Articles Posted in Fatal Traffic Accidents

Automobile accidents involving larger vehicles such as buses can be devastating. The mass, speed, and size of larger vehicles increase the severity of collisions, turning crashes into fatal encounters. Many people have a fundamental understanding of the risks associated with driving near larger vehicles, such as semi-trucks, but not many people just how dangerous these crashes have become. According to the statistical analysis organization Policy Advice, truck accidents have increased by 52% since 2009, and 74% of all fatal passenger vehicle accidents include large trucks. A local news article discussed a recent fatal Maryland bus crash.

According to the local news article about the Maryland crash, the accident occurred early in the morning on Thursday, August 31, 2023, resulting in one dead and eighteen injured. According to authorities, a Greyhound passenger bus was traveling eastbound on Route 32 near Interstate 95 near Savage with 38 passengers aboard around 3:30 a.m. when a Buick Enclave collided with it. The Buick Enclave was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes at the time, going in the wrong direction. The man who was driving the Buick Enclave died at the scene. The bus driver and injured passengers were taken to area hospitals with injuries that weren’t considered life-threatening, police said.

Accidents involving buses, trucks, and other large-sized vehicles such as SUVs are more dangerous than other types of collisions for a number of reasons. Busses, especially very heavy ones such as passenger buses inherently result in more serious accidents when they are involved in crashes due to their weight, size, and speed. These features similarly make accidents involving SUVs more dangerous, as SUVs tend to be larger than sedans and other standard automobiles. Additionally, the conditions that many large vehicle drivers, such as greyhound truck operators, operate under force them to drive extreme distances, resulting in fatigue. Further, large emergency response trucks, such as fire trucks, are often driving at extremely high speeds and operating under different driving rules than ordinary traffic, creating more opportunities for accidents. Finally, commercial trucks also carry heavy cargo, complicating truck crashes and accidents.

Contributory Negligence is a legal concept that can prevent plaintiffs from receiving recovery for injuries resulting from a crash if their negligence contributed to the accident to any degree. Even if the negligence of the operator of another vehicle is in large part responsible for the accident, if the plaintiff was negligent at all, it is possible they will not be able to recover compensation. In Maryland, contributory negligence is generally interpreted very broadly, allowing extremely minor negligence by the plaintiff in personal injury cases to defeat even very strong claims.

How Common Are Truck Accidents?

Accidents involving trucks have increased by 52% since 2009, and 74% of all fatal passenger vehicle accidents include large trucks according to the statistical analysis organization Policy Advice. Crashes involving trucks, campers, and other large-sized vehicles are more dangerous than other types of collisions for a number of reasons. Trucks, especially very heavy ones such as semi-trucks inherently result in more serious accidents when they are involved in crashes due to their weight, size, and speed.

Many people understand that there is some increase in risk when driving around trucks, but don’t fully grasp the underlying causes or percentages for those risks. Not only do many truck drivers operate under extremely difficult conditions, such as driving extremely long distances, but they often drive at night and under intense time constraints as well. Finally, commercial trucks are also potentially carrying heavy cargo, complicating truck crashes and accidents. A recent news article discussed a fatal accident involving large vehicles.

Automobile accidents involving larger vehicles are trucks can be devastating. The mass, speed, and size of larger vehicles increase the severity of collisions, turning crashes into fatal encounters. Many people have a fundamental understanding of the risks associated with driving near larger vehicles, such as semi-trucks, but not many people just how dangerous these crashes have become. According to the statistical analysis organization Policy Advice, truck accidents have increased by 52% since 2009, and 74% of all fatal passenger vehicle accidents include large trucks. A local news article discussed a recent fatal Maryland automobile crash.

According to the news article about the fatal crash, the accident occurred on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, resulting in one dead and nine injured. According to investigators, a white Mercedes SUV was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of I-270, towards the outer loop of I-495 when it crashed into a Lexus and a Nissan Pathfinder in Montgomery County. In total, five adults in the Lexus were injured and transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital while two adults and three children were injured in the Nissan Pathfinder. The driver of the Nissan, a woman, was transported by an ambulance to a nearby hospital, where she was declared deceased. A 23-year-old man from Macon, Georgia was identified as the alleged wrong-way driver in the white Mercedes SUV. He was arrested with charges pending after initially fleeing the scene after the crash.

What Are Truck Accidents So Dangerous?

Accidents involving trucks, campers, and other large-sized vehicles such as SUVs are more dangerous than other types of collisions for a number of reasons. Trucks, especially very heavy ones such as semi-trucks inherently result in more serious accidents when they are involved in crashes due to their weight, size, and speed. These features similarly make accidents involving SUVs more dangerous, as SUVs tend to be larger than sedans and other standard automobiles. Additionally, the conditions that many truck drivers operate under force them to drive extreme distances, resulting in fatigue. Further, large emergency response trucks, such as fire trucks, are often driving at extremely high speeds and operating under different driving rules than ordinary traffic, creating more opportunities for accidents. Finally, commercial trucks also carry heavy cargo, complicating truck crashes and accidents.

Maryland fatal accidents can occur for a variety of reasons. Drivers may be distracted, speeding, or even operating their vehicle under the influence. When a fatal accident occurs, the responsible driver hurts both victim and their surviving loved ones. After losing a loved one in a fatal Maryland accident, you may wish to hold the responsible party accountable through a wrongful death action.

For example, according to a Maryland State Police news report, two people lost their lives in a multi-vehicle accident. The fatal crash occurred in Prince George’s County on I-95 when a Dodge Charger in the right lane attempted to pass a tractor-trailer by moving to the middle lane. The vehicle then rear-ended a Hyundai Elantra traveling in the left lane, causing both vehicles to veer into opposite sides of the road. The Hyundai then caught fire. Sadly, the Hyundai driver and passenger died at the scene. The Dodge driver was transported to the hospital for his injuries.

How Can You Recover Damages After a Fatal Maryland Accident?

If you have lost a loved one in a fatal Maryland accident, you can bring several actions against the responsible driver. First, you can bring a wrongful death claim, which allows a victim’s loved ones to recover damages so long as the victim, had they survived, would have a claim against the driver. Accordingly, to prevail on a wrongful death claim, the plaintiff must prove the defendant owed the deceased a duty of care, breached that duty through their negligent behavior, that their negligence caused the fatal accident, and that the victim died as a result.

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 fatal car accident.

According to the news report, the crash occurred in the evening on Tuesday, June 13, when a Mercedes, operated by a 34-year-old man crashed into a Subaru, killing a couple, and causing a third car to be hit. The two people in the Subaru were a 75-year-old man and a 77-year-old woman, both of whom were pronounced dead at the scene by emergency responders. The prosecutor in the case did not state if speed was a factor in the crash, and investigators appear to be waiting for data from the Mercedes to determine the driver was speeding. Law enforcement officials did say, however, that the Subaru had very extensive damage to the side where it was hit. The driver of the Mercedes experienced serious injuries himself and was transported to the hospital. The third car struck, a Hyundai, was also hit by the Mercedes. The driver of the Hyundai experienced minor injuries and was transported to the hospital.

The case is currently being investigated as a case of reckless driving, and the driver of the Mercedes was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter and two counts of second-degree vehicular homicide. He is currently being held pending a pre-trial detention hearing in Superior Court. According to the Department of Transportation, the crash shut down Route 27 for hours on Tuesday evening, as the crash occurred during rush hour.

It is no surprise that speeding can lead to serious and devasting injuries for the driver involved in speeding and for other motorists, passengers, and pedestrians. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2020, speeding killed 11,258 people, or an average of 30 people a day. Some of the risks that result from driving a vehicle at a high rate of speed include losing control of the vehicle, the increased degree of crash severity and severe injuries, and increased economic damages. Speeding is considered a form of aggressive driving. The high rate of speeding-related accidents may be attributed to multiple factors, including road rage, alcohol-impaired driving, running late, and traffic congestion.

A recent news report revealed that there was a multi-vehicle crash in Elkton, Maryland. A Hyundai was traveling east at a high rate of speed when it struck the passenger side of a Honda Civic as the driver attempted to make a left turn. The driver of the Hyundai and the driver and passenger of the Honda were all declared deceased at the scene. The highway was closed for six hours following the crash.

What Are the Maryland Driving Laws and Statute of Limitations?

In the state of Maryland, drivers are required to abide by the maximum speed limit and also always drive at a safe speed, which is required by the basic speeding law. A driver is in violation of Maryland’s maximum or absolute speed laws if they drive over the absolute speed limit. For example, if the absolute speed limit on a particular road is set at 40 mph and a driver exceeds that limit, they are in violation of law. Additionally, in Maryland, motorists must always drive at a safe speed under the circumstances. When these laws in Maryland are violated, it can put other motorists and pedestrians, and the speeding driver, at risk. If you are injured as a result of another driver’s speeding, you may be considering bringing a lawsuit to recover damages for any injuries you suffered as a result. In Maryland, for personal injury suits, there is a statute of limitations of 3 years, or in other words, a plaintiff will have a three-year deadline by which they must file their claims, with the time period starting at the date of the car accident.

Speed limits are created in order to provide guidance for drivers on safe and reasonable speeds. Speed limits help keep drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and bicyclists safe. There are various categories of speed limits that are set for different circumstances, may be set for different roads, or that can be set for different times. According to the Federal Highway Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation, statutory speed limits are established by State legislatures for specific types of roads. This includes for interstates, rural roasts, and urban streets, and these limits vary from state to state. Statutory speed limits are enforceable by law and can be applied even if the speed limit is not posted (I.e. statutory speed limits of 25 mph in school districts).

Posted speed limits, according to the Federal Highway Administration, are those that are sign-posted along the road and are also enforceable by law. Additionally, special conditions speed limits include school zone speed limits, which are used during specific hours when children are traveling to and from school, and also include work zone speed limits. Advisory speeds are posted for a small portion, such as a sharp curve or ramp to inform drivers of safe driving speeds. A common misconception is that the federal government sets or enforces speed limit, when in actuality, this authority belongs to state and local agencies with jurisdiction.

A recent news report revealed that a two-car crash left three residents dead in Elkton, Maryland. According to the report, a 2014 Hyundai was traveling eastbound on Route 40 at a high rate of speed, slamming into the passenger side of a 2010 Honda Civic. The driver of the Honda was attempting to turn left. The Hyundai’s driver and two of the Honda’s occupants were pronounced dead at the scene. The crash is still being investigated.

Oftentimes, car collisions do not just involve two drivers on the road. Passengers, pedestrians, passersby, and police officers can also quickly become involved in accidents, especially when there are multiple vehicles involved in the crash. A recent collision in Maryland demonstrated the unfortunate effects of one driver’s detrimental mistake, a mistake that ultimately harmed several individuals and left another individual dead.

This crash re-surfaced in local news reports after the Maryland Attorney General’s office made public body camera videos from the October 8 incident. The videos show jarring images of the effects of a collision that left one individual dead and several others injured.

According to reports, officers in Baltimore were following a Honda CR-V when the car sped up and collided with two cars ahead of it. This original crash caused a chain reaction in which the cars collided with a fourth vehicle, ultimately creating a chaotic scene that confused other drivers on the road. One of the car’s passengers was a 17-year-old from Baltimore, and he ultimately died from injuries sustained in the crash.

When one accident results in multiple tragedies, sort of like a chain-reaction, it can be extremely devastating, unexpected, and scary. An initial accident between two vehicles can lead to more vehicles becoming involved in a collision. After a car accident, it is important to immediately seek medical attention when necessary and notify proper authorities, and if there are no immediate injuries that require immediate attention, it can be additionally important to ensure that all parties involved are able to move to a safe location if on a busy road or highway.

According to a recent news report, a woman recently died in Maryland after being ejected from a crash involving multiple vehicles. The accident occurred near Maryland Route 100 in the Elkridge Area. A Porsche rear-ended a Mazda, and both drivers lost control of their vehicles. A passenger in the Mazda was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene. The Mazda’s driver and three other passengers were not injured. The driver of the Porsche got out of his vehicle, attempted to cross I-95, and was struck by an oncoming vehicle. The driver was taken to Shock Trauma. As a result, Southbound I-95 was shut down for about 5 hours.

Chain Reaction Collisions and Determining the At-Fault Driver