Fatal Maryland Traffic Accidents Caused by Tractor-Trailer Rigs Striking Passenger Cars From Behind

As personal injury lawyers, we know there more than a fair chance that anyone reading this will likely find themselves involved in some kind of a roadway collision at some point in their life. Although there is never any way to predict when a person might end up in a hospital bed because of a distracted truck driver, become permanently disabled in a multi-vehicle crash on the beltway, or be killed in a pedestrian accident, the odds that sometime, somewhere a road accident will directly affect most people at some time.

Here in Baltimore, or over in Annapolis, Gaithersburg or even Washington, D.C., the incidence of injury-related traffic accidents can be rather high. As experienced trial lawyers, the legal staff at Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, has the necessary background and training to represent victims of serious automobile, motorcycle and commercial trucking accidents. While each of these kinds of roadway incidents can have severe or even deadly results, traffic accidents involving commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) can be the most serious.

One of the more dangerous types of traffic collision can involve a large CMV -- such as a motor coach, cement mixer, or 18-wheeled tractor-trailer -- striking the rear of a much smaller stationary passenger vehicle. Rear-end collisions represent about one-third of all roadway accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Although the majority of these kinds of collisions occur at relatively low speeds, in the case of wrecks involving large commercial trucks the chances for injury or death can still be quite high.

While some people may consider a rear-end type of car or truck crash to be less significant in terms of potential injury, in actuality even in the most mild of impacts it is not uncommon for one or more passengers in the smaller vehicle to present with symptoms later, hours or days after the collision. Many of the injuries associated with low-speed rear-ending wrecks tend to be of the soft tissue variety. As attorneys working on the area of personal injury law, Lebowitz & Mzhen recommends that victims of rear-end accidents never assume such incidents are not serious in nature. At the very least, you should always exchange personal and insurance information with the other driver(s) involved.

The aforementioned recommendation is aimed mostly at people involved in very low-speed, car-to-car collisions. However, because beltway or interstate accidents involving large CMVs hitting much smaller passenger cars often take place at higher road speeds, the chances for serious injury, such as traumatic brain injury or spinal cord damage, is much greater. But it is also possible to sustain fatal injuries in a commercial trucking accident of this type.

From a legal standpoint, in regard to rear-end collisions it is usually easy to determine the at-fault party. For trucking accidents in which the vehicle the victim was riding has been hit from behind, the theory of fault is typically based on negligence. This can be looked at in the following way: At least one of the drivers -- in this scenario, the truck driver -- most likely failed to reasonably operate his or her vehicle to avoid the collision. In this case, the phrase “reasonably operate” refers to the manner in which a reasonably prudent individual would drive his motor vehicle on a public roadway.

In general, a trucker who is proven to be negligent would also be found to have operated his vehicle in a manner that needlessly endangered other motorists, vehicle occupants or pedestrians. At Lebowitz & Mzhen, we are trained in the law and have litigated a great number of personal injury cases. Our goal is to assist victims of commercial trucking accidents recover damages and related compensation (for instance, lost wages due to extended hospitalization). When fatalities are involved, we have the skills and experience to help the victim’s family pursue a wrongful death lawsuit as well.

As legal professionals with experience in handling commercial trucking accident cases, the lawyers at Lebowitz & Mzhen understand that more than a few rear-end accidents involving large commercial trucks are deadly affairs, or certainly occurrences that can leave victims, if not permanently disabled, undoubtedly bedridden for weeks or months. There is no reason why anyone should have to bear the burden of extensive and costly medical bills that resulted from the negligence of another driver.

We make a point, with every personal injury or wrongful death case that we take on, to carefully and completely prepare these lawsuits for the best possible results. In some instances, just the strength of the victim’s case against the negligent party(s), thanks to thorough case preparation, can result in an out-of-court settlement. Such outcomes can save time and cost for our clients, not to mention the pain of reliving the accident during courtroom proceedings.

If you have lost a loved one in a fatal traffic accident involving a commercial truck and suspect negligence was a factor, we highly recommend that you discuss your case with an experienced personal injury attorney. The commercial trucking accident attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen are ready to help. Please call us toll-free at (800) 654-1949; or email either Jack Lebowitz or Vadim Mzhen to schedule a free, no obligation consultation so that we can explain your rights under the law.