Baltimore, Maryland Truck Accident Attorney

Truck Accidents in Maryland & Lawsuits for Clients

Commercial trucks are a common sight in the Baltimore metropolitan area as they transport cargo and goods up and down the east coast. The commercial trucking industry is subject to extensive oversight and federal regulation. Despite this oversight and extensive Federal regulations, though, truck accidents occur with alarming regularity.

If you were recently involved in a collision with a commercial truck, you should get experienced legal representation by a Baltimore, Maryland truck accident attorney. The attorneys at Portner & Shure, P.A. know that the stakes are high. We know that the injuries you suffered are painful and may have caused you permanent damage. We know that these injuries require significant compensation. We can fight to get you the compensation you deserve.

To schedule a free consultation regarding your Baltimore City truck accident case, call us at (410) 995-1515 or contact us online.

Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Baltimore

Tractor-trailer drivers work long hours in isolated conditions while driving trucks across our nation’s highways to transport cargo. While the commercial trucking industry is subject to extensive federal regulation, the industry is fiercely competitive. The poor working conditions and the industry competition leads truck drivers to ignore federal regulations and commit a variety of negligent actions that often cause truck collisions.

Federal regulations limit the amount of time tractor-trailer drivers are permitted to drive before taking a mandatory rest period. Truck drivers often forgo mandatory break periods because they are penalized if they do not deliver their cargo on schedule. Many truck drivers suffer from driver fatigue that causes reduced reaction times, impaired sensory perception, and impaired decision-making. Unsurprisingly, driver fatigue is one of the leading causes of truck accidents.

In order to combat driver fatigue, some tractor-trailer drivers abuse over-the-counter or illegal drugs, specifically stimulants. These drugs temporarily stave off the effects of driver fatigue. However, when the drugs wear off, the effects of driver fatigue are amplified.

To save money, trucking companies often fail to properly maintain their vehicles or hire undertrained drivers at lower wages. Poorly trained drivers and maintenance issues are other major causes of trucking accidents.

Finally, truck drivers often engage in illegal maneuvers. There are certain areas that trucks are not allowed to travel, such as urban and residential areas. This is because trucks require more space to turn, which the roadways in urban and residential areas do not allow. Truck drivers often drive in excess of the posted limit, putting people in serious danger.

Rollover Collisions Cases

Due to their size, tractor-trailers have high centers of gravity and are at a high risk of rollovers. This type of accident is particularly dangerous for other vehicles, which can be crushed by a tractor-trailer. The weight of the tractor-trailer can cause severe injuries or possibly kill the occupants of nearby vehicles. Rollovers are caused when the center of gravity for a vehicle shifts, and it is likely to occur when a tractor-trailer is traveling on a curved or inclined surface while speeding, or when the trucker drivers go through an area of strong gusts.

Jackknife Collisions Cases

Tractor-trailers and commercial trucks are separate vehicles that are connected. Due to the mass of the vehicles and the physics of the objects in motion, tractor-trailers are at risk of causing jackknife collisions. When a tractor-trailer jackknifes, it is moving in a different direction than the truck. This type of incident occurs when a commercial truck suddenly stops or decelerates, which causes the tractor-trailer to begin swinging to the right or left across other traffic lanes. A tractor-trailer can then collide with other vehicles.

Due to the weight of a tractor-trailer, a jackknife collision can cause another motorist to suffer severe injuries. Jackknife collisions are often the result of tractor-trailers traveling at excessive speeds, improper braking, and improper cargo load distribution.

Overloaded Tractor-Trailer Cases

The commercial trucking industry is extremely competitive. Trucking companies transport as much cargo as possible to increase profit. However, federal law places weight limits with regards to the amount of cargo that is permitted to be transported on a tractor-trailer. When a tractor-trailer is overloaded, the additional weight makes it more difficult to control the tractor-trailer. Overloaded tractor-trailers are more prone to rollovers and jackknife collisions.

Improperly Loaded Tractor Trailers Cases

When cargo is improperly secured in a tractor-trailer, the cargo can shift during transit. This can cause the center of gravity on a tractor-trailer to change, which can then cause a tractor-trailer to roll over. Cargo must be evenly distributed on the tractor-trailer to ensure that the weight of the cargo is not concentrated in one area of the tractor-trailer. Tractor-trailers that are improperly loaded are at a higher risk of rollover and jackknife collisions.

Injuries & Compensation in Truck Accidents

Collisions involving commercial trucks often produce catastrophic injuries. This is because commercial trucks are 40-ton vehicles.

Truck collisions produce severe injuries such as:

• Brain injuries
• Broken bones
• Brain injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Concussions
• Disfigurement

The severity of these injuries requires extensive emergency medical treatment. Intensive rehabilitation options like physical therapy, orthopedic treatment, and occupational therapy are also required. The resulting financial cost can result in bankruptcy for many injured victims. Fortunately, Maryland law allows truck accident victims to recover financial compensation for medical costs, the cost of future medical care, past and future lost wages, and the pain and suffering caused by their injuries.

Litigation & Defenses in Truck Accident Cases

In order to win a truck accident case, the victim must prove all the elements of their claim by a preponderance of the evidence, i.e., 51%. The victim must prove that the truck driver acted negligently, and their negligence caused the victim’s injuries. Meeting this burden can be difficult as truck accidents are legally and factually complex matters that require extensive investigation.

Federal law requires truck companies to maintain detailed records such as travel schedules, driver qualifications, and drug test results. Many commercial trucks are equipped with various sensors that record data such as the truck’s speed. These items can provide strong evidence to a plaintiff.

Insurance companies will strongly defend truck accident cases whenever possible. Maryland law provides several defenses, like the defense of contributory negligence. This defense precludes a victim from recovering anything if evidence is produced that shows that the victim contributed to the accident.

Why Hire Portner & Shure, P.A.?

Commercial insurance carriers retain and employ aggressive defense attorneys to defend and defeat tractor-trailer accident lawsuits. An experienced Baltimore, Maryland truck accident lawyer can provide effective representation. At Portner & Shure, P.A., our attorneys routinely square off against insurance companies and defense attorneys. They know who we are and our reputation of obtaining favorable results for our clients. If you or a loved one suffered an injury as a result of a truck accident, we want to stand up to them in your name.

Our multilingual staff allows us to represent individuals that speak English, Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese). Portner & Shure, P.A. receives no fee unless our client obtains a settlement or judgment in court.

To schedule a free consultation regarding your Baltimore City truck accident case, call us at (410) 995-1515 or contact us online.