Maryland Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

Baltimore Traffic Injury News: Maryland Family Injured in Multi-vehicle Trucking Accident on I-81

February 21, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It doesn’t take much to become injured in a high-speed traffic accident on the interstate, especially when a large commercial truck is involved. A family sedan, minivan or SUV is no match against a big rig 18-wheeler, tanker truck, steel hauler, and other large motor vehicle. The shear size and mass of long-haul trucks means that a highway collision can involve multiple passenger cars, with attendant injuries to numerous vehicle occupants.

As personal injury lawyers serving the residents of Maryland and Washington, D.C., I and my legal staff know how easily an accident of any kind can knock a person out of the ranks of the healthy, physically-fit arena and into a hospital room with a long road to recovery. Similarly, the physical and psychological trauma of a car accident, boating incident, motorcycle wreck, or commuter bus collision can place a burden on the victim’ and his or her family almost from the get-go.

Of course, one of the most deadly types of traffic mishap has to be that of the commercial truck wreck. Some of the most seriously and deadly automobile accidents are caused by a negligent truck driver behind the wheel of a heavy construction vehicle, semi tractor-trailer rig, or large delivery box truck.

Baltimore Auto Accident News: Fire Truck Racing toward Brooklyn Park Fire Hits Car; Injures Three

February 9, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Because of their training as emergency responders — prepared at a moment’s notice to provide help and care to anyone in trouble — it’s difficult to imagine a police officer, firefighter or paramedic intentionally causing harm to another individual. This is why it is always a shock when we read of a serious traffic accident involving a patrol car, ambulance or EMS vehicle. Yet, these kinds of accidents can and do happen all over the country. As Baltimore auto accident attorneys and personal injury lawyers, I and my colleagues have seen the results of serious and fatal car, truck and motorcycle collisions involving police and fire vehicles. The damage that can be sustained by a relatively small passenger car when it is hit by a fire truck many times more massive can be significant. This means that depending on the circumstances surrounding the accident that the occupants of the smaller motor vehicle can receive serious to critical bodily injuries. Needless to say, while police cruisers are approximately similar in weight or mass to most average passenger cars and sport utility vehicles, serious accidents involving police cars could be the result of the higher speeds at which that these patrol cars travel. Anyone who follows the news regularly will remember some instance of a patrol car hitting another vehicle while responding to a 911 call of some sort. Continue reading ›

Maryland Auto Accident News: Baltimore County Policeman Seriously Injured as 18-Wheeler Plows into Officer’s Cruiser

February 6, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Being a good driver — or even being an exceptional driver – does not necessarily give one immunity from ever being involved in a traffic accident. The fact is, as trite as it may seem, accidents happen every day, every hour; and, quite frankly, avoiding any kind of a car, truck or motorcycle collision may be a matter of simply staying off the road and away from the curb.

While this may come across as overly simplistic, the real truth is that few people can avoid exposing themselves to potential injury in this modern world. Driving to work, crossing the street, walking through a parking low; each of these activities offers some chance for a personal injury accident. As Maryland automobile, trucking accident lawyers, I and my staff know all too well how easy it can be to get caught up in a roadway accident.

Whether you are a driver, passenger, public transportation commuter, pedestrian or cyclist, the opportunities are all around us. Staying alert to the dangers and pitfalls of car accidents and commercial trucking wrecks is just part of the routine; if one wants to stay as safe as possible. Still, even the mostly vigilant among us can find themselves smack-dab in the middle of a highway collision.

Cecil County, MD, Trucking Accident News: Semi Tanker Truck Rolls Over, Spills 3000+ Gallons of Fuel

January 31, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Trucking accidents come in a variety of types, from single-vehicle and rollover wrecks to multi-vehicle and fatal collisions. No matter what the circumstances, being caught up in commercial truck crash while riding in a smaller passenger vehicle is hardly an enviable position in which to find oneself. We won’t even enter into a conversation of a pedestrian, bicyclist or motorcycle rider injured by a semi tractor-trailer or other large commercial vehicle.

Any driver who has been on the road for even a short time will understand the feeling of intimidation that a large tractor-trailer rig imparts to the occupants of smaller passenger cars, minivans and even large sport utility vehicles. Frankly, at 50,000 pounds of vehicle and cargo, the average 18-wheeler represents a huge amount of mass when compared to a relatively tiny sedan or economy car.

While freight forwarders and other delivery vehicles carry heavy loads, steel haulers and scrap trucks can be some of the heavier-laden vehicles on the interstates. If one is looking for one of the more deadly loads on our roadways, look no further than the ubiquitous tanker truck. While these are also quite heavy, big rigs pulling trailer filled with caustic chemicals or flammable liquids chemicals have the added danger of losing their contents in the event of a bad traffic accident.

Maryland Trucking Injury Accident News: Trucking Fleet Operator Guilty of Violations Avoids Penalties through Bankruptcy

January 24, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It’s certainly part of human nature to be suspicious of individuals and companies who repeatedly operate in a manner detrimental to the public good. Of course, circumstances must be considered, but it is common for many of the public to be all too willing to give accused persons or corporate entities benefit of the doubt before all the facts are in.

Here in the U.S., an individual is considered innocent until proven guilty, but at the same time it is the job of prosecutors and plaintiffs’ lawyers to investigate the facts to find evidence proving that the defendant(s) are guilty or responsible for the violation of law with which they have been charged. Sadly, not only do the wheels of justice sometimes turn slowly, they can also be derailed even after a verdict is brought down against a defendant.

At our firm, as experienced Maryland personal injury lawyers, we have seen examples of companies and individuals who have been able to avoid paying their penance for various offenses against individual citizens as well as the state. Not long ago, we came across a news item that illustrates what can happen when a company that has been found guilty of wrongdoing in a court of law is able to avoid the full punishment of the law through various means. While car accidents and motorcyle wrecks take their toll on motorists, trucking-related crashes can cause some serious carnage.

Maryland Car and Truck Injury Update: Trucking-related Injury Accidents, Their Causes and Prevention

January 15, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Sustaining bodily injury as a result of any kind of city or highway traffic accident can be both physically and psychologically traumatic. Car accidents, boating mishaps, motorcycle wrecks and bus collisions can all prove injurious to an individual given the right circumstances. Some of the most serious and deadly traffic accidents are caused by commercial trucks, such as construction vehicles, semi tractor-trailers, large delivery box trucks and even smaller, but heavily-laden commercial work trucks.

In any case, being injured as a result of another party’s negligence may be reason to file a personal injury lawsuit or claim against the negligent individual or individuals. In the case of trucking crashes, the fault — as initially determined by the local law enforcement agency — may lie with the driver of the vehicle, or it may be the fault of the trucking carrier or even a third party, such as a maintenance or repair facility. Naturally, the job of determining which parties should be named in a personal injury suit is typically too much for the average person, especially if that person is incapacitated by the accident.

Finally, injury as a result of a traffic accident involving a large commercial vehicle can be due to a poorly designed or manufactured part or component. Historically, it is not uncommon for motorcycle, truck and car accidents to be caused by incorrectly manufactured tires, steering components and braking systems. Lawsuits stemming from these kinds of car and truck collisions are also known as product liability claims; they can be tied to an injury accident — or in cases of fatal wrecks, may be related to a wrongful death lawsuit.

Because commercial trucking companies conduct the majority of their business operations on public roads — and in close proximity to other vehicles carrying individuals and families — federal and state governments have established numerous laws, legal statutes and industry guidelines to regulate certain critical aspects of these firms’ business conduct that may affect the public adversely should those practices be overlooked or ignored to the detriment of public safety.

Maryland Commercial Truck Accident News: Defense Argues Drug-impaired Trucker Remembers Nothing of Deadly Chase

January 6, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It’s a sad commentary to say that most people only remember the terrible news stories involving commercial trucking accidents, but the fact remains that bad news sells; good news just isn’t that interesting, apparently. Nevertheless, there are many examples of semi tractor-trailers going out of control, crashing into smaller passenger cars and killing and injuring dozens of people every year in Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Of course, for every negligent truck driver out there, certainly there are many more conscientious truckers whose names are never in the newspapers or online. As mentioned above, good news isn’t as compelling as news that covers serious or fatal car, truck and motorcycle accidents. Part of the reason is that an 80,000-pound steel hauler can cause a large amount of damage if its brake system fails or the driver loses control and hits a small sedan, minivan or sport utility vehicle.

Injuries associated with commercial trucking accidents can range from that of minor scrapes, cuts and bruises, to compound fractures, third- and fourth-degree burns and concussions due to head trauma. Occupants of a 3,000-pound minivan are more prone to injury when the vehicle that hits them is a 25-plus-ton long-haul 18-wheeler with a load of heavy machinery sitting on the trailer.

Maryland Trucking-accident Injury News: U.S. District Court Weighs Employee Rights against Public Safety

December 31, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

For many people the law can sometimes be confusing, and many times frustrating, when they see the wheels of justice turning at what seems a glacial pace; occasionally it appears that legal decisions take a step backwards as well. Some of the more difficult legal decisions are made on issues so divisive that there seems to be no middle ground, yet the law can provide remedies for everyone from time to time.

Slow or not, the results of court cases don’t always please all parties. As Maryland personal injury lawyers representing victims of automobile, trucking and motorcycle accidents, every month we ourselves read about cases that make us scratch our heads. The good news is that the appeals process is available in nearly all instances when a party feels that their point of view was fully understood or valued as much as they may have hoped.

A situation has been brewing down south that on the face of it seems to pit public safety against the individual rights of an employee to keep and perform his job without prejudice from his employer. Frankly, this is a tough legal issue the outcome of which will likely rile more than a few individuals once a decision is reached.

The case in question involves a commercial trucker who self-reported that he had an alcohol abuse problem. According to news articles, following that announcement the driver’s employer took the man off the fleet’s list of permanent drivers. As this obviously directly affected the man’s ability to earn a living, a suit was filed on the man’s behalf by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against his employer citing violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Maryland Traffic Accident Injury News: Trucker Fined for Illegal License Plate “Cover-up” Scam

December 20, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As many people in the personal injury area have spoken of numerous times, both here and elsewhere on the Web, the trucking industry has not exactly been a paragon of safety or vigorous self regulation. In fact, as many may already know, some truckers and commercial trucking companies have gone out of their way to flout the law, as well as state and federal regulators in an effort to cut costs, improve profits and avoid fines and penalties for unlawful acts.

That said, we agree that these violators likely represent a small fraction of the trucking industry as a whole; however, such a statement may be cold comfort to families of victims killed or seriously injured in tractor-trailer collisions. As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we understand how much pain and suffering can be meted out by a 80,000-pound semi tractor-trailer rig whose driver may have negligently caused to crash into a smaller passenger vehicle.

As an aside, we will remind our readers that being caught up in a trucking-related crash can prove to be a harrowing and sometimes fatal occurrence. Many a Maryland motorist has been trapped in a crushed vehicle, perhaps one that has caught fire as a result of a collision with a big rig or commercial delivery truck, and had to wait helplessly for emergency responders to arrive and rescue them.

Maryland Trucking Injury News: Helping Increase Truckers’ Awareness of Dangerous Weather Conditions

December 14, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Trucking accidents around Maryland and throughout the nation in general take the lives of many thousands of innocent people every year. While most truckers are conscientious individuals, there are a few bad actors behind the wheels of these large, 18-wheeler commercial vehicles; essentially 25-ton missiles plying our roadways. Sadly, even the most diligent truck driver can be fooled into thinking that road conditions are not as bad as they really are.

Especially in winter time, whether driving on the roads around Annapolis, Rockville, the District, or Howie, MD, bad weather conditions can coat the road surface with slick snow, black ice, or slippery sleet. Any of these situations, as well as a dozen more, can lead to a serious traffic accident involving not just one vehicle, but sometimes two, tree or more.

As Baltimore auto accident attorneys and Maryland personal injury lawyers, we know how much property damage and bodily injury can be wrought by a jack-knifed semi tractor-trailer. Even the best drivers can be caught unaware when a winter storm blows in and makes our highways and surface streets virtual ice skating rinks. In fact, as has already happened this season, winter weather forecasts have been the precursor to numerous traffic problems, including closed roads, multi-vehicle collisions and occasional fatal commercial trucking-related wrecks.

According to news articles, there has been a discussion of fitting U.S. Postal Service (USPS) delivery vehicles with weather collection and transmission equipment to aid in the forecasting and reporting of real-time road conditions in certain geographical areas. Aside from this kind of preventative measure, it’s important to understand that some commercial truck drivers simply don’t make allowances for bad weather conditions.