Greenbelt Truck Accident Attorney

Managing Every Aspect of Your Truck Accident Claim

Commercial trucks frequently travel on the highways and roads in Prince George’s County such as I-95 and the Baltimore Washington Parkway. Sadly, collisions involving commercial trucks also occur frequently. Innocent victims suffer severe injuries as a result of these collisions.

If you or a loved one was recently involved in a truck accident, you should retain a Greenbelt truck accident lawyer. Do not allow yourself to be left at the mercy of an insurance company. The lawyers at Portner & Shure, P.A. can help you obtain the compensation you deserve.

For a free consultation, call us at (410) 995-1515 or contact us online.

Common Causes of Truck Accidents

To ensure that valuable or oftentimes hazardous cargo is transported safely across America’s highways, the federal government has imposed extensive regulations on the commercial trucking industry. The regulations are necessary due to the long hours and isolated working conditions that commercial truck drivers endure. The competitive nature of the industry makes oversight necessary. Nonetheless, the regulations are frequently ignored or overlooked.

As a result, the common causes of truck collisions include:

• Distracted driving: Despite their training, truck drivers (like all drivers) can be easily distracted by radios or cellular phones.
• Driver fatigue: Disregarding the mandated rest periods, truck drivers continue driving to deliver their cargo on schedule, and to avoid contractual penalties. Driver fatigue means a truck driver has a delayed reaction time, impaired sensory perception, and impaired decision making.
• Drug use: Truck drivers often use prescription or over-the-counter stimulants to combat the effects of driver fatigue. When the drugs wear off, the effects of driver fatigue are often amplified.
• Improper maintenance: To save money and increase profits, commercial trucking companies sometimes fail to properly maintain their trucks.
• Illegal maneuvers: To deliver their cargo on schedule, truck drivers frequently drive in excess of the posted speed limit or travel on prohibited roadways. Trucks that travel above the posted speed limit may lack sufficient stopping distance. Trucks that travel on prohibited roadways may lack sufficient space to safely turn.

Causes of Rollover Collisions

Tractor-trailers by their nature are large, heavy vehicles. As a result of their mass and high center of gravity, tractor-trailers are prone to suffering rollover collisions. These collisions occur when a tractor-trailer travels on a curved or inclined surface. When a massive tractor-trailer rolls over, surrounding vehicles are often crushed which results in the occupants suffering catastrophic injuries.

Causes of Jackknife Collisions

Tractor-trailers are vehicles that are connected and transported by commercial trucks. Because of the setup of tractor-trailers, they are at particular risk of producing jackknife collisions. This type of collision occurs when a commercial truck suddenly decreases its speed. Because a tractor-trailer is a distinct vehicle being hauled by a commercial truck, the sudden deceleration can cause the rear tractor-trailer portion to swing into other traffic lanes and thereby strike nearby vehicles.

Overloaded & Improperly Loaded Tractor Trailers

The commercial trucking industry, like all industries, is driven by profit. Despite extensive federal laws limiting the amount of cargo tractor-trailers are permitted to carry, tractor-trailers are often overloaded or improperly loaded so that that driver and trucking company earns more profit in the shortest possible time. When a tractor-trailer is overloaded or when cargo is improperly secured, the tractor trailer’s center of gravity can change quickly when cargo moves or shifts. This shifting increases the chances of a tractor-trailer suffering a jackknife or rollover collision.

Injuries & Compensation

Truck accidents often result in severe injuries. This is because a commercial truck is a 40-ton vehicle.

Truck accident victims often suffer injuries such as:

• Knee injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Neck injuries
• Brain injuries
• Broken bones & fractures

Truck accident victims often require life-saving emergency medical treatment. The recovery process necessitates truck accident victims to undergo physical therapy, orthopedic treatment, and occupational therapy. This treatment is not free and often throws the finances of a truck accident victim into disarray. Fortunately, Maryland law allows truck accident victims to seek financial compensation for the cost of their medical care, lost wages, and for their pain and suffering.

Litigation in Truck Accident Cases

To obtain financial compensation, a truck accident victim must win their lawsuit. To win, a truck accident victim must prove their case by a preponderance of the evidence, i.e., 51%. Insurance companies often hire aggressive defense attorneys to prevent a truck accident victim from meeting this burden.

Truck defense attorneys often raise the defense of contributory negligence which bars a victim from recovering if they produce evidence showing that a victim acted negligently and that the victim’s negligence contributed to the accident. They often argue that a truck accident victim was contributorily negligent on the basis that they were speeding or failed to observe their surroundings. Additionally, they often argue that a victim caused the collision by striking the truck.

Why Retain Portner & Shure, P.A.?

The experienced attorneys at Portner & Shure, P.A. have spent more than 30 years litigating complex personal injury cases. Our attorneys know how to investigate the facts surrounding a truck collision, and gather critical evidence like black box data, employment files, drug test results, driving logs, and travel schedules. Finally, our attorneys know how to utilize this evidence, along with expert witness testimony to obtain favorable results for our clients.

Our reputation for success can be seen in the numerous awards the firm has earned and the five-star reviews written by prior clients. Insurance companies and their attorneys know who we are and know that we are not afraid to litigate complex cases. All personal injury representation is performed on a contingency fee basis. Portner & Shure, P.A. receives no fee unless our client obtains a settlement or judgment in court.

To schedule a free consultation regarding your Greenbelt truck accident case, call us at (410) 995-1515 or contact us online. Our professional staff speaks English, Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Vietnamese, and Korean.