Articles Posted in Multi-vehicle Accidents

One of the hallmarks of reckless driving is illegal speeding. Unfortunately, the probability of death or serious injury rises with impacts at higher speeds. According to some estimates, the risk of serious death or injury doubles for every ten miles per hour over 50 miles per hour that a vehicle is traveling. As a result, pedestrians and bicyclists struck by cars driving 40 miles per hour are eight times more likely to die than a pedestrian or bicyclist struck at 20 miles per hour. A recent news report detailed a dangerous car accident that led to a massive 23-car crash on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

According to the news report, the crash occurred early in the morning on Saturday, January 27, 2024, when a speeding blue 2018 Honda Civic may have contributed to a chain-reaction 23-car crash on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Authorities said the car was traveling westbound on the Bay Bridge on US 50 at a high rate of speed and erratically between 7:30 a.m. and 7:45 a.m. on Saturday. Another 20 vehicles were involved in a series of secondary crashes, transportation officials said on Saturday afternoon. Multiple injuries were reported, according to MDTA, and the Bay Bridge was closed for hours. The multi-vehicle collision sent two people to local hospitals with serious injuries and 11 other people went to local hospitals, too. None of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening, transportation officials said. While first responders worked to clear the bridge of impediments, drivers were stuck with nowhere to go.

What is the Most Common Cause of Car Accidents?

Speeding is a massive cause of car accidents throughout the country. Some estimates project that speeding is a contributing factor in over a third of all accidents nationwide. Approximately 41 percent of drivers surveyed admitted to frequently or sometimes driving 15 miles per hour or more over the speed limit on the highway (roads with speed limits over 55 miles per hour). An additional 37 percent of drivers admitted to driving 10 miles per hour or more over the speed limit on residential streets (roads with speed limits over 30 miles per hour) in the past 30 days.

The danger of not wearing your seatbelt is compounded when a truck or other large vehicle is involved in the crash. That goes for people in the large vehicle as well as others on the road. Large commercial vehicles like trucks are on the road to transport heavy items over long distances. That means that large automobiles can become difficult to maneuver in emergency situations, preventing drivers from turning or stopping suddenly due to the weight of their vehicle and cargo. Even without heavy cargo or large trailers, big vehicles are heavy, making accidents involving them inherently dangerous. Additionally, long-distance drivers are under extreme pressure to spend significant hours on the road, as they may have to meet delivery deadlines. This can lead to exhaustion and impaired judgment on the roads. Tired drivers are more likely to make mistakes when driving, increasing the likelihood of accidents. It is vital to wear your seatbelt while on the road and stay aware of large vehicles that could be merging onto your road. A recent news article discussed a serious multi-vehicle accident.

According to the local news article, the accident happened at approximately 3:00 pm in Columbia, Maryland on the afternoon of Sunday, December 3. According to Howard County police, the crash occurred when a car was entering Route 29 south from the Route 108 ramp when it lost control and struck two other vehicles. Ten people total were injured or hospitalized as a result of the three-vehicle crash, including two juveniles and eight adults, ranging from nine to 42 years old. The woman driving the vehicle that initiated the collision was in critical but stable condition according to law enforcement authorities. At the time of reporting, the nine other individuals who were transported to the hospital had sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The cause of the crash is still under investigation according to law enforcement officials.

What Are the Car Insurance Requirements in Maryland?

Maryland maintains minimum insurance requirements for drivers in the state. Minimum insurance requirements are designed to ensure sufficient compensation is available to victims of car accidents should it be required. As a result, Maryland drivers are required to purchase at least $30,000 in bodily injury liability coverage per person, $60,000 in bodily injury liability coverage per accident, and $15,000 in property damage liability coverage.

Multi-car accidents can result in more than one injury or damage to more than one vehicle. Alternatively, a crash involving multiple vehicles can contribute to a single injury. On occasion, the injured person might have also contributed to their own injury as well as the other parties’ injuries. In these circumstances, determining who is at fault for a multi-car accident can be quite complex.

For example, according to a recent news article, a woman died following a three-vehicle crash in Baltimore County on the outer loop of I-695. The fatal accident occurred just before 1:00AM, when a car struck the side of a backhoe being escorted by two pickup trucks from the Maryland Department of Transportation. Then, the car hit the rear of the front pickup truck. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities are still investigating the precise cause of the crash.

How Does Maryland Law Apportion Fault in Car Accident Lawsuits?

A lawsuit brought after a multi-vehicle crash can involve several different theories of fault. Maryland law allows an injured person to sue two or more defendants for the same injury, such as two drivers of different cars. In other states, a court may apportion liability equally among all defendants. Known as joint liability, this theory is based on the idea that the defendants are all independently at fault for their own actions.

Multi-car pileups are undoubtedly dangerous: they block traffic, risk the lives and wellbeing of multiple drivers and countless passengers, and can contribute to other accidents. In addition to putting more people at risk, pileups can be a nightmare for people trapped inside the wreckage of multiple vehicles. Emergency personnel may have to use the jaws of life to extract survivors from accidents, which can risk further injury as pieces of the wreckage are moved and sharp instruments venture near the trapped victims.

Recent reports state that two people have been hospitalized after a multi-car pileup in Annapolis, Maryland. The wreck was announced by fire department personnel at 8:18 a.m., and one trapped victim was not rescued from their car until 8:32 a.m, when fire department personnel were able to remove them. Traffic was blocked during that time. Officials do not have an update on the injured victims at this time.

What Damages Are Available in Maryland Personal Injury Cases?

Whether due to the negligence of other drivers or the negligence of emergency personnel attempting to clear the wreckage, victims who suffer injuries in multi-car pileups may be entitled to compensation. But what economic and non-economic harms are survivors entitled to receive in a Maryland personal injury case?

Although many car accidents are simple and it is clear which party is at fault when the collision took place, this is not always the case for every incident. In fact, sometimes car accidents can involve multiple parties, vehicles, collisions, and injuries. The chaos of the accident can also often create problems for drivers in remembering exactly which car hit the other first and how to allocate responsibility. If you are involved in a multi-vehicle accident, knowing your rights and next steps is crucial to protecting yourself and maximizing your chances of obtaining the compensation you deserve.

According to a recent local news report, Maryland State Police are investigating a multiple-vehicle crash that left a local man dead and also injured a pedestrian. Troopers responded to a report of a multi-vehicle crash around 3:00 AM and to an accident involving five separate vehicles and a pedestrian. Based on a preliminary investigation, a black Dodge initially rear-ended a Chevrolet. A separate driver, acting as a Good Samaritan, stopped his vehicle on the shoulder to assist with the accident. Shortly after the separate driver exited his vehicle, a Nissan crashed into the Dodge from the initial accident and the pedestrian involved in the crash was also struck. A separate accident occurred when a Chevrolet stopped in a separate lane, potentially to also provide assistance before a GMC crashed into it. All five drivers and the pedestrian were transported to a local hospital for treatment. The accident remains under investigation by local authorities.

Multiple-vehicle crashes, often also called chain reaction accidents, can often create legal challenges as complex as the series of collisions that led to the dispute in the first place. Because these accidents often involve several defendants and plaintiffs with personal injury claims, it can be a challenging task to navigate on your own.

Although car accidents can take place in a variety of ways, sometimes they involve multiple cars. Often, these crashes are far from clear cut—it can often be unclear even to those directly involved or those who witnessed the accident exactly who was at fault and how much fault each party should be responsible for. Following a multiple vehicle accident, however, it is important to know exactly how to determine fault. After all, you don’t want to be responsible for more than your share, especially if you were injured or had significant property damage and are seeking to recover from the other parties.

According to a recent news report, a multi-vehicle car accident resulted in the death of one person and injuries to four others. Local police said that five vehicles were involved in the accident, and preliminary findings indicate that speed may have been a contributing factor. The collision resulted in one death, one critical and serious injury, and two minor injuries. The street where the accident took place was temporarily closed as investigators continued to canvas the scene and vehicles were removed. The accident remains under investigation.

In all personal injury claims, the party suing for compensation must be able to prove the defendant or defendants’ actions were negligent and directly caused the plaintiff’s injuries or damage sustained. In multiple vehicle accidents that typically involve a chain reaction of crashes, it can be challenging establishing fault because although the accident may have happened because someone was negligent and started it, the actions of the other parties involved also play a role in the severity of the crash. For example, if other drivers involved in the accident also are speeding or distracted, this can create an even more severe multiple vehicle accident.

Car accidents can be confusing and scary for any driver, especially when they are injured and they may not think about how the type of accident and amount of cars involved can impact the compensation they can recover for their injuries. For one thing, it isn’t always clear what the cause of a multi-car crash was or who is at fault for legal and insurance purposes. When a car accident involves multiple cars, in what are often called “chain-reaction” crashes, the difficulties of determining fault increase substantially.

For Maryland drivers, these questions become more important because of the way Maryland law assigns fault in multi-car accident cases. Maryland law looks at the fault of all parties involved in the accident, not just the first car to set off the chain of collisions. That means that in a chain-reaction crash where the second car in the chain was texting instead of watching the road when they were hit and that caused them to hit the third driver instead of swerving, the court might find them partly responsible. Speaking with an experienced attorney familiar with Maryland’s unique law is an important step to protect your legal rights when entering litigation and seeking financial compensation related to injuries from a car accident.

According to one recent news report, there a multi-car crash sent three people to the hospital, leaving two people suffering from serious injuries. The chain-reaction accident started when a car crossed a highway median, entering oncoming traffic and hitting another car head-on, injuring the driver. The struck car then collided with a tractor-trailer, in turn injuring that driver as well. Both of the motorists in the struck vehicles were extracted from their vehicles and brought to the hospital for treatment of severe injuries, while the driver of the car who started the chain reaction was able to walk out of the hospital with only minor injuries.

Lots of Maryland families travel for the Independence Day weekend. Whether driving to a barbeque, a firework show, or to the shore for the long weekend, holiday travel carries a higher risk for involvement in a motor vehicle accident. In fact, statistics show that the Fourth of July weekend is the deadliest weekend of the year in terms of roadway fatalities.

This year, on the Friday before Independence Day, Maryland police responded to a rush-hour crash in which two people were injured. According to reports, both vehicles in the accident incurred substantial damage. Apparently, both drivers in the two-car accident were trapped in their respective vehicles until firefighters arrived to extract them. Although one of the drivers was treated locally, the other driver required air transport to a shock trauma unit.

After the accident, police temporarily closed the roadway to reconstruct the scene. Although information about the status of the drivers and the cause of the accident has not yet been released to the public, these details may become available in the coming weeks and months.

After a Maryland multi-vehicle accident, determining who caused the crash can be difficult. In some cases, there may be multiple contributing causes of the crash. If a plaintiff files a Maryland negligence against one or more defendants involved in the crash, the plaintiff must show that a defendant’s wrongful action or inaction was a cause-in-fact and a legal cause of the plaintiff’s injuries. Cause-in-fact means proving that a defendant’s conduct actually caused the injury, whereas legal cause means proving that a defendant should be held liable for the plaintiff’s injury.

Who Is at Fault in a Car Accident with Multiple Drivers?

If two or more independent negligent acts caused the plaintiff’s injuries, Maryland courts will determine whether a defendant’s conduct was a “substantial factor” in bringing about the plaintiff’s injuries. Even if a defendant’s conduct was a substantial factor in causing the plaintiff’s injuries, the harm must have been sufficiently related to the defendant’s negligent conduct. That is, Maryland courts will consider the foreseeability of the harm and the relationship between the defendant’s conduct and the harm. Maryland courts may decline to hold a defendant liable due to policy considerations and fairness. In addition, because Maryland follows the doctrine of contributory negligence, if a plaintiff is found to be even partially at fault for their own injuries in a Maryland negligence case, the plaintiff cannot recover compensation in court. Maryland is one of the few states in the United States that continues to apply the doctrine of contributory negligence. This means that plaintiffs often have to defend against claims that they were negligent in order to succeed in court.

Recently, a major Maryland car accident made headlines when a two-year-old girl, a passenger in one of the cars, was thrown from her vehicle into the Assawoman Bay. According to The Baltimore Sun, the accident happened on a Sunday afternoon earlier this month. The cause of the multi-vehicle accident is still unclear, but witnesses report that on Route 90 in Ocean City, a pickup truck seemed to lose control before it spun, hit a concrete barrier, and flipped over a guardrail. The truck hit a BMW, which propelled it towards another car. The car swerved, and the BMW then crashed into another vehicle.

One of the drivers got out of his car to check on the driver of the BMW, and then ran over to help a man trying to get out of the pickup truck hanging off the side of the bridge. Once he was freed, he pointed to the water toward a car seat and a toddler floating on her back, kicking, before she rolled over and was face-down in the water. At that point, the driver of the car jumped into the water to save the toddler, who spit up a lot of water. A boat came and picked him and the girl up, and she was flown to Baltimore hospital. Seven other people associated with the crash were also treated at the hospital, but fortunately, no one was killed.

This unbelievable story made headlines, and at a press conference, the rescuer was publicly thanked, and the Ocean City Mayor commented on how fortunate it was that everyone survived. However, although the media attention will soon fade, the long-term impacts of these crashes can last months if not years. Even when the injuries do not seem too serious at the time, many individuals involved in Maryland car accidents find themselves sore and dealing with pain long after the crash occurs. Some individuals may find themselves needing physical therapy or to visit a chiropractor to deal with the impacts.

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