Baltimore Personal Injury Lawsuits Arising From a Trucker’s Failure to Yield

Traffic collisions take place all across the state of Maryland with amazing frequency. Here in the Baltimore area, as well as over in Rockville, Gaithersburg, and the District, motorists often see the aftermath of a road accident from time to time. That automobile and commercial trucking accidents happen is hardly a point of contention; it is the frequency of these incidents, however, that can sometime floor people. When it comes to fault associated with such roadway wrecks, it is ultimately the courts who determine responsibility.

For those who are truly at fault when a trucking-related collision has occurred, we as personal injury attorneys make it our business to help place the blame solely on those responsible parties. At Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, we represent the innocent victims of serious commercial motor vehicle (CMV) accidents. When a truck driver is believed to be at fault in a traffic collision that has left someone severely injured or dead, the law provides recourse for the victim and his or her family.

Unfortunately, with heavy commercial trucks such as large box truck delivery vehicles, tanker trucks, 18-wheelers, and even city buses the most simple action or lack of action on the part of the driver can lead to an unnecessary accident. Each year hundreds of Maryland residents are killed or injured as a result of a commercial trucker’s error in judgment or outright negligence. If the actions of a commercial truck driver are found to have led to the death or severe injury of another individual, we believe that the responsible party should be held accountable.

Although there can be numerous causes for the many car, truck and motorcycle crashes that take place all around the Old Line State, one reason for some collisions between passenger cars and commercial vehicles lies with a truck driver’s failure to yield the right-of-way to another motorist. Instances of crashes resulting from a failure to yield auto can be associated with rather serious collisions leading to bodily injury and sometimes death.

Here in Maryland, whether a failure-to-yield wreck takes place at an highway intersection, along a stretch of interstate, or on the beltway, the consequences from such a traffic collision can run from minor injuries (insignificant contusions and slight skin abrasions) to life-threatening injuries such as a ruptured spleen, collapsed lung, closed head trauma, and internal bleeding. Burns can also result if the wreck involves a breached fuel tank or the spilling of a flammable liquid from a tanker truck.

As Maryland car, motorcycle and trucking accident attorneys, our professional legal team at Lebowitz & Mzhen possesses the legal training and courtroom experience to assist victims of roadway collisions recover monetary damages from responsible party(s). Our legal staff understands the cause and effect of many kinds of commercial trucking-related highway wrecks, including those involving failure-to-yield incidents. Our goal, as we prepare each personal injury case, is to conduct a thorough and complete investigation followed by aggressive litigation.

Maryland’s traffic safety rules include procedures for determining which vehicle should be granted the proper right-of-way on our state’s roadways. Like all driving laws and rules of the road, the proper understanding of vehicle right-of-way is important to the safe passage of vehicles all across the state. Created to provide a safe traffic environment for all motorists under most any traffic situation, the right-of-way rules provide guidance for how a driver should yield to other vehicles.

When it comes to driving safety, Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) reminds all drivers, including those behind the wheel of large tractor-trailer rigs, that each person is ultimately responsible for controlling his vehicle so as to avoid a collision with another motor vehicle, object or pedestrian. It is important to remember the following basic rules that point out which vehicle has the right-of-way in different situations. For trucks, as well as passenger cars and motorcycles, the vehicle with the right of way includes:

• Oncoming vehicles in an opposing lane when the other vehicle is making a left turn
• The vehicle to one’s right at an intersection when both arrive simultaneously
• Vehicles currently traveling on a public roadway when another vehicle is entering from a driveway or private road
• Vehicles already traveling on a limited-access interstate when another vehicle is attempting to merge via an entrance or on-ramp
• A vehicle to one’s right at a four-way intersection controlled by stop signs
• Pedestrians, bicycle riders and other vehicles that are still in an intersection
• Any vehicle approaching, or in an intersection, when a yield sign is facing the other vehicle

Most truckers are trained to operate their CMVs safely, but even the most experienced drivers can make a deadly mistake at one time or another. In fact, there are some situations that can spell danger for other motorists when right-of-way rules are not followed or ignored by a commercial truck driver. These can include trucks attempting to make a U-turn, or instances when a vehicle is trying to pass other traffic on a two-lane highway. The chances of a fatal collision in either of these cases can be quite high.

Whether allowed by law or not, any time the driver of a large tractor-trailer attempts to make a U-turn, the results can be extremely dangerous under certain circumstances. For instance, if a trucker needs to make a legal U-turn, after confirming that such a maneuver is allowed, he should signal his intention, stop and then yield to any approaching cars or trucks. Once the roadway is clear, the commercial truck driver should execute the turn so that the vehicle ends up in the outermost right-hand lane of travel.

Similarly, passing maneuvers should be well thought-out. As Maryland personal injury lawyers dealing in trucking-related injury cases, we know what the potential outcome of haphazard driving can be. The aftermath of a head-on collision between a small passenger vehicle and a large commercial truck is often a terrible sight. At highway speeds, fatal crashes are known to occur. In the best of cases, the driver and passengers of the smaller vehicle can be left with some very severe injuries, some of which could result in permanent disability for the victims.

As Maryland traffic accident attorneys and personal injury lawyers, the skilled team at Lebowitz & Mzhen knows how to use the law to help our clients recover damages from the parties responsible for their injuries. In most instances, if a trucker is found to be responsible for the victims’ injuries, that driver should be held liable for his or her negligent actions. This may also apply to the company that employs the trucker. Whether a claim involves personal injury or wrongful death, our highly qualified legal staff is ready and willing to assist the victims of such serious roadway collisions.

If you have been seriously hurt as a result of a trucking-related right-of-way accident, we suggest that you contact a knowledgeable personal injury professional who has experience litigating commercial vehicle accident cases. As skilled personal injury attorneys, we can help accident victims better understand their legal right to compensation under Maryland law. As part of a typical personal injury claim, we consider a variety of potential damages, including hospital and emergency room costs, medical specialist fees, physical therapy and rehab expenses and lost wages, among other monetary consequences of a commercial trucking accident.

Please feel free to contact the law officers of Lebowitz & Mzhen so we may discuss the particular details of your traffic accident injury case. Call us toll-free at (800) 654-1949 to set up a free, no-obligation consultation. If you prefer, please send an email to either Jack Lebowitz or Vadim Mzhen, and we will be happy to arrange a meeting to go over your trucking accident claim.