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Two individuals were injured by a semi driver during a highway accident near Hagerstown, MD, along southbound Interstate 81. According to news reports, the passengers of a 1992 Dodge Dynasty were taken to Washington County Hospital on the afternoon of February 13 following a harrowing car-truck wreck in Washington County.

As a Baltimore trucking accident lawyer, I and my colleagues are quite familiar with the factors that lead to tractor-trailer accidents involving sedans, minivan and sport utility vehicles. These types of accidents can frequently result in severe injuries, such as head, neck and back trauma, and can occasionally be fatal. In this instance, the two-vehicle crash on the southbound lanes of I-81 sent two occupants of the smaller passenger car to a nearby hospital, according to Maryland State Police in Hagerstown.

Based on news reports, the crash occurred around 1:30pm on a Saturday afternoon. The driver and passenger in the Dodge were heading south along I-81, just north of Md. 68, when a 2009 Peterbilt tractor-trailer made an unsafe lane change, police reports show. The semi trailer hit the Dynasty’s driver’s side, which then caused the car to spin out of control, strike the median and overturn.

Traffic accidents caused by large semi and tractor-trailer rigs are fairly commonplace on Maryland’s roadways. But crashes involving fire and rescue vehicles can also occur and have similar and possibly tragic results. As a Maryland injury lawyer and commercial truck accident attorney, I see reports of motorists injured as a result of these kinds of wrecks fairly often in the Baltimore area and around our state.

As recent a news article pointed out, the potential for injury or death from a trucking accident can impact the lives of both drivers and passengers traveling in smaller motor vehicles. These individuals are most vulnerable, as are pedestrians, when caught in crashes involving big rigs and delivery trucks. According to reports, witnesses stated that a Calvert County fire engine hit another Anne Arundel County ladder truck while apparently on the way to an emergency call.

The collision, which reports described as a side-swiping accident, also affected two passenger cars when the Calvert County truck sideswiped the Anne Arundel ladder truck on a Sunday afternoon in Galesville, Maryland.

Witnesses to the accident claimed that the driver of the Calvert County fire engine hit the West Annapolis-based Tower 40 and then continued on without offering assistance. The accident occurred just after 4pm, according to Anne Arundel police, at the intersection of Muddy Creek and Owensville roads. At the time of the article, police said that a 24-year-old volunteer with the Dunkirk Volunteer Fire Department in northern Calvert County was at fault in the wreck.

Although no body was seriously injured in the crash, the incident resulted in putting the Anne Arundel ladder truck out of service for the rest of the day and caused damage to two private vehicles. One driver of the two smaller vehicles that were hit reportedly took himself to the hospital for observation.

According to police reports, James Russel Carey Jr., a firefighter who started driving fire department vehicles in 1993, was driving Tower 40 south on Muddy Creek Road through the intersection of Owensville Road on a green light. While crossing the intersection, the county ladder truck was struck by an eastbound fire engine manned by the driver and four other Dunkirk volunteer firefighters.

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As a Baltimore trucking accident attorney and personal injury lawyer, I know the heartache associated with the physical injuries sustained during a bad traffic accident. Most of the people we represent in the course of our work are drivers and passengers of sedans, minivans and pickup trucks. When these smaller vehicles go up against a larger motor vehicle, such as a Peterbilt, Kenworth or International semi tractor-trailer rig, the passenger car and its occupants usually end up losing.

While most Maryland trucking accidents result in minor to severe injuries, occasionally occupants can suffer fatal injury as a consequence of a trucking wreck. The higher the speed, the more seriously people can be hurt. Multiple vehicle crashes involving semi trucks can raise the injury or death toll at an accident scene.

A recent news article reported a multi-vehicle collision involving a tractor-trailer on Route 113 in Worchester County and Ironshire Station Road near Berlin, MD. The incident occurred just after noon during bad weather and poor visibility, which police say were contributing factors to the afternoon crash.

Recent snow storms and bad winter weather throughout the Maryland and D.C. area have resulted in numerous automobile accidents and trucking crashes. Poor road conditions are just one cause traffic accidents that can hurt or kill drivers and occupants of motor vehicles. Especially dangerous are wrecks involving semi trucks, or tractor-trailer rigs, and those smaller passenger cars, pickup trucks, SUVs and minivans.

Located here in Baltimore, my firm represents many victims of car and truck accidents. As trucking accident lawyers, we understand how tractor-trailer wrecks can cause great bodily harm to drivers and passengers of smaller vehicles. The more severe injuries, such as head trauma and spinal damage, can result in long hospital stays and costly recovery. Some injuries can leave individuals permanently disabled.

A recent beltway crash involving a semi tractor-trailer injured a Maryland highway worker as he assisted snow removal crews. According to new reports, the SHA worker was injured on February 11 along a stretch of the Baltimore Beltway when a semi rig hit his truck.

Trucking accidents can result in injury to the occupants of passenger cars, as well as pedestrians and bystanders. In addition to drivers of smaller vehicles being hurt in a semi-truck or commercial vehicle accident, fatalities are not uncommon on highways, city streets and rural roads throughout Maryland. As Baltimore tractor-trailer accident lawyers, my staff has helped dozens of people who have become victims of another person’s negligence.

Occasionally, the victim of a trucking crash can be the driver of the over-the-road hauler itself. Fatal and non-life-threatening injury accidents can be the cause of driver error, as well as poorly maintained roadways, or even defective vehicle equipment. Whatever the cause, the costs are high for the victims due to the sometimes extensive medical care, lost wages or unmet financial obligations due to injury.

Not long ago, a Maryland trucker died in a horrendous semi crash and ensuing fire on the New Jersey Turnpike. The victim, 25-year-old Jovon Holmes, tragically burned to death after his truck hit a pickup, then struck a bridge abutment and burst into flames. According to news reports, witnesses at the scene said the fire was so bad that emergency personnel had a very difficult time locating and the identifying the man.

Every year dozens of Maryland residents are hurt in traffic accidents. Many of these collisions are caused by driver error and can involve heavy trucks, such as semi tractor-trailers, delivery vehicles, commercial trucks and other large motor vehicles. Unfortunately, when a truck goes out of control on a public road, smaller passenger cars can be hit as well.

Occupants of passenger cars, sport utility vehicle (SUVs) and pickup trucks can be at a high risk of bodily injury during such wrecks. As a Baltimore auto accident lawyer, I and my colleagues have experience in helping victims of car and truck crashes as well as other personal injury accidents. When a semi truck is involved, injuries can be quite severe and fatalities are sometimes encountered.

Recently, news reports documented a tractor-trailer accident that left a state police detective badly injured following a head-on collision on Hobbs Road near Route 50. According to police, Joshua Burton Webb Jr. of Whaleyville was driving his Perdue tractor-trailer north on Hobbs Road around 8am when his vehicle crossed the double yellow line and crashed head-on into an oncoming state police Ford Crown Victoria.

A trucking-related wreck can be a frightening event, especially for the occupants of smaller vehicles caught up in the crash. A semi tractor-trailer hauling heavy cargo can do significant damage to smaller and lighter passenger vehicles. Even sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks are no match against a fully-loaded big rig.

As a Maryland injury lawyer and trucking accident attorney, I know that the size of these vehicles and the cargo they carry can cause serious harm to the drivers and passengers of multiple vehicles. One of the most dangerous types of truck-related crashes involve tankers carrying flammable liquids such as heating oil, diesel fuel, kerosene or gasoline.

A tanker crash can release thousands of gallons of combustible liquids, which can engulf and burn out of control for hours. Any motorist caught up in a tanker truck crash must have luck on his side to make it through. This kind of traffic accident occurred not long ago on Montross Road above Interstate 270 in Montgomery County, MD.

Winter driving presents its own particular danger to the driving public. Slippery conditions can lead to single-car or multi-vehicle accidents, while poor visibility can result in serious injury accidents as well. As a Baltimore personal injury attorney and Maryland motorist myself, I know the potential for property damage and physical harm that cold-weather driving can cause. Large trucks, such as semi tractor-trailer rigs, delivery trucks and heating oil tanker trucks can also pose addition danger on the road.

Earlier this month, a woman was injured in a trucking-related accident when her car was hit by a Garrett County snow plow operated by the county’s roads department. According to reports, Deanna Louise Schroyer, a 46-year-old Friendsville resident, was driving her GMC Sierra pickup truck along Bear Creek Road just before 10am when she apparently drifted into the oncoming lane just as the plow was approaching.

According to Maryland State Police, the Northern Garrett Rescue Squad and the Accident Volunteer Fire Department responded to the accident after being alerted by the Garrett County 911 center. Once on the scene they treated both drivers.

Trucking accidents, especially on the interstate, can be horrendous events. Occupants of passenger cars, SUVs and light pickup trucks can be severely injured if their vehicle is hit by a semi truck, such as a Peterbuilt, Kenworth or International long-haul commercial truck. As a Maryland injury law firm, my staff has helped numerous individuals who have been hurt in traffic accidents involving large, big-rig tractor-trailers.

This is not to say that truck drivers themselves do not become injured as well. With a dozen or more tons of cargo on the trailer behind the truck cab, an over-the-road trucker can easily be hurt or killed in a high-speed crash or even medium-speed trucking accidents. A news article highlighted what can happen when two trucks collide on the expressway.

According to news reports, there was a double tractor-trailer crash just north of the Maryland border in mid-December that injured the drivers of both rigs. The accident, which occurred around 2am on I-78 in Delaware County, PA, apparently tied up traffic for hours.

Seatbelts (or safety belts) do serve a valuable function and those who choose not to avail themselves of their protection run the risk of serious injury or even death in the event of a traffic accident. It’s not surprising that the larger the vehicle the more protected an occupant feels, however even commercial truck drivers place their lives in the hands of fate when they do not wear a seatbelt.

As a Maryland trucking accident lawyer and personal injury attorney, I understand the dangers awaiting motorists around every turn on our interstates, highways and urban streets. Whether you drive a tractor-trailer rig, panel truck, tanker or delivery vehicle, safety should be your primary concern. Trucking-related accidents can be deadly, not just for the drivers and occupants of relatively small passenger vehicles, but also to truck drivers themselves.

Not long ago, a Maryland tow truck driver lost his life in King George County when his wrecker apparently collided head-on with a pickup truck on Route 206 not far from Indiantown Road, also known as Route 610.

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