May 14, 2010

Maryland Trucking Accident News: Construction Vehicle and Tanker Truck Crash causing Baltimore Bridge Closure

Commercial truck accidents can cause some of the most serious injuries to surrounding passenger vehicles, pedestrians and other innocent bystanders. Tanker trucks in particular are some of the most dangerous vehicles on the roads these days. Many of these vehicles carry flammable cargo, such as gasoline, fuel oil, compressed natural gas and propane, not to mention dangerous chemicals.

Serving the residents of Baltimore and surrounding Maryland communities, my personal injury law office knows how quickly an accident involving a semi tractor-trailer rig can cause serious injuries or even death to other motorists. Recently, the Pennington Avenue Bridge was closed down due to a bad collision between a gasoline tanker and a construction vehicle.

According to reports, the force of the accident nearly pushed the tanker off the bridge entirely. Based on police reports, the fuel tanker was en route to pick up 9,000 gallons of gasoline when it was struck by the other vehicle. The accident caused the tanker to became wedged over a concrete barrier wall. Although the tanker was reportedly empty at the time of the crash, the entire area was sprayed with foam as a precaution against fire.

The construction vehicle, according to reports, crossed over into the oncoming lane and hit the tanker trailer at its midsection. The truck was apparently destroyed in the vehicle crash, which left the tanker hanging partially off the bridge. Witnesses reported that the driver of the construction vehicle avoided serious injury. Based on news reports, the driver received only a bloody nose and a sore arm, according to a Baltimore Department of Public Works employee.

The accident caused sufficient damage to the bridge that engineers were concerned about the integrity of the entire structure, which comprises not one but two drawbridge sections. A four-man engineering and inspection team did a complete check of the structure and finally approved it for traffic about two hours later.


Eastern Bridge Reopened After Tanker Accident Reporting, WJZ.com, April 16, 2010


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Posted In: Multiple-truck Accidents , Tanker Truck Accidents

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February 18, 2010

Baltimore, MD, Semi Truck Driver Killed in Fire following Nighttime Turnpike Crash with Chevrolet Avalanche

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


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Posted In: Fatal Trucking Accidents , Tanker Truck Accidents

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February 6, 2010

Baltimore Trucking Accident News: Maryland Fuel Tanker Overturns, Catches Fire near I-270

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

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Posted In: Tanker Truck Accidents , Truck Accidents

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