Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

As a personal injury attorney here in Maryland, I know how much the odds are stacked against pedestrians and bicyclists in cases of traffic-related accidents. Pitting oneself, as a virtually unprotected human being, against a two ton passenger car -- not to mention being hit by a large commercial vehicle, such as a large box truck, semi tractor-trailer or even a metropolitan transit bus -- is a situation few would want to experience.

Pedestrian roadway accidents involving cars and trucks can result in some pretty serious bodily injuries on the part of the hapless person on foot or riding a bike. Simply being knocked over by a motor vehicle that passes too close can cause an individual to fall to the tarmac, potentially causing broken bones or even a concussion; closed-head injuries are not uncommon in such collisions between people and vehicular traffic.

As Baltimore car, truck and motorcycle accident lawyers, I and my legal staff have met numerous individuals hurt or severely injure in a random car or trucking-related wreck. In pedestrian-related collisions, the people traveling on foot are rarely the winners; many people do, in fact, suffer extensive injuries that may require days or weeks in a hospital bed. Expensive medical treatment is sometimes followed by a fair amount of physical therapy in order to get the victim back to some semblance of normalcy once back at home.

Continue reading "Commercial Vehicle Accident Leaves University of Baltimore Student Seriously Injured following City Bus Crash" »

For most of the drivers here in Maryland and Washington, D.C., maintaining the safety of oneself and one’s vehicle occupants involves more than a modicum of active participation. In short, to survive in this part of the country a drive must, out of necessity, watch out for the other guy.

What this means for the average passenger car, light truck and motorcycle rider is to be certain that your vehicle is well-maintained, tuned up and mechanically safe and sound. We won’t go into a discussion on the dangers of defective vehicle equipment here, but suffice it to say that a percentage of roadway wrecks are sometimes found to be a result of poorly designed safety components and other critical systems, such as steering and braking systems (an area of law known as Products Liability).

As Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my legal staff understand the causes of many traffic accidents and how easily a quiet Sunday drive can turn into a serious and sometimes life-threatening event. Keeping a vehicle in good running condition is a basic requirement for safe driving. This goes as much for automobiles as it does for commercial trucks, usually more so.

Speaking of trucking-related accidents, one cannot argue with the laws of physics when it comes to serious traffic accidents involving semi tractor-trailers, such as Kenworths, Peterbilts, and Mack Trucks; not to mention large box trucks and rather heavy and extremely dangerous tanker trucks.

Many passenger car occupants, not to mention motorcyclists, are killed on a tragically frequent basis when they become caught involved in a crash with a commercial delivery vehicle or 18-wheeler. Those smaller, lighter and less substantial motor vehicles are hardly a match for a fully loaded semi, commuter bus or dump truck. Injuries from car-truck collision can take months or years to recover from, both physically and financially, which makes prevention a no-brainer.

Continue reading "Baltimore Trucking Accident Update: Thoughts on Decreasing Fatal and Injury-related Maryland Truck-Car Collisions" »

Never for a moment assume that you are safe riding public transportation. This is a statement that is fast becoming gospel to many people who read the paper, scan the web or watch the evening news. Trains, planes and city buses carry large numbers of passengers daily without incident, but when something does go wrong there can be multiple victims with injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening.

It doesn’t take much to critically injure a person. Consider that most parents these days won’t let their child ride a bicycle without a helmet for fear that their son or daughter may be hit by a car or simply fall off their bike and hit their head. What is the difference between a child falling several feet to the ground and a bus passenger being thrown into a seat back or other hard object in the event of a traffic accident? Actually, very little.

Especially when it comes to bus riders, with no seatbelts and little warning that a crash is imminent injuries such as cuts and bruises are commonplace, with broken bones, internal injuries and head or neck trauma always a possibility.

In fact, being injured as a passenger on a city or charter bus as a result of a traffic collision or other motor vehicle collision is more common than some people would imagine. As Maryland automobile accident attorneys, we know that it’s very easy for the average person to assume public transportation is safe and worry free. Even as personal injury lawyers, we see that most commuters take for granted that bus drivers and train operators are trained professionals who pride themselves on doing their jobs with a high degree of safety, not to mention the wellbeing of passengers as a primary thought.

Although most drivers of public conveyances are thoughtful and dedicated professionals, even the best cannot predict when and where an accident will occur. This is why, as difficult as it may be sometimes, we as passengers must ultimately put our faith in bus and train operators or not travel on public transportation at all.

Continue reading "Baltimore Traffic Accident Leaves Several Commuters Injured after Passenger Car Collides with City Bus" »

As reported not long ago, pedestrians in Maryland’s urban areas are apparently some of the most at-risk groups in the nation. This is not a distinction that many would be proud of, but it is a fact that persons on foot and riding bicycles here in Baltimore, or over in Annapolis, Rockville or Washington, D.C., have a high likelihood of being struck by a car, SUV, pickup or commercial deliver truck than pedestrians in other states.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers, we can understand the pain and suffering that can occur following an pedestrian-automobile collision, much less a crash involving a bicycle and commercial truck, or city bus. And apparently the MTA (Maryland Transit Authority) also understands the risks.

No long ago, news articles reported that 10 so-called talking buses were being put into service here in Baltimore with the intent to reduce the chances of tragic pedestrian accidents. According to reports, the MTA is running tests of this talking bus technology, which is designed to warn people that one of these large vehicles is bearing down on them.

The idea is to alert individuals who might otherwise be distracted and not aware of the presence of a city bus amidst all the noise and activity in a metropolitan area. While the concept may seem a little silly to some, it’s no joke that many people have been seriously injured or even killed by commuter buses in the past.

According to the news reports, the “voice” of these buses is female and announces to everyone within earshot a repeating message of, "Pedestrians, bus is turning.” Bus drivers have apparently noticed a distinct difference in that way that people on foot react to the rather authoritative warning. The test buses are equipped with one of two different systems during the trial period.

Out of the 100-plus fatal pedestrian accidents in Maryland, the percentage of city bus-related pedestrian deaths in Maryland are rather small, however the MTA’s actions speak volumes. Back in February, publicity from the death of a spokeswoman for the state medical examiner's office shined the spotlight again on the MTA.

Continue reading "Baltimore Traffic Safety News: Maryland Transit Authority Buses “Speak” to Help Pedestrians Avoid Potential Injury" »

Commercial truck wrecks end up taking the lives of many Marylanders every year. Even more people are injured as a result of delivery truck and tractor-trailer accidents in cities like Gaithersburg, Washington, D.C., and Annapolis. As Baltimore personal injury attorneys, I and my colleagues understand the pain and suffering that victims and their families experience following the aftermath of a serious trucking accident.

We’ve spoken of this before, but the feeling of safety that people have when it comes to professional drivers of commercial vehicles may be a bit misplaced, especially when we hear of accidents like the one that occurred a little while back in Baltimore. These kinds of accidents can cause severe trauma to the victim, in the form of head and neck injuries, internal bleeding and compound fractures of the arms and legs.

Many times the extent of the injuries can result in the individual’s death, either at the scene of the traffic collision or later in the hospital due to complications from those multiple injuries. In the case of last month’s fatal Baltimore bus-pedestrian crash, the victim was hit while walking in a crosswalk during the late afternoon.

According to news reports, Cindy Feldstein was walking across the street near the intersection of Park Heights and Slade Avenues around 5:30pm on a Saturday afternoon when she was hit by a when she was struck by a Maryland Transit Administration passenger bus.

According to Baltimore County police, Feldstein was transported to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, however doctors apparently could not save the woman and she was pronounced dead at the hospital. Feldstein was reportedly a secretary and public information officer for the county medical examiner’s office. No additional details were given in the news report regarding the bus or driver involved in the accident.

Certain commercial vehicle crashes can result from defective vehicle equipment -- such as braking systems, steering components or other safety-related systems -- that may have failed at a critical moment. There was no mention of equipment failure in relation to this accident.

Police search for help in fatal hit-and-run, BaltimoreSun.com, February 15, 2011

Medical examiner spokeswoman killed by MTA bus, BaltimoreSun.com, February 14, 2011