Fatal Trucking Accidents

Court of Appeals Denies Reversal in Fatal Multiple Truck-Vehicle Collision

November 28, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled within recent months to deny a judgment for the defendant in a complex truck accident case. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals is the federal appellate court to which all district court cases in Maryland are appealed. Therefore, this decision is instructive for Maryland trucking accident cases.

In PITT OHIO EXPRESS, LLC v. PAT SALMON & SONS, INC., Ct. App., 4th Cir. (2013), three commercial trucks and one passenger vehicle were involved in a collision.

Truck A, owned by “C. Bean” slowed down due to foggy conditions. Truck B, owned by “Pat Salmon” collided into the back of Truck A, which caused only minor damage to both trucks, but disabled truck A, and caused it to at least partially obstruct both lanes of traffic. Within seconds, a passenger vehicle approached, and attempted to brake, at that point Truck C, owned by “Pitt Ohio” collided into the back of the passenger vehicle, propelling the car into the back of Truck B. Both occupants of the passenger vehicle and a passenger who had exited Truck B were killed as a result of the collision.

Truck Driver Sentenced to 8 Months Jail Time For Vehicular Manslaughter

October 25, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Last week a truck driver was sentenced for his role in a tragic traffic accident that killed a 46 year old man during his commute to work. The accident happened in January 2012 as the victim was en route to his job at the Maryland-National Capital Park And Planning Commission, traveling southbound on Route Md 75. The defendant was traveling northbound in his 26,580-pound tractor-trailer at the same time. According to trial testimony, at times the driver reached speeds of up to 67 mph in the 40 mph zone of the road.

A state trooper testified that the accident occurred when the truck driver headed up a hill, and attempted to negotiate a sharp right curve in the road, the trailer portion of the truck, which happened to be empty, swung into the southbound lane, where it struck and crushed the victim’s passenger truck.

Earlier this month, a jury found the driver guilty of criminally negligent vehicular manslaughter, speeding, and failure to remain right of the center line. The driver’s sentence of eight months in prison, with an additional suspended sentence of two years and four months, was the first of this kind reached in Frederick County, following the statute’s 2011 enactment. Following his release, the driver must also complete a three-year term of supervised probation or risk being incarcerated for the suspended sentence.

Tractor Trailer Hit and Run on Interstate 81

September 20, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

According to reports from state police, the driver of a tractor trailer who was involved in a fatal crash in East Hanover Township earlier this month on Interstate 81 reportedly fled the scene after he realized that he had run over a motorcyclist.

A 46 year old motorcyclist was operating a Kawasaki Vulcan motorcycle in the right lane of I-81 traveling north. For some reason, he then lost control of his motorcycle and veered off the roadway. According to police, the motorcycle then fell over on its side and slid back into the right lane of the highway. It was then that the tractor trailer ran over the motorcyclist. According to reports, the driver did stop briefly, but then quickly fled the scene after realizing what had happened.

The motorcycle rider, who was wearing a helmet at the time of the collision, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Lebanon County Coroner’s office.

8 Vehicle Accident in Anne Arundel Results in at Least 3 Deaths

September 13, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Late last month, Anne Arundel County Police responded to a multiple vehicle crash at MD Route 3 South near the MD Route 32 overpass. The crash involved seven passenger vehicles and one commercial vehicle. It resulted in the deaths of three people, with an additional six people being to area hospitals for treatment of injuries. Two of the six injured subjects suffered possibly life-threatening injuries.

An investigation by the Anne Arundel County Police Traffic Safety Section revealed that all of vehicles involved in the crash were traveling southbound on Route 3. As the vehicles neared the MD Route 32 overpass, traffic began to slow down due local traffic conditions. The commercial truck failed to reduce its speed properly, and struck a Toyota Camry from the rear. The initial collision caused a chain reaction with the other vehicles.

The driver of the Camry was transported with with critical injuries to Shock Trauma. The Camry’s front seat passenger a 15 year old boy, was also transported to Shock Trauma in stable condition. An adult female, and 7 and 14 year old girls, all of whom were sitting in the back seat, were killed in the collision.

Driver Pleads Guilty in Tragic Truck Accident Collision Deaths

September 6, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

An Illinois trucker recently pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the accident he was involved in which left a pregnant mother, her husband, and their two children dead.

The tractor-trailer driver slammed into the back of stopped traffic on a major highway in Nebraska, instantly killing a Maryland family who was in the process of moving to California.

According to paperwork filed by the relevant County Attorney’s office, the driver agreed to a deal with prosecutors, whereby he will plead guilty to four counts of motor vehicle homicide and one count of motor vehicle homicide of an unborn fetus in exchange for prosecutors recommending an aggregate sentence of no more than 20 years.

The accident occurred when the driver failed to slow down in an area where crews were tending to an earlier fatal accident, and traffic was completely stopped. His truck plowed into the back of a Ford Mustang, which was driven by the father of the young children. The Mustang then forced the Corolla in front of him, driven by his wife, forward and then underneath the trailer of a truck that was stopped in front of her car. Both cars then burst into flames. The mother was approximately 30 weeks pregnant, and died with her husband and their two and three-year-old sons.

Multiple Truck Accident Kills Bel Air Man

August 16, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A tragic accident in Abingdon left one Bel Air man dead after an early morning three-vehicle collision in Harford County.

The collision occurred at approximately 2 a.m. The preliminary report revealed that the collision occurred when a Ford pickup truck collided with the rear of a tractor trailer, which then collided into a tanker truck. The pickup truck then caught on fire before eventually stopping behind the tractor trailer.

Police reported that they believe the pickup’s speed may have played a factor in causing the crash, as both the tanker truck and tractor trailer were traveling five to ten miles per hour due to construction in the area.

Baltimore Box Truck Driver Killed in I-95 Accident

July 29, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Maryland State Police reported that they had identified the driver of a box truck who was killed in an accident on I-95 near the Riverside exit in Harford County Monday morning as a 21 year old man from Baltimore.

State Police said that the driver was traveling southbound on I-95 in a 2006 Sterling box truck when he lost control for unknown reasons. The accident occurred at approximately 7:50 a.m. near the Route 543 interchange, Exit 80, and no other vehicles were involved.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The man’s 25 year old female passenger was reportedly flown by Police Medevac to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center for treatment of injuries from the crash. Her condition was reported as stable shortly thereafter.

The tragedy, which occurred earlier this month, was the third highway related death in Harford County since June 21. In fact, at least three major accidents occurred on Md. I-95 alone within the span of a few weeks.

Two Maryland Residents Die in Car-Truck Crash along Interstate 95 in Harford County, MD

April 9, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

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.

Maryland Motorist Changing Tire on Interstate 695 Killed on Roadside by Passing 18-Wheeler

March 24, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As passenger car drivers and motorcycle riders, most people traveling Maryland’s highways and surface streets know how often they encounter a commercial motor vehicle on the same stretch of roadway. For most of us, the reality of having to share the road with a large and potentially dangerous 18-wheeler, big rig semi, or tractor-trailer rig is just something that we learn to accept. Until, at least, a person is involved in a traffic collision with one of these deadly machines.

As Baltimore auto accident attorneys, I and my colleagues have seen the results of multi-vehicle highway and interstate wrecks caused by a negligent trucker. The carnage wrought by these huge vehicles and very heavy trailers can be extensive, causing severe injuries to the occupants of one or more passenger vehicles in the process. As anyone who follows the news understands, roadway collisions involving large box trucks and big semi tractor-trailers can also result in multiple fatalities given the right circumstances.

Being in the wrong place at the wrong time is not something anyone, who themselves has tangled with a commercial motor carrier, would likely wish upon another individual. Not only the potential physical injuries and long-term medical complications, but also the financial and emotional toll, are something that victims of trucking-related traffic accidents suffer from most. While nobody would want to be involved in a car or motorcycle accident, being caught up in a commercial truck wreck is another experience best left to the movies or television dramas.

Maryland Trucking Accidents: Tragic Random Events that Yield Serious and Life-Altering Results

March 8, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A fair percentage of people who are involved in automobile accidents escape serious injury, perhaps with only a few bumps and bruises, and maybe a simple bone fracture or a minor cut. Unfortunately, for many others the result of a bad roadway collision can mean weeks or months in a hospital room with complications from an internal injury, extensive reconstructive surgeries or a questionable prognosis related to a closed-head injury. As Maryland automobile accident lawyers, we have come across some very tragic medical situations of people whose only mistake was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Sadly, we cannot make people well, but at least we can help the victims and their families try to recover the costs and expenses of their medical treatment and rehabilitation from those responsible for their condition. Whether one is injured on a country road or an urban street in Rockville or the District, odds are that some amount of medical expense will be paid by the victim. Recovering those costs, which may be complicated by a loss of wages while the person is in the hospital and unable to work, is of primary concern, after that of getting better, of course.

A qualified personal injury attorney should be able to bring legal knowledge and courtroom experience to bear when filing a personal injury lawsuit or, in the case of a fatal traffic accident, a wrongful death claim for the family of the deceased victim. The trouble with car, truck and motorcycle accidents is that they are equal opportunity killers. When a distracted driver ignores a stop sign and T-bones a family’s minivan, the choice of victims is usually quite random. The same can be said when the driver of a commercial delivery truck makes a fast turn and clips a bicycle rider, sending him or her to the hospital with internal injuries and brain trauma.