Roadway Accidents Involving Recreational Vehicles
There is no arguing that the lure of the great outdoors is strong for many Americans all across this nation. Every year, millions of hikers, campers, fishermen, bicycling enthusiasts and nature buffs travel far and wide in search of new sights and different areas to explore. Many others simply enjoy the attraction of the open road and putting as many miles between their work-a-day world and the next great travel adventure.
One common thread linking many of these individuals is the ubiquitous recreational vehicle, or RV. Whether one is speaking of a self-propelled motor home or travel trailer towed by a large pickup truck or sport utility vehicle, RVs provide their owners with a convenient home away from home when journeying to more out-of-the-way places. With comfortable living, sleeping and dining areas, these mobile living spaces have many of the amenities found in a home, but available on the road.
Designed more for brief leisure activities, such as camping weekends and family vacations, these vehicles often include a kitchen and bathroom, plus sleeping accommodations for multiple occupants. Ranging in size from full-blown motorhomes and fifth-wheel travel trailers to popup tent-style trailers and slide-in, pickup-based campers, most recreational vehicles are not meant to be used as full-time living quarters or permanent dwellings.
As Maryland automobile and commercial trucking accident lawyers, the attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, understand how attractive these large vehicles can be when they offer all the comforts of home at most any camp ground or RV park. But however useful they are when parked at a campsite, when being driven or towed on public roadways these motor vehicles and trailers can prove at times to be a huge handful even for the most seasoned RV owner.
Poor weather, high winds, narrow roads and unfamiliar geography can all be contributing factors in an RV-related traffic accident. For the average driver accustomed to operating a smaller passenger car, piloting a large motor home weighing multiple times that of a family sedan can be daunting at best. Less than optimal driver visibility, sluggish handling and extremely high mass can cause a less attentive driver to lose control of an RV under the right circumstances. The result, of course, can be devastating.
Most experienced personal injury lawyers know what can happen when a negligent commercial truck driver makes a mistake on the highway, but the same dangerous situations exist when an untrained person takes the wheel of a large RV or motor home. With gross vehicle weight ratings of 10,000lbs to 40,000lbs, or even more, being struck on the beltway or high-speed interstate by a heavily laden RV can lead to severe injuries or even death.
The Lebowitz & Mzhen legal team has the knowledge and trial experience to represent victims of recreational vehicle collisions. We know how easily it is to find oneself in the emergency room at a local hospital following a serious RV-related highway accident. Not only must the victims of these kinds of roadway crashes fight for their very lives following a bad recreational vehicle collision, many times they must fight in court for due compensation for accident-related medical bills, potential lost wages, mental anguish, and pain and suffering.
Every case that our lawyers take on is handled as if it will go to trial. Being prepared to fully argue a personal injury claims case not only improves one chances in court, but also can influence an out-of-court settlement as well. Taking into account the victim’s injury-related medical costs, plus mental anguish and other economic losses is important to most any auto accident injury or wrongful death case.
As experienced Baltimore injury accident attorneys, the lawyers at Lebowitz & Mzhen have seen the aftermath of many individual auto- and trucking-related collisions. Injuries such as broken bones and compound fractures, trauma to internal organ, traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord damage are just a few of the more serious afflictions that can result from an RV-related accident.
Even though a large RV can be equal in size and mass to that of a commercial truck, there is no special training that a driver must go through, nor is there any higher level of motor vehicle operator’s license that must be applied for. For these reasons, it is often the case that otherwise competent passenger car drivers can get in over their heads when attempting to maneuver a large RV on the highway.
As personal injury attorneys, Lebowitz & Mzhen know that driving a 3,500-pound minivan or SUV is hardly sufficient experience to prepare a person to safely handle a 30-, 40-, or 50-foot-long motorhome. With potential danger lurking in an RV’s blind spots, turning, changing lanes and backing up are can all be fraught with danger for driver, passengers and those nearby a recreational vehicle.
In addition, the longer braking distance and rather wide turning radius of a motor home or large travel trailer can increase the possibility of a collision with another RV, commercial truck or passenger car. Even in situations where there are no other vehicles in the vicinity, the occupants of a motor home can be hurt or killed if the RV suffers a blown-out tire at highway speeds. An event like this can be especially dangerous in mountainous areas where there is little margin for error on narrow roads with deadly drop-offs mere feet from the shoulder of the roadway.
As skilled injury lawyers, Lebowitz & Mzhen understands that proving negligence can be difficult without the proper research and case preparation. Our legal staff knows that a case which is ready for trial also has a better chance at influencing a favorable out-of-court settlement. A settlement can be better for the plaintiff and his family by eliminating the potential stress of a trial and allowing the victim to recover medical costs and other damages.
In situations where a victim of an RV-related accident is badly hurt, we recommend that the injured party consult a qualified personal injury attorney proficient in auto accident lawsuits. The professionals at the law offices of Lebowitz & Mzhen are ready and willing to discuss the details of your injury accident. Simply contact us at our toll-free number ((800) 654-1949). You may also email either Jack Lebowitz or Vadim Mzhen to arrange for a no-obligation consultation. We are here to help.