Tanker Truck Accidents

Baltimore Injury Accident News: No Injuries after School Bus Hits Tanker Truck Driven by Maryland Man

April 12, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

When it comes to being injured due to a traffic accident or other motor vehicle collision, it’s not unusual for people to assume that public transportation, such as commuter trains and city buses, is safe and that the operators of those conveyances are trained professionals dedicated to performing their jobs with the safety and well being of their passengers foremost in the minds. Similarly, as parents, we expect that our children are going to be safe once they step aboard a school bus every morning.

As passengers on public transport, we all must put our faith in the people running that bus line, railroad or airline. Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world and traffic accidents do occur — and more than we would like. As Maryland personal injury lawyers and commercial trucking, automobile and motorcycle accident attorneys, we understand the expectation of safety that every parent must feel regarding school bus safety.

A story that caught our eye a little while ago points up how close to tragedy many people come from time to time. According to news articles, a school bus driver was charged for her part in a traffic accident on a stretch of Rte 1. Based on state police reports, 53-year-old Brenda Gosch was driving a 2007 Blue Bird school bus on a Friday morning around 8:30 when she attempted to turn onto a side road.

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

February 23, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

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.

Maryland Trucking Accident News: Construction Vehicle and Tanker Truck Crash causing Baltimore Bridge Closure

May 14, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Commercial truck accidents can cause some of the most serious injuries to surrounding passenger vehicles, pedestrians and other innocent bystanders. Tanker trucks in particular are some of the most dangerous vehicles on the roads these days. Many of these vehicles carry flammable cargo, such as gasoline, fuel oil, compressed natural gas and propane, not to mention dangerous chemicals.

Serving the residents of Baltimore and surrounding Maryland communities, my personal injury law office knows how quickly an accident involving a semi tractor-trailer rig can cause serious injuries or even death to other motorists. Recently, the Pennington Avenue Bridge was closed down due to a bad collision between a gasoline tanker and a construction vehicle.

According to reports, the force of the accident nearly pushed the tanker off the bridge entirely. Based on police reports, the fuel tanker was en route to pick up 9,000 gallons of gasoline when it was struck by the other vehicle. The accident caused the tanker to became wedged over a concrete barrier wall. Although the tanker was reportedly empty at the time of the crash, the entire area was sprayed with foam as a precaution against fire.

Baltimore, MD, Semi Truck Driver Killed in Fire following Nighttime Turnpike Crash with Chevrolet Avalanche

February 18, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Trucking accidents can result in injury to the occupants of passenger cars, as well as pedestrians and bystanders. In addition to drivers of smaller vehicles being hurt in a semi-truck or commercial vehicle accident, fatalities are not uncommon on highways, city streets and rural roads throughout Maryland. As Baltimore tractor-trailer accident lawyers, my staff has helped dozens of people who have become victims of another person’s negligence.

Occasionally, the victim of a trucking crash can be the driver of the over-the-road hauler itself. Fatal and non-life-threatening injury accidents can be the cause of driver error, as well as poorly maintained roadways, or even defective vehicle equipment. Whatever the cause, the costs are high for the victims due to the sometimes extensive medical care, lost wages or unmet financial obligations due to injury.

Not long ago, a Maryland trucker died in a horrendous semi crash and ensuing fire on the New Jersey Turnpike. The victim, 25-year-old Jovon Holmes, tragically burned to death after his truck hit a pickup, then struck a bridge abutment and burst into flames. According to news reports, witnesses at the scene said the fire was so bad that emergency personnel had a very difficult time locating and the identifying the man.

Baltimore Trucking Accident News: Maryland Fuel Tanker Overturns, Catches Fire near I-270

February 6, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A trucking-related wreck can be a frightening event, especially for the occupants of smaller vehicles caught up in the crash. A semi tractor-trailer hauling heavy cargo can do significant damage to smaller and lighter passenger vehicles. Even sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks are no match against a fully-loaded big rig.

As a Maryland injury lawyer and trucking accident attorney, I know that the size of these vehicles and the cargo they carry can cause serious harm to the drivers and passengers of multiple vehicles. One of the most dangerous types of truck-related crashes involve tankers carrying flammable liquids such as heating oil, diesel fuel, kerosene or gasoline.

A tanker crash can release thousands of gallons of combustible liquids, which can engulf and burn out of control for hours. Any motorist caught up in a tanker truck crash must have luck on his side to make it through. This kind of traffic accident occurred not long ago on Montross Road above Interstate 270 in Montgomery County, MD.