Maryland Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

Weather Blamed for Recent Semi-Truck Accident

October 7, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week in California, a semi-truck was involved in a serious accident when the driver of the rig lost control as he was traveling on the highway. According to one local news report, the driver of the truck was traveling on Interstate 80, heading downhill from the summit of Castle Peak, when he lost control of the vehicle, eventually ending up with the truck overturning on the highway.

Evidently, the weather conditions at the time were rainy and wet. Authorities who were investigating the accident told reporters that they believe the weather to be at least one factor in the accident. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured as a result of the accident, although the driver did suffer minor injuries.

Weather Related Truck Accidents

As the weather in Maryland begins to change in the coming months, road conditions will be difficult at times. It is important for drivers to take extra care when operating their vehicles in these compromised conditions. While the authorities investigating the truck accident discussed above noted that the weather was a factor in the accident, rarely will weather be an “excuse” to relieve the responsible party of liability.

Semi-Truck Collides with School Bus, Sending Four to the Hospital

September 24, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Kindred, North Dakota, a school bus was involved in an accident with three semi-trucks, seriously injuring the driver and three students on board the bus. According to one local news report, the accident occurred at around nine in the morning as the school bus was on its way to a field trip.

Evidently, the school bus was heading eastbound on the highway and was approaching an intersection with another highway when a semi-truck traveling on the other highway failed to see the school bus and slammed into the side of it. Two other semi-trucks then crashed into the two disabled vehicles before they were able to be moved from the highway.

The driver of the school bus needed to be extricated from the badly damaged front end of the bus. This task took emergency workers nearly 45 minutes. However, the driver was eventually removed and taken to the hospital, where she was admitted in serious but stable condition. Three other students on board the bus were also taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Laurel Bus Accident Claims One Man’s Life, Injures Seven Others

September 17, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Laurel, one man was killed and another seven people injured after a tour bus and a pick-up truck were involved in an accident. According to one local news report, the accident took place on Md. Route 198, near the Amish market on Md. Route 197.

Evidently, the tour bus was carrying 58 people and was heading eastbound when it began to make a left-hand turn into a shopping center. As the bus began its turn, another driver approached the bus from the opposite direction, eventually crashing into the bus and injuring seven people aboard.

The driver of the other vehicle was killed as a result of the collision. The Mayor of Laurel told reporters and investigators that he wants an investigation conducted to see if there is anything that can be done about the dangerous intersection. According to reports, the intersection is a lethal one, and several serious and fatal accidents occur there each year.

Truck Driver Responsible for Accident Critically Injuring Tracy Morgan Seeks Dismissal of Criminal Charges

September 10, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Last year, actor and comedian Tracy Morgan was involved in a New Jersey truck accident that left Morgan seriously injured and claimed the life of one of his good friends, James McNair. According to a report by People Magazine, the Wal-Mart truck driver who was behind the wheel when the accident occurred has recently asked a judge to dismiss the criminal charges that were filed against him after the accident.

Court documents filed by the truck driver’s attorney claim that the driver will not be able to get a fair trial, due to the mass media coverage of the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board conducted an investigation into the accident and determined that the truck driver was at fault.

Back on June 7, 2014, the driver of the truck rear-ended the vehicle Morgan and friends were in while on the New Jersey Turnpike. A subsequent investigation revealed that the driver had not slept for the past 28 hours and was traveling at least 10 miles per hour over the posted speed limit in a construction zone.

Semi-Trucks Collide on Highway, One Injured

September 3, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier last month in West Virginia, one person was seriously injured when one semi-truck rear-ended another truck that was parked on the side of the highway. According to one local West Virginia news source, the accident occurred in the northbound lanes of Interstate 81 on a Friday afternoon.

Evidently, one semi-truck had attempted to pull off the highway at a rest area but missed the exit. Rather than wait until the next rest area or exit, that driver pulled his car off to the side of the highway. Another truck traveling northbound on I-81 was unable to avoid a collision with the stopped truck and crashed into it from behind.

As emergency responders arrived on the scene, they needed to extricate one person who was in the sleeper area of the truck. That person was taken to a nearby hospital and admitted with serious but non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the semi-truck that had stopped on the side of the road was cited by police for a stopping violation. It is unclear how much of the truck was actually encroaching on the road at the time of the accident. However, given the reports by police, it seems that the truck was not completely off the side of the road at the time of the accident.

Eight-Vehicle Accident Claims the Life of One Maryland Woman

August 25, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month, an eight-vehicle accident near New Haven, Connecticut, claimed two lives, including a 61-year-old woman from Maryland. According to one local Connecticut news source, the accident took place on Interstate 95 southbound, at around 5:30 in the morning.

Evidently, a semi-truck traveling in the southbound lanes of travel veered off the road near exit 70, crashed into the guard rail, and then slammed into an abutment. The contents of the truck spilled across the road, and the truck caught fire. The driver of the truck was pulled out by emergency crew members and immediately taken to the hospital, where he was admitted with serious injuries.

Seven other vehicles were also involved in the fatal accident, with a total of two people losing their lives. One 61-year-old woman from Maryland and another 38-year-old woman from Alabama both died as a result of the injuries they sustained in the accident. Two others were injured in the accident but suffered only minor injuries. Three people were not injured at all and were able to immediately go home.

Dump Truck Slams into Semi-Truck on Highway, Both Drivers Ticketed

August 18, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week near Dover, Delaware, a dump truck driver crashed his truck into the rear of a semi-truck that was parked on the side of the highway. Thankfully, no one was injured as a result. According to one local Delaware news report, the accident took place in the southbound lanes of Delaware Route 1 at around five in the morning.

Evidently, the operator of the dump truck was heading south on Delaware 1 when he became momentarily distracted and drifted off the road and into the right median. As the truck made its way off the road, it collided with a semi-truck that had parked under an overpass on the highway. The force from the collision pushed the semi-truck some 300 feet down the highway and up onto a grassy embankment. The dump truck ended up toppling over on its side a few hundred feet from the point of collision.

The operator of the semi-truck was in the sleeper area of the truck at the time of the collision and was surprisingly not injured at all in the accident. The driver of the dump truck was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, and he was released after just a few hours. Both drivers were ticketed by police after the accident, the dump truck driver for inattentive driving and the semi-truck operator for parking in a no-stopping zone.

Two Dead, One Injured in Late-Night Maryland Truck Accident

August 11, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month, two men were killed as a result of an head-on accident between a semi-truck and a passenger car. According to one local news source, the accident occurred at around 2:30 in the morning on Interstate 70, near Hancock, Maryland.

Evidently, the driver of the semi-truck was heading east in his proper lane of travel when the passenger car crossed over the center line, colliding with the truck. The force from the accident then sent the truck into a nearby abutment on the side of the road. By the time emergency responders arrived on the scene, the truck driver was pronounced dead. The passenger in the other vehicle, a 22-year-old male, also died in the accident.

The driver of the car, a 57-year-old woman from Fruitland, was taken to Shock Trauma and is in serious condition. She is the mother of the passenger who died in the accident.

28 Dead and Over 140 Injured in Mexico Dump Truck Accident

August 4, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In what is certainly one of the most catastrophic truck accidents to date, 28 people have been pronounced dead and over 140 hospitalized after a dump truck lost control in Mazapil, Mexico, when its brakes failed. According to a Yahoo! News report, the accident occurred as hundreds of worshippers were on their way to Saint Gregorio Magno Church.

Evidently, the large group of people were on a pilgrimage to the church when the fatal accident occurred. As the dump truck driver approached the crowd, the truck’s brakes failed, sending it into another vehicle. The dump truck, which was full of tons of sand, then continued on into the crowd of 300 people.

After the carnage, over 140 were taken to the hospital. As of the time of this article’s publication, there were still 31 hospitalized, 10 of whom were still in critical condition. Fourteen people died on the scene, and another 14 have died since, either on the way to the hospital or while at the hospital.

Semi-Truck Driver Charged in Fatal I-95 Truck Accident

July 28, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month near Richmond, Virginia, two men on motorcycles were killed when they were both struck by a semi-truck driver. According to one local Virginia news source, the semi-truck driver is facing charges based on the belief that he fell asleep while behind the wheel in the moments before the fatal accident.

According to one witness, the semi-truck drifted out of the southbound-middle lane and onto the side of the highway, where there were about six motorcyclists who had pulled off the road. Evidently, the motorcyclists were on their way to a motorcycle rally in Atlanta, Georgia.

Witnesses told reporters that once the semi-truck left the roadway, it collided with all six motorcycles. One man was standing next to his bike and was struck by the semi-truck. That man was pronounced dead by emergency workers at the scene of the accident. There were five others who were injured as well, most of them sitting on their bikes as the truck came crashing through. Thankfully, they are all expected to recover from their injuries.