February 2011 :: Maryland Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

« January 2011 | | March 2011 »

Posted On: February 23, 2011

Maryland Trucking Accident News: Rogue Truck Driver Leads Police on Multi-State Chase

Maryland authorities in Washington County, MD, as well as those in several other states, have lodged charges against the out-of-state truck driver who led police on a multi-state chase. While no injuries were reported in this instance, any time a commercial truck is used in a manner not intended for safe highway travel, innocent motorists can be put at risk. If a chase ensues when innocent drivers are around, people can and do get hurt as a result.

As Baltimore injury lawyers serving the residents of Maryland and Washington, D.C., we have heard countless stories of injury accidents involving passenger cars and 18-wheelers or motorcycles and commercial deliver trucks. While federal regulations such as 49 CFR Part 395, which puts limits on when and how long commercial truckers can operate their vehicles, endeavor to control the actions of law-abiding drivers, those who feel they are outside the law can be the cause of severe traffic accidents.

When a commercial truck driver, operating either a large box truck or the heavier and more massive 18-wheeler, acts in a negligent manner, lives can be put at risk. Traffic accidents caused by an errant semi tractor-trailer can result in multiple vehicle collisions, during which head, neck and internal injuries can result.

The physical injuries that these kinds of highway wrecks can cause are just the tip of the iceberg -- for many families, the treatment immediately after the accident as well as the surgeries and physical therapy weeks and months later can cause a family financial trouble almost from the get go. In cases of wrongful death, where a negligent party caused an accident that took a loved one’s life, lawsuits are sometimes filed for pain and suffering that the victim experienced before his or her own death.

Regardless of the cause, a trucking-related traffic collision can many times be more serious than a similar passenger car collision. Luckily for everyone, that interstate police chase involving a Mississippi truck driver ended without and serious injuries. According to news reports, the trucker involved in that chase now faces multiple charges, some from the Maryland.

The chase ended after passing through West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. The driver, 42-year-old Thomas L. McNeel was being held on $250,000 bond following his arrest. Based on reports, he was charged with attempting to elude police officers, intent to possess a contraband substance, driving under the influence of a controlled substance, reckless endangerment, reckless and careless driving, plus numerous other traffic offenses, according to court records.

Here in Maryland, state police charged McNeel with four counts each of first- and second-degree assault; two counts of failure to stop following a traffic accident; eluding police officers, careless and negligent driving, according to the Washington County District Commissioners Office.

Truck driver involved in chase facing numerous charges in three states, Herald-Mail.com, December 21, 2010

Posted by Lebowitz & Mzhen | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Tanker Truck Accidents , Trucking-related Injury Accidents

Posted On: February 16, 2011

Maryland Injury Accident News: Driver Dies in Head-on Crash with 18-Wheel Rig

| Share

As Maryland automobile accident lawyers and personal injury attorneys, we speak from experience when we say that traffic accidents involving passenger cars and commercial trucks hardly ever end in favor of the smaller vehicle. With a gross weight on the order of 20 tons or more, a fully loaded semi tractor-trailer rig has as much mass as nearly 10 sport utility vehicles (SUVs), which makes any kind of highway accident a deadly proposition for the average motorist in a family car.

Furthermore, if a passenger car hasn’t much chance, then one can only imagine what the odds are for an economy car or motorcycle that tangles with a 18-wheeler on the expressway or undivided rural road. Needless to say, every passenger car and light truck driver should pay extremely careful attention whenever passing a tractor-trailer rig or other commercial truck. The watchword here is caution.

Even though we try to be careful, accidents continue to happen. A case in point is a crash that happened not long ago when a minivan crossed over the centerline and struck a tanker truck driven by a Baltimore truck driver. The crash happened just after 11am on a Tuesday morning and resulted in the death of the driver of the Chrysler Town and Country, 50-year-old Richard Baker.

According to police, Baker was headed west along a stretch of Rte 9 when for some reason his minivan crossed the centerline. In cases like this, driver error is usually suspected, however there have been instances where defective vehicle equipment, such as faulty steering components or poorly maintained tires may have been a factor. Police were apparently still investigating the crash at the time of the article.

Based on news reports, the collision resulted in a fire that damaged both vehicles. Not long after the crash, police arriving on the scene pulled Baker from his vehicle and attempted to revive him. Their attempts unfortunately failed and the man died from his injuries at the crash site.

The driver of the 2005 Mac tractor-trailer truck, 55-year-old George Cherrey of Baltimore, MD, was attended to at the scene by emergency responders for minor injuries and then transported to Beebe Medical Center where he was treated and subsequently released. According to police, the roadway was closed for approximately three hours due to the severity of the accident and the subsequent investigation by police.

UPDATED BREAKING NEWS: Route 9 crash leaves Georgetown man dead, WGMD.com, January 11, 2011

Posted by Lebowitz & Mzhen | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Fatal Trucking Accidents

Posted On: February 7, 2011

Maryland Injury Accident News: Baltimore Trucker Dies in Fatal Semi Crash along I-695 in Towson

| Share

Anytime a person is killed as a result of a traffic accident there is always a lingering question of whether things could have truned out differently depending on the circumstances. Many fatal car, truck and motorcycle wrecks seem so senseless when the families of the victims look back on the incident. Although the reasons are not always clear, certain things may be obvious, such as speed too fast for weather conditions, poorly maintained tires or impropoerly designed safety equipment and driver fatigue.

How important is it to get to one’s destination fast if the alternative is not getting there at all? Sad but true, a certain percentage of these deadly collisions could probably have been avoided if something had not occurred or a certain fateful choice had never been made.

As a Maryland personal injury attorney, we often hear victims’ families ask these kind of after-the-fact questions with little hope of knowing for certain if their loved one could have avoided the tragedy altogether. One known cause of commercial truck accidents is driver fatigue, whcih has been a constant source of concern for police and regulatory agencies for decades. This is why there exists federal regulations limiting hours of service. In fact, 49 CFR Part 395 puts limits on when and how long commercial trucker may operate their vehicles.

While trucking accidents usually result in the occupants of a second, smaller passenger car being hurt or killed, there are cases were the trucker himself is the victim of an 18-wheeler accident. And while these vehicles provide the operator with a fair amount of protection in the cab, injuries do occur and death is always a possibility.

Such was the case not long ago when a truck driver from the Baltimore area lost control of his rig on a stretch of Interstate 695 in Towson, plowing into an abandoned minivan on the shoulder, and then bursting into flames against the sound wall next to the roadway. According to news reports, 39-year-old Russell William Lewis died at the scene, though it was not known if he died from the crash or the subsequent flames that engulfed the tractor portion of the rig after the tractor-trailer overturned.

According to Maryland State Police, Lewis was likely traveling along the inner loop of I-695 around 4:30am when his semi carrying a load of calcium carbonate veered off the roadway and smashed into the unoccupied minivan.

At the time of the news article, Maryland State Police did not believe that speed was a factor in the fatal accident, however they were looking into the possibility that the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel prior to the wreck. Similarly, authorities had not yet ruled out the possibility that Lewis may have experienced a medical emergency.

Driver killed in early morning crash on I-695 in Towson, ABC2News.com, January 4, 2011

Posted by Lebowitz & Mzhen | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Fatal Trucking Accidents , Single-truck Accidents

« January 2011 | | March 2011 »