can be very serious. As Maryland personal injury lawyers and trucking accident attorneys, we know how a moment of thoughtlessness or inattentiveness can lead to a lifetime of pain and suffering. In the worst cases, such a simple and seemingly minor distraction can end up causing a fatal car, truck or motorcycle accident.

These kinds of traffic collisions happen rather frequently, which doesn’t make them any less important or somber considering the potentially tragic aftermath. Young families have been known to lose one or both parents in a single heartbreaking car crash. Wives and mothers have lost husbands and children in the blink of an eye. Still other victims have seen their savings dwindle to near nothingness from the extensive medical and financial costs of a terrible motor vehicle wreck.

Trying to understand the reasons for these senseless occurrences doesn’t make them go away, but it does help a family cope. Wrongful death, however, is never easy to reconcile and many times requires the help of a knowledgeable attorney. Not long ago an elderly gentleman was tragically killed in Essex when a commercial truck ran a red light an struck his car on a Tuesday afternoon.

Baltimore Traffic Injury Update: Maryland Residents Should Understand Injury Risk when Riding in Commercial Passenger Vans

December 27, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

For most Maryland drivers, being safe on the road can means watching out for the other guy and making sure your car, truck or motorcycle is mechanically sound and well maintained. As a Baltimore auto accident lawyer and personal injury attorney, I understand the reasons why we all should give our personal vehicles the special attention they deserve in order to run right and keep us safe in case of an accident.

That said, everyone — drivers and passengers alike — must remember that the commercial vehicles in which we travel from time to time can be a major source of traffic injuries and potential fatalities. It goes without saying that we have little control over or knowledge of the quality of maintenance that these vehicle receive prior to riding in them.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), those large-capacity passenger vans that we all see taking church members, school athletic teams and retirees to and from various events could be more dangerous than any of us imagine. Based on a combination of factors, these vehicles apparently have a higher than average propensity for rollover accidents than most other types of passenger cars.

Baltimore Trucking Injury News: Police Identify Faulty Brakes as Cause of Maryland Tour Bus Crash

December 6, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Defective safety equipment on a commercial vehicle can easily lead to a serious accident down the road. Where trucks are concerned, any traffic accident can result in a serious injuries and even fatalities. Here in Maryland, heavy vehicle wrecks can and do occur with alarming frequency. As a Baltimore trucking accident lawyer and personal injury attorney, I know that poorly designed or incorrectly maintained vehicle systems — such as brakes, steering and occupant protection components — can be the cause of commercial motor vehicle accidents that result in head, neck and internal injuries as well as death.

Truck producers and commercial vehicle owners and driver must be aware of their responsibility to make certain that these massive vehicles are as safe as possible to protect the road-going public. If any system breaks on a truck the results can be fatal, not only for the people in nearby passenger cars, but also to the occupants of the commercial truck or bus.

Not long ago, police determined that the brakes on a Maryland tour bus were not working correctly and apparently caused two of the vehicle’s tires to blow out while traveling along the interstate at highway speeds. According to news reports, the failure of the motor coach’s braking system resulted an overheating condition, which caused a couple tires on that vehicle to blow out.

Maryland Trucking Accident News: Pedestrian Severly Injured by Semi on U.S. 301 in Charles County

November 30, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Traffic accidents involving pedestrians are still one of the many causes of wrongful death in Maryland and across the nation. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which recently released its 2009 traffic safety findings, more than 33,000 people were killed in automobile-related collisions across the nation last year. While this was a drop from 2008, that’s a lot of people killed in car and trucking accidents.

For those on foot, be aware that in 2009 there were more than 4,000 fatal pedestrian accidents in all 50 states. On average, that’s more than six people killed in each state every month of the year. Annually, more than 500 people were killed in heavy, commercial truck accidents across the U.S. Here in Maryland, as Baltimore personal injury lawyers, we try to help victims of traffic crashes recover the costs of medical treatment, lost wages and other accident-related costs.

A trucker whose negligent driving results in the death or injury of another person should be held responsible for his actions. This is only right, since innocent bystanders and other pedestrians are at great risk when the driver of a large tractor-trailer or commercial deliver truck loses control of such a massive motor vehicle.

Maryland Truck Accident News: Passenger Dies after Minivan is Hit by Semi Tractor-trailer on Rte. 13

November 23, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Wherever you live, truck, car and motorcycle accidents are probably a common occurrence. Because we live in a mobile society, automobile collisions are sadly a fact of life, and while people might feel safer living out in the countryside, it’s not necessarily urban traffic accidents that result in fatalities, but rural crashes as well.

As a Baltimore trucking accident lawyer, I understand the reasons for car and truck accidents here in the Baltimore area and elsewhere across Maryland. It’s important to note that the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) determined a while back that driving in the countryside is no safer than driving in urban areas. In fact, the risk of a fatal car or truck crash in rural areas is nearly 40 percent higher than in our cities.

Part of the reason for this is due to the higher average speeds on rural roads, which can result in nearly two-times more chance of serious injury than in an urban setting. This, coupled with the fact that it typically takes longer for EMS personnel to respond to a crash out in the country, makes it more likely that you will survive a typical in-city traffic accident versus in one out in a rural area.

Sleep Deprivation Possible Cause of Fatal Semi Tractor-trailer Crash that Killed Maryland University Professor

November 15, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Recent news reports tying the dangers of sleep deprivation to traffic accidents involving heavy, over-the-road delivery trucks and tractor-trailers have been punctuated by actual stories of fatal and near fatal crashes between passenger vehicles and 18-wheelers. Not only do these relatively large motor carriers pose a threat to passenger cars, light trucks and minivans filled with families, pedestrians, bicycles and motorcycles can also find themselves in the crosshairs of a commercial truck and its potentially impaired driver.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers and trucking accident attorneys, I and my colleagues have seen the result of highway and urban collisions between smaller vehicles and these much more massive trucks. If a truck driver is not fit to drive, a potential accident can be lurking around the very next turn. Sleep deprivation, as well as other modes of driver impairment can increase the odds of a collision, which rarely comes out well for the occupants of a smaller passenger car.

In the case of a Maryland university professor killed in an out-of-state highway crash involving a semi, it would appear that police believed that the driver of the big rig may have been sleep deprived prior to the accident. If so, the unfortunate woman and her two injured children riding with her would be three more statistics added to the ever-growing list of tragic and unnecessary trucking accidents.

Baltimore Traffic Accident News: Maryland School Bus Involved in Crash on Route 155 in Harford County

November 8, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

While we all hope our children will not be involved in a bus-car or bus-truck collision, this is a distinct possibility. As a Baltimore trucking accident lawyer, I and my associates understand how difficult it is to care for an injured child while holding down a job and running a household. Anytime a person, young or old, is hurt in a car crash or truck wreck, the victim’s family can many times find themselves under a financial strain usually caused by mounting medical and healthcare bills.

One thing that Maryland’s parents should expect is that their kids will be safe while riding local school buses on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that passenger cars, delivery trucks and commercial big rigs share the same roads with our kids’ school buses and church shuttle vehicles. Sadly, the law of averages means that there will be an occasional traffic accident involving a school bus from time to time.

Not long ago, a school bus accident in Havre de Grace sent one person to the hospital, with a handful of others sustaining minor injuries. According to the news reports, school bus 611 was on its way to the Meadowvale Elementary School on a Friday morning when it was involved in a collision with two other passenger cars along Route 155 near Canvasback Drive.

Maryland Trucking Accident News: Worchester County Woman Critically Injured in Head-on Tractor-trailer Crash

October 31, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As a Baltimore auto injury attorney and trucking accident lawyer, I know that it’s important for anyone injured in a semi tractor-trailer crash not to discuss anything with the trucking company’s insurer until that victim has had time to speak with an experienced accident attorney. Whether you are a motorist, pedestrian, bicycle or motorcycle rider injured in a traffic accident, you should always consider your options.

Commercial truck accidents involving tanker trucks, automobile transporters, garbage collection vehicles, or any other kind of large motor vehicle can take a huge toll on a smaller passenger car, such as a sedan, minivan or even an SUV. Severe head and spinal trauma, broken bones and internal injuries are just some of the medical conditions that can result from a highway collision involving Kenworth, Peterbilt or Mack trucks.

Not long ago a woman and her young passenger were injured when a semi crossed over the centerline and collided head-on with the other vehicle. While the report did mention specifics, this kind of accident has been know to happen if the truck driver was drowsy as a result of not enough sleep, possibly violating the mandatory federal limit on maximum driving time on the road.

Fatal Two-Truck Crash on Maryland Route 50 Leaves One Dead, Three Critically Injured

October 23, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Serious trucking accidents; we’ve all seen them on the evening news with mangled metal, twisted vehicles and scorched pavement and crushed or burned-out cars. But what happens after a severe semi tractor-trailer crash? Once the victims have been taken to the hospital; after the fatalities have been tallied and the relatives notified of the tragedy; now the grieving begins.

As a Maryland personal injury attorney representing victims of commercial truck accidents, I understand all too well the pain and anguish that families are left with following the severe injury or death of a loved one. As Baltimore truck crash lawyers, I and my colleagues know that negligence is often a factor in these kinds of accidents.

In fact, even if a truck driver is not charged in a criminal court, the family of an 18-wheeler crash can still sue for wrongful death in a civil court. One important thing to keep in mind after such a terrible crash is not to speak with the other party’s insurer until you explore your legal options with a qualified auto injury attorney.

Recently, a multi-truck collision resulted in the death of one person and injuries to three other people. According to news reports, the crash on Rte 50 occurred on a rainy afternoon not far from Annapolis, MD, when a Penske moving van apparently left the roadway and struck another commercial truck parked on the shoulder.

Based onpolice reports, William Edward Comegys, Jr., Rigoberto Domingos-Ayala and Jose Rohas Santa-Cruz had pulled their ‘96 Izuzu box truck off to the side of the road to fix a broken windshield wiper. The truck, belonging to Ebb Tide Tent & Party Rentals, was stopped when it was hit by the westbound Penske truck just before 1pm.

The moving truck, which was being driven by Robert Frederick Lee, hit the rear of the box truck injuring the occupants of both vehicles. Emergency response personnel arrived at the scene to find Comegys suffering from life-threatening injuries. The Penske driver and the other two Ebb Tide employees — Domingos-Ayala and Santa-Cruz — reportedly suffered serious injuries in the crash.