Maryland Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog
The unexpected is always around the corner, especially on high-speed freeways and interstates. Here in Maryland, dense traffic and a tense rush hour driving environment can sometimes make an already dangerous situation all the more tenuous for the average driver. Even when the crush of traffic has subsided, some risks remain, while others come to the fore. No matter what the condition, driver aggression can also become a threat to everyone on the roadway.
As Baltimore personal injury attorneys and drivers ourselves, we know how a “normal” driving situation can turn deadly with just one wrong move. Operating a motor vehicle in the Baltimore area, over in the District or in one of any number of densely populated urban areas can lead to some unexpected traffic situations, some of which can result in a serious injury accident or a fatal car, truck or motorcycle crash.
Surely many of you already know of the potential danger posed to the occupants of a passenger car when a commercial delivery truck crashes into the smaller vehicle, but roadway collisions between cars themselves can be just as deadly as those involving tractor-trailers and other large commercial vehicles. Still a commercial trucking accident can precipitate some serious injuries in its wake.
Broken bones, closed-head trauma and even severe burns from burning fuel spilled on the roadway are just a few of the possible ramifications of a bad traffic accident involving a box truck, city bus or 18-wheeler. Take, for example, an accident that occurred late last year, which claimed the lives of two individuals and left a third seriously injured.
According to news articles at the time of the accident, an off-duty Maryland State Police trooper happened to see crash and fire along a stretch of Interstate 95 near Abington in Harford County, MD. The early morning traffic accident, which involved a commercial box truck and a Lexus, resulted in a car fire that quickly spread and threatened the lives of not only the occupants of the vehicles, but also the officer who tried to help.
Based on the news item that we came across, the Lexus was being driven by a 31-year-old local resident when it was struck by a commercial motor vehicle after driving across several of the northbound lanes of the interstate. Police believed that prior to the crash, the driver had been involved in a roadside dispute — possibly a road-rage incident — with another group of people in a Jeep. The Jeep apparently forced the Lexus driver to stop suddenly in the roadway, after which the two vehicles pulled off to the shoulder.
The people from the Jeep reportedly had gotten out of their vehicle and began pounding of the windows of the Lexus, at which time the driver pulled into the travel lanes and in the process was hit by the box truck. The force of the crash triggered a fire, during which the off-duty officer pulled the three occupants clear of the blaze as it engulfed the vehicle.
According to the news report, the officer’s quick thinking likely saved one of the three people. The other two victims, the driver and a 17-year-old female passenger, reportedly died from the injuries they received in the crash. The driver received CPR at the crash site, but reportedly did not respond and was pronounced dead at the scene. The teenager was transported by medevac chopper to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore City; however, doctors could not save the woman and she passed away a short time later.
The surviving passenger, a 38-year-old Randallstown resident was transported to Bayview Hospital, as was the 63-year-old truck driver. The off-duty policeman was taken to taken to Upper Chesapeake Hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation.
Two killed, three others injured in I-95 crash near Abingdon; BaltimoreSun.com; November 25, 2012