Maryland Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog
With limited visibility for the driver and weighing in at over 20 thousand pounds, the average dump truck can pose a serious hazard to others on the road. Indeed, a Maryland cyclist recently collided with a dump truck. Although this particular truck accident did not claim any lives, reports note that the cyclist required emergency medical care. According to a recent news report, the accident happened on the morning of July 1 when a dump truck allegedly struck a cyclist riding on the northbound side of the Rockville Pike.
As the cyclist heals, Maryland authorities will work to uncover which parties were at fault in the accident. Any party that acted negligently in conjunction with this accident was at least partially at fault. A driver or bicyclist acts negligently when she fails to follow the rules of the road. For example, the cyclist in this accident was almost certainly required to travel with traffic rather than against it. Whether the cyclist was traveling north or south when the accident happened will therefore affect any determination of liability. Establishing liability is critical to determining what compensation is due and to whom.
In a majority of cases where a bike and motor vehicle collide, it is the operator of the motor vehicle who behaved negligently and is therefore at fault. According to one study of bike-car collisions, motorists are at fault in over 80 percent of these types of crashes, whereas cyclists are at fault less than 20 percent of the time. Maryland recognizes the legal concept of contributory negligence, which means that multiple parties in a crash can be held to some degree of fault.
Although the key details relevant to fault in this crash are presently unknown, it is a possibility that the dump truck driver was negligent.
Common examples of negligence on the part of truck drivers include driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, excessive speed, and reckless or aggressive driving. Negligent truck drivers may also be improperly trained or may fail to inspect their vehicles as required. Inadequate or improper training can lead truck drivers to make dangerous mistakes, such as changing lanes without accounting for a blind spot. Similarly, failure to inspect one’s truck could mean that a mechanical failure that could cause an accident goes undetected.
Proving a truck driver’s negligence can be a challenging endeavor. Hiring a personal injury attorney with experience in truck accident cases can make all the difference in identifying the cause of an accident and proving negligence to the court.
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If you or a loved one has suffered any type of Maryland truck accident, securing financial compensation may be critical to helping you restore your physical and emotional health to the fullest extent possible. The personal injury team at Lebowitz & Mzhen prides itself on fighting for the maximum possible recovery for each of our clients. With decades of combined practice in accident cases, our team has the experience needed to win cases for people just like you. Call us at 800-654-1949 to schedule a free consultation with a lawyer to discuss your case today.