Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

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.

According to news reports, another Maryland resident was hurt early on a Friday morning when a ‘07 Freightliner 18-wheeler hit the man along the second southbound lane of US Rte 301. According to police reports, the pedestrian allegedly failed to yield the right of way to the tractor-trailer, which ended up hitting the as-yet unidentified man around 1:30am.

According to police reports, emergency responders arrived that the scene of the crash to help the injured man, who was subsequently flown by helicopter to Prince George’s Hospital Center for further treatment. At the time of the news article, the man was being treated for severe head trauma and internal injuries. The trucker, 46-year-old John W. Mullins, was reportedly uninjured in the incident.

Maryland State Police in La Plata, MD, were investigating the accident at the time of the news report, but officials said that it appeared to be a case of pedestrian error.

Pedestrian Struck, Flown to Shock Trauma, TheBayNet.com, September 10, 2010

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.

Not long ago, a man was killed in a traffic accident between a minivan and a commercial big rig along Rte. 13 in Somerset County. According to new accounts, Maryland State Police from the Princess Anne barrack reported a fatal crash on a Thursday evening when a Chevrolet Venture failed to yield to a ‘03 Peterbilt tractor-trailer rig. The 18-wheeler, which was going north along Rte 13 near Camp Road, hit the minivan when it turned left in front of the truck.

The force of the collision, which occurred at around 7:17pm, sent the minivan off the roadway and caused it to roll over several times. In the process 26-year-old Marino Cordova, who was seated in the backseat, was ejected from the vehicle as it rolled. Emergency responders arriving at the crash site pronounced Cordova dead at the scene.

At the time of the news report, police were still investigating the accident and driver negligence could have been the possible cause. Reports show that Velasquez was transported to Peninsula Regional Medical Center reportedly for non-life-threatening injuries.

SOMERSET: Man killed in Route 13 crash, DelmarvaNow.com, October 1, 2010

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.

According to reports, authorities at the Ohio State Highway Patrol believe that driver fatigue may have factored into the deadly August 16 multi-vehicle accident that killed 47-year-old Susan P. Slattery and injured her two sons traveling with her. Based on police reports, the semi allegedly barreled into the rear of the Maryland resident’s 2010 Ford Focus.

The crash caused Slattery’s compact car to be pushed into another tractor-trailer. Resulting in a multi-vehicle collision involving five cars and three big rigs. Slattery, a Cockeysville resident, died in the crash. Her 12-year-old boy was listed in critical condition at a local hospital with what emergency personnel referred to as "multiple systems trauma." Slattery’s 16-year-old son was in fair condition, with injuries listed as a possible hip and left foot fracture, multiple abrasions and lacerations, according to reports.

At the time of the news article, police were considering pressing charges against the truck driver, who was hauling a triple trailer at the time. According to reports, the driver admitted to dozing off "for a few seconds" shortly before noon that day. The driver told police he tried to "take evasive action" after he woke up, "but it was too late." Authorities report that the trucker admitted he started at 3am that morning and only gotten three hours of sleep before work.

Sleep deprivation may be cause of fatal crash, HudsonHubTimes.com, August 22, 2010

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.

The accident occurred just after 8am, and while information was sketchy it appears that the bus somehow lost control, left the roadway and then tipped over on its side in a grassy area off the highway. In the process, according to police reports, a sport utility vehicle and another passenger car were also damaged in the incident.

Based on reports, the bus driver and six students received minor injuries and were transported to local hospitals where they were treated and released by 10am that day. The driver of the SUV, having apparently serious injuries, was taken by ambulance to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. The other passenger car driver received only minor injuries.

Accident in Havre de Grace sends one person to shock trauma, ExploreHarford.com, September 24, 2010