Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

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.

According to reports, the accident happened on a Friday afternoon along a stretch of Route 113 near Newark, MD. A local resident, 33-year-old Emily Timmons, was heading southbound in her ‘02 Dodge Caravan just before 5pm in the afternoon when an approaching tractor-trailer, driven by 46-year-old Mark T. Brittingham, reportedly crossed the double yellow hitting the minivan head-on.

Maryland State Police stated that the big rig, ‘96 International truck, hit the woman’s vehicle causing life-threatening injures to the passenger car driver. Timmons was treated at the scene and then flown by Maryland State Police helicopter to Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Wicomico County. According to the news article, the woman was still in critical condition more than four days later. Her 7-year-old passenger was hurt but was apparently in slightly better condition having been transported to PRMC via ambulance for injuries that authorities believed were not life threatening.

According to news reports, the driver of the 18-wheeler was treated at the scene and released. At the time of the article, he had been charged only with negligent driving.

Cops & Courts, MDCoastDispatch.com, October 1, 2010

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.

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

As a Maryland trucking and automobile accident attorney, I have a certain amount of professional experience when it comes to understanding the implications of a serious tractor-trailer traffic accident, especially where a crash involves a smaller vehicle such as an economy car, sedan or minivan. But the size of the smaller motor vehicle makes little difference since a semi is many times more massive than any passenger vehicle.

The fact of the matter is, few if any passenger cars -- whether a four-door luxury sedan or a large sport utility vehicle -- can withstand the crushing force of a commercial delivery truck, 18-wheeler, tanker truck or auto carrier. The bottom line is that the occupants of a passenger car or light truck are more apt to be injured or killed in such a traffic accident.

Something else that’s important to remember is that injuries suffered in automobile accidents can be non-life threatening yet pose lingering aftereffects that can last months or years, even a lifetime, after a crash. This is why it is always important to consult a personal injury lawyer following a traffic accident, if not for yourself, then do it for your family.

An example of an accident that is commonplace in congested urban areas happened not long ago when a passenger car was hit by a tractor-trailer along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. According to news reports, the accident occurred on a late Friday afternoon when a big rig semi smashed into a man’s car on the westbound lanes of the bridge.

Based on police reports, the Anne Arundel County Fire Department responded to the crash just before 5pm. Emergency personnel arriving on the scene found a 24-year-old man trapped inside his car, which apparently had been crushed by the massive semi. Firefighters had to utilize special rescue equipment to free the motorist, who reportedly suffered serious injuries that were thankfully not life threatening.

According to authorities, a Maryland State Police helicopter was used to transport the injured man to Baltimore’s shock trauma center. Meanwhile, it took another hour to clear two of the three westbound lanes of the bridge in order to get traffic flowing again. At the time of the report, police had not determined the cause of the crash and were continuing to investigate the accident.

Accident Closes Westbound Bay Bridge Span, WUSA9.com, August 21, 2010

Whether the cause of a collision is defective equipment, ineffective vehicle maintenance or just plain driver error or inattention, a traffic accident between a large commercial truck and a much smaller passenger vehicle can be quite serious, to say the least.

It goes without saying that drivers of small cars and motorcycles must always be on the defensive when driving near a delivery truck or semi tractor-trailer rig, but even individuals operating larger vehicles, such as SUVs, full-size vans and pickup trucks must be wary of the dangers posed by Freightliners, Macks and Peterbilts.

Because trucking accidents can be very costly, not only in terms of physical injury or death but also financially, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) require that trucking companies carry a minimum amount of insurance. By requiring that companies maintain a high level of financial responsibility, hopefully this encourages the safe operation of their vehicles on public motorways.

As a Maryland personal injury lawyer and trucking accident attorney, my firm is equipped to help victims of truck and automobile accidents try to recover costs arising from a traffic accident. Large or small, it’s a fact of life that injuries sustained in a car or truck collision can result in major medical bills, lost wages and long-term care costs.

Not long ago a traffic accident near Towson University illustrated the typical kind of car-delivery truck accident. According to news articles, a Pepsi truck collided with a passenger car along York Road in the mid-afternoon on a Thursday. Based on police reports, the crash occurred just outside of the university’s administrative offices.

Police said that the delivery truck hit and forced the smaller motor vehicle off the road around 3pm. Baltimore County police officers responding to the scene and found a blue car sitting to the side of the road. At the time of the article no mention was made as to the number of victims or the extent, if any, of their injuries. Police were still investigating the cause at that time.

Not long after that accident, another two-car crash was reported at about 4pm just south of the initial car-truck accident, at the corner of York and Murdock. That collision, which was also under investigation, involved a Honda Accord and a Nissan. Both drivers reportedly refused an ambulance ride to the nearest hospital for medical treatment.

Pepsi truck collides into vehicle on York Road, TheTowerLight.com, August 26, 2010

The recent bus accident on Interstate 270 yesterday, which claimed the life of the driver and injured a number of passengers including many children, reminds us of the random nature of highway traffic accidents. In this instance, the commercial vehicle was a chartered bus carrying 11 people back home from a trip to Washington, D.C. As a Maryland trucking accident lawyers and personal injury attorneys, our thoughts go out to the families of the victims and we all wish the survivors a speedy recovery from their injuries.

Of course, the Interstate Commerce Commission long ago instituted safety regulations to help protect both motorists and the occupants of commercial vehicles from the numerous and potentially deadly consequences of poorly maintained and operated delivery trucks, interstate buses, and 18-wheelers traveling on public roads. It's no surprise that car accidents involving large commercial vehicles can lead to multiple fatailities.

For anyone interested, those regulations are found in the Code of Federal Regulations, which was established for the express purpose to "help reduce or prevent truck and bus accidents, fatalities and injuries.” [Refer to 49 CFR 383.1(a)]. In fact, by requiring drivers to maintain a single nationwide commercial motor vehicle driver's license the federal government was trying to keep unqualified and potentially dangerous individuals from driving commercial motor vehicles on our highways and byways.

Although authorities believe the vehicle was in good mechanical condition with no obvious signs of defective equipment, they still don't know the cause of that terrible crash on I-270 in Bethesda. Until a complete investigation is conducted there is no way to know if the accident was a result of driver error or due to other factors; with the recent onslaught of drenching rain, the weather itself cannot be ruled out as a contributing factor in this awful crash.

According to news reports, several adults and six children (aged 7 to 12 years old) were hospitalized following a crash that sent an out-of-state tour bus down a 50-foot embankment off of I-280 in Montgomery County. For an as yet undetermined reason the bus left the roadway, crashed through a safety guardrail and then rolled to the bottom, killing the driver, 66-year-old Joseph Clabaugh Jr.

Based on police reports, the accident occurred at around 4pm as the vehicle was heading home to Pennsylvania from the District. A Maryland State Police inspector working in the state's Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division reportedly conducted a full mechanical inspection of the bus just after the crash and the bus was declared in good working order.

As of Thursday afternoon, four patients remained at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda in fair to good condition, according to police. All of the children had previously been released, some of the kids needed stitches and treatment for bruises from the crash.

Cause Of Bus Crash Remains A Mystery, WGAL.com, October 1, 2010

4 adults still hospitatized after bus crash, WashingtonPost.com, October 1, 2010