Maryland Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

Two Dump Trucks Get into Head-On Collision in Maryland

September 22, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Frederick County, two dump trucks working for the same company got into a head-on collision, injuring both drivers. According to a report by WUSA9, the accident occurred just after noon on Elmer Derr Road, near East Mount Zion Road.

Evidently, both of the trucks were owned by a concrete company based in Gaithersburg, Maryland. At some point, the truck heading westbound drifted across the center median and slammed into the eastbound truck. There was no indication that either of the drivers was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the accident.

Both drivers were injured in the accident. One of them was taken by ambulance to FMH, and the other was flown by helicopter to the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. It seems as though both drivers will make a full recovery.

Cement-Truck Rollover Causes Accident, Injures Two

September 15, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Recently in Delaware, an accident involving two cement trucks and a passenger car injured two people. According to a report by Delmarva Now, the accident occurred just after 9:15 in the morning near the intersection of Woodpecker Road and Butler Branch Road in Seaford, Delaware.

Evidently, a woman was heading south on Woodpecker Road and was approaching a narrow bridge. At the same time, two cement trucks were approaching the bridge from the opposite direction. Before the first truck entered the bridge, he slowed down in order to allow the driver of the car to cross the bridge first. However, the driver of the second cement truck, which was directly behind the first, was unable to stop in time and needed to make a last-minute decision whether to run into the truck in front of him or try and avoid a collision.

The driver of the second truck attempted to avoid the collision but ended up rolling the truck instead. As the driver of the car crossed the bridge, she crashed into the overturned cement truck. After the accident, both the driver of the cement truck and the driver of the car were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Accident Between Dump Truck and Motorcycle Leaves One Dead

September 9, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Recently in Mechanicsville, one man lost his life after he was involved in an accident with a dump truck while riding his motorcycle. According to a report by Southern Maryland News Net, the accident occurred near the intersection of Route 5 and Thompson’s Corner Road just after 6:15 in the evening.

Evidently, the motorcyclist was heading north on Route 5 when he ran into the back of the dump truck, which was also heading north. The dump truck had just turned onto Route 5 from Thompson’s Corner Road.

The motorcyclist was ejected off his bike and was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency responders. The dump truck driver was not injured.

Truck Driver’s Negligent Driving Causes Serious Accident in Hagerstown

September 2, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier last month in Hagerstown, a three-vehicle accident was caused when a semi-truck rear-ended a car, causing it to lose control. According to a report by WUSA 9, the accident occurred on Interstate 70 eastbound at Route 66, near exit 35.

Evidently, a 2005 Volvo tractor-trailer was heading eastbound on I-70 when it rear-ended a 2003 Mercury Sable, causing the driver to lose control of the car. As the Mercury was careening out of control, it flipped over. The truck, also losing control, ended up in the far right lane of travel on I-70, where it hit a minivan. The truck then finally came to a stop.

Both the driver of the truck and the driver of the minivan were taken to the Mertius Medical Center with serious injuries. The passenger in the minivan was also taken to the hospital. All are expected to recover.

Fatal Truck Accidents on the Rise Across the Country

August 26, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Fatal truck accidents have steadily been increasing since 2006, a recent article by NBC News reports. The article claims that as the US economy has gotten better, more and more goods are being shipped across the country via trucks. When there are more trucks on the road, there are bound to be more trucking accidents.

According to the NBC News article, there are 11 fatal truck accidents each day across the country, killing roughly 4,000 people annually. On top of the fatal trucking accidents, over 100,000 people are injured each year in serious truck accidents.

The article also points out that, surprisingly, there has not been a national outcry to increase the restrictions, regulations, and laws governing interstate truckers. Normally, when a certain type of accident becomes more common, people react by trying to stop the cause of the accident. However, even the very public accident that injured actor and comedian Tracy Morgan and killed one other person only resulted in minimal effort to change the laws surrounding truck drivers.

Truck Accident in Frederick County Kills One Motorcyclist

August 19, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week in Frederick County, one motorcyclist lost his life when he ran into a truck that turned in front of him. According to a report by a local news source, the fatal truck accident occurred shortly after 5 a.m. on southbound Route 15 at North Franklinville Road in Thurmont.

Evidently, a trash truck was heading from North Franklinville Road across the southbound lanes of Route 15 when he cut off the motorcyclist. The biker had no time to react and ran into the rear driver’s side of the truck. Minutes after the accident, the motorcyclist was pronounced dead by emergency responders.

Police believe that neither speed nor alcohol was involved in the accident, and the driver of the garbage truck admits that he just didn’t see the motorcyclist coming when he decided to pull out into the road. It is unclear if the driver will face any criminal charges for his involvement in the accident.

Truck Safety: Staying Safe While on the Highway

August 12, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

If you have been paying attention to the headlines recently, you will have noticed a trend of more and more semi-truck wrecks in the news. For whatever reason, it seems as though this year more than others there is an increasing number of serious or fatal accidents involving large trucks.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently published a report stating that in 2012 over 3,500 people lost their lives in accidents with big trucks. The vast majority of the fatalities were other motorists, rather than the truck drivers themselves. In fact, truck driver fatalities represented only 17% of the total fatalities. While trucking companies like to place the blame on other drivers, it is certain that many of these accidents are the fault of the truck driver or the truck company. That does not mean that drivers should not take precautions while on the road, however.

A recent article by Consumer Affairs has taken the issue of highway driving head-on, publishing a “how to” list of things motorists can do to be safe while sharing the road with big trucks.

Virginia Man Killed in Nebraska Truck Accident, Several Others Injured

August 5, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In a tragic three-truck accident that occurred on Interstate 80 earlier this month, one Virginia man lost his life and several others were injured when one truck crashed into two others that had stopped at a construction zone. According to a report by the Nebraska Radio Network, the accident occurred just before five in the afternoon around mile marker 348 on Interstate 80.

Evidently, two trucks were stopped and waiting at a construction site when the third truck—driven by the man from Virginia—slammed into them. The driver of the semi-truck that crashed into the other two was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger was flown to the hospital for treatment of the injuries he received in the crash.

The other two semi-truck drivers fared better. One was uninjured, and the other was admitted to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries and was quickly released.

Semi-Truck Crashes on I-95, Leaving Huge Stone Slabs on the Highway

July 29, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week just north of the Fort McHenry Tunnel, a semi-truck overturned and dumped its load of huge stone slabs on the roadway. According to a report by the Baltimore Sun, the truck was driving southbound on I-95 near the Eastern Avenue exit when it was involved in a single-vehicle accident. When the truck toppled over, it dumped its load of giant stone slabs all across I-95.

Clean-up crews had a difficult time getting the slabs off the roadway due to their size and weight. However, after a few hours the crew was able to clear off the roadway and open it back up for regular traffic.

Investigators are not clear exactly what happened to cause the semi-truck to overturn, but an investigation is ongoing. Thankfully, there were no injuries.

Could Wal-Mart Be at Fault for the Crash that Injured Tracy Morgan and Killed Another Comedian?

July 22, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this year, actor and comedian Tracy Morgan was involved in a serious car accident on the New Jersey Turnpike. The accident, which occurred late at night, critically injured Morgan and killed his good friend and fellow comedian, James McNair.

The driver of the semi truck that hit Morgan’s limousine was an employee of Wal-Mart and was driving a Wal-Mart truck at the time of the accident. A post-accident investigation uncovered that the driver had not slept for the 24 hours prior to the accident and had traveled more than 700 miles over the course of that day. The driver is facing criminal charges for his involvement in the accident.

Recently, some people are wondering if Wal-Mart should share the blame with the driver. In fact, victims of the crash have named both the driver of the truck, as well as Wal-Mart, as defendants that they claim are responsible for their injuries and losses. As one recent article points out, the National Transportation Safety Bureau is conducting an investigation into the accident, but has not announced the result yet. Until then, people are speculating on how Wal-Mart could have prevented such a tragic accident.