Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

Recent snow storms and bad winter weather throughout the Maryland and D.C. area have resulted in numerous automobile accidents and trucking crashes. Poor road conditions are just one cause traffic accidents that can hurt or kill drivers and occupants of motor vehicles. Especially dangerous are wrecks involving semi trucks, or tractor-trailer rigs, and those smaller passenger cars, pickup trucks, SUVs and minivans.

Located here in Baltimore, my firm represents many victims of car and truck accidents. As trucking accident lawyers, we understand how tractor-trailer wrecks can cause great bodily harm to drivers and passengers of smaller vehicles. The more severe injuries, such as head trauma and spinal damage, can result in long hospital stays and costly recovery. Some injuries can leave individuals permanently disabled.

A recent beltway crash involving a semi tractor-trailer injured a Maryland highway worker as he assisted snow removal crews. According to new reports, the SHA worker was injured on February 11 along a stretch of the Baltimore Beltway when a semi rig hit his truck.

The worker, 36-year-old James Flutka, reportedly suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the accident, which happened at about 2pm on the Outer Loop of the Beltway between Route 40 and Edmondson Avenue. Flutka’s highway signal truck was hit by a tractor-trailer driven by Robert Scolaro, 48, who was hauling a load of diapers.

Police indicated that Flutka was slowly driving a his vehicle with an arrow board that signaled to drivers to move away from the slow lanes, where snow removal operations were under way. Flutka was treated by emergency responders and then transported to Shock Trauma.

The truck driver apparently was not injured in the accident, but was charged by police with a traffic violation for failing to control speed to avoid a collision. No other vehicles were involved.

Beltway Crash Injures Snow Removal Worker, WBALTV.com, February 11, 2010

Trucking accidents can result in injury to the occupants of passenger cars, as well as pedestrians and bystanders. In addition to drivers of smaller vehicles being hurt in a semi-truck or commercial vehicle accident, fatalities are not uncommon on highways, city streets and rural roads throughout Maryland. As Baltimore tractor-trailer accident lawyers, my staff has helped dozens of people who have become victims of another person’s negligence.

Occasionally, the victim of a trucking crash can be the driver of the over-the-road hauler itself. Fatal and non-life-threatening injury accidents can be the cause of driver error, as well as poorly maintained roadways, or even defective vehicle equipment. Whatever the cause, the costs are high for the victims due to the sometimes extensive medical care, lost wages or unmet financial obligations due to injury.

Not long ago, a Maryland trucker died in a horrendous semi crash and ensuing fire on the New Jersey Turnpike. The victim, 25-year-old Jovon Holmes, tragically burned to death after his truck hit a pickup, then struck a bridge abutment and burst into flames. According to news reports, witnesses at the scene said the fire was so bad that emergency personnel had a very difficult time locating and the identifying the man.

The accident occurred just after 11pm, according to police reports, near Exit 6 of the turnpike. Possibly due to a slick combination of snow and ice, a northbound Chevy Avalanche pickup truck spun out of control and impacted the Jersey barrier. The vehicle came to rest in the northbound lanes, according to police.

The deceased man, who was driving his truck toward the initial accident, reportedly could not stop in time and as a result ran into the disabled Chevy. The larger tanker truck crashed into the Avalanche and pushed it for a short distance; the truck driver then veered off and hit one of the concrete pillars supporting the overpass. As a result, the truck caught fire with the driver trapped inside.

Witnesses reported seeing a massive amount of flames, which engulfed the entire vehicle from front to back. Police indicated that the hapless trucker had no chance to escape the blaze. It was unknown at the time of the report if the truck was hauling gasoline or another flammable load.

The occupants of the Avalanche, a 17-year-old female driver and 16 year-old male passenger, were both transported to the hospital where they were treated for minor injuries and subsequently released, according to police.

Trucker burned to death on TPK, Trentonian.com, February 1, 2010

Every year dozens of Maryland residents are hurt in traffic accidents. Many of these collisions are caused by driver error and can involve heavy trucks, such as semi tractor-trailers, delivery vehicles, commercial trucks and other large motor vehicles. Unfortunately, when a truck goes out of control on a public road, smaller passenger cars can be hit as well.

Occupants of passenger cars, sport utility vehicle (SUVs) and pickup trucks can be at a high risk of bodily injury during such wrecks. As a Baltimore auto accident lawyer, I and my colleagues have experience in helping victims of car and truck crashes as well as other personal injury accidents. When a semi truck is involved, injuries can be quite severe and fatalities are sometimes encountered.

Recently, news reports documented a tractor-trailer accident that left a state police detective badly injured following a head-on collision on Hobbs Road near Route 50. According to police, Joshua Burton Webb Jr. of Whaleyville was driving his Perdue tractor-trailer north on Hobbs Road around 8am when his vehicle crossed the double yellow line and crashed head-on into an oncoming state police Ford Crown Victoria.

This particular accident happened less than a week after another state trooper was injured in a crash with a passenger car driven by a 75-year-old woman from Hurlock, MD. The officer in that instance was transported to a shock trauma unit in Baltimore following the collision.

In this latest crash, Detective Sgt. David Dalfonso, an assistant commander at the Maryland State Police Princess Anne Barrack, was transported to Peninsula Regional Medical Center. Fortunately for the officer, he was wearing his seatbelt and his injuries were not life threatening.

According to reports, Delfonso was treated for seat belt and air bag injuries but was released the very same day. Police reportedly issued Webb citations for failure to drive right of center and negligent driving.

State police detective recovering after crash, Delmarvanow.com, January 26, 2010

A trucking-related wreck can be a frightening event, especially for the occupants of smaller vehicles caught up in the crash. A semi tractor-trailer hauling heavy cargo can do significant damage to smaller and lighter passenger vehicles. Even sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks are no match against a fully-loaded big rig.

As a Maryland injury lawyer and trucking accident attorney, I know that the size of these vehicles and the cargo they carry can cause serious harm to the drivers and passengers of multiple vehicles. One of the most dangerous types of truck-related crashes involve tankers carrying flammable liquids such as heating oil, diesel fuel, kerosene or gasoline.

A tanker crash can release thousands of gallons of combustible liquids, which can engulf and burn out of control for hours. Any motorist caught up in a tanker truck crash must have luck on his side to make it through. This kind of traffic accident occurred not long ago on Montross Road above Interstate 270 in Montgomery County, MD.

According to news articles, a fuel tanker carrying 8,900 gallons of gasoline overturned shortly before 5am near I-270 ramp in Rockville setting off a fire that blocked several key arteries in the area just before the morning rush hour. Based on reports, the tanker driver was charged with negligent driving in the accident.

Michael A. Gongola, 45, of Frederick, MD, reportedly said that his rig began to drift to the left side of the highway “for unknown reasons," according to the Montgomery County police. Police say that Gongola tried to correct the drifting condition, which then caused the tanker to overturn on Montrose Road, spilling its contents onto the roadway and then catching fire.

Debris from the truck struck a second vehicle, but fortunately the occupant of the car and the truck driver were not injured. However, had this accident happened at the peak of the rush hour, there could have been some serious injuries and potentially a fatality from the ensuing truck fire.

Overturned fuel tanker fire closes Montrose Road, WashingtonPost.com, January 15, 2010

Repairs underway on stretch of Montrose Road damaged in fire, WashingtonPost.com, January 14, 2010