Posted on December 02, 2022 in Truck Accidents

Truck accidents cause some of the most severe injuries on Maryland roads due to the size of the vehicles involved. If you survived a truck accident and sustained major injuries, you may decide to pursue a lawsuit. To have the best case possible, you will need to gather evidence.

RECORDS FROM THE VEHICLE

In many truck accidents, the best evidence comes from the truck itself. The court may accept evidence from the following:

• Black boxes
• On-board computers or recording devices
• GPS devices
• Satellite-tracking systems

TRUCK MAINTENANCE RECORDS

The law mandates that all commercial trucks maintain strict records of their maintenance. If a commercial truck hits you due to a mechanical failure, the maintenance records or lack thereof may be able to assist in your lawsuit.

CRASH SCENE EVIDENCE

Some of the most crucial evidence comes from the scene of the motor vehicle accident. Both forensic evidence from the crash and statements from everyone involved may help you during your lawsuit.

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 Posted on December 02, 2022 in Truck Accidents

No matter how careful you are behind the wheel, you cannot control the other drivers on the road. In some cases, you become involved in a motor vehicle accident because another motorist engaged in reckless driving.

RECKLESS DRIVING DEFINITION

Each state defines reckless driving differently. For the state of Maryland, the definition of reckless driving includes any driving of a motor vehicle that displays a willful disregard for the safety of people or property.

COMMON EXAMPLES OF RECKLESS DRIVING

Many motor vehicle accidents occur because of very common reckless driving incidents. Some of the most frequent examples include:

• Failing to signal lane changes
• Traffic weaving
• Tailgating
• Driving on the road’s shoulder
• Merging too quickly
• Failure to yield

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 Posted on October 28, 2022 in Truck Accidents

A top cause of injury for children under six years old in Maryland is window blind cords. It may seem surprising, but window bling cords have been known as a hazard to young children for decades. Injuries can be mild or can cause death in some cases.

HOW WINDOW BLINDS POSE DANGER RISKS

There are a few different ways in which window blinds pose a risk of injury to children. It is rarely the window blinds themselves, but the cords of the blinds that cause the most damage.

MILD CORD INJURIES

Mild personal injury results most often when a child is hit by a cord. This can happen if a taut cord is released too quickly or snaps back from an encumbrance. These types of injuries are often mild but still can cause cuts and burns to the hands, face and arms.

SEVERE CORD INJURIES

Severe personal injury can occur when a child becomes entangled in a window blind cord. Entanglement is the most dangerous way a child can be injured by cords. Often, these injuries involve the cord becoming wrapped around the child’s neck. As you can imagine, this can cause minor injuries but can also result in serious injuries including death from suffocation.

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 Posted on October 18, 2022 in Truck Accidents

Even though cars and trucks are safer than ever before, thousands of people in Maryland and across the U.S. are seriously injured in motor vehicle accidents each year. Many of these victims suffer facial trauma.

CAR ACCIDENT FACIAL INJURIES

According to a study published in the journal Annals of Advances in Automotive Medicine, car accidents are one of the top causes of severe facial injuries worldwide. While seat belts, air bags and other auto safety features greatly reduce the risk of crash-related facial trauma, they can’t prevent all head injuries.

Some of the most common facial injuries caused by motor vehicle crashes include:

• Facial fractures, such as a broken jaw, shattered cheek bones or cracked teeth
• Facial soft tissue injuries, such as torn or lacerated skin

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 Posted on October 14, 2022 in Truck Accidents

A car accident in Maryland may render your car unable to drive, result in significant injuries or make it harder to go about your daily routine without pain or financial worry. So let’s take a closer look at what to do after a crash on a Maryland road or highway.

STAY WHERE YOU ARE

State law says that you must remain at the scene of an accident and render aid. Otherwise, you may be issued a citation for hit and run. So begin by calling for police, fire or other emergency service personnel to come to the wreck’s site and provide assistance. However, it’s important to note that you should generally refrain from giving medical aid. Doing so may expose you to a lawsuit if your actions caused harm to another individual unless you are a licensed health care professional covered by the Good Samaritan law.

MAKE YOUR PRESENCE KNOWN

After a motor vehicle accident, you may want to take steps to prevent secondary collisions from taking place. For example, if you have any safety cones, warning lights or similar objects, it may be worth placing them around your vehicle. In addition, safety devices can alert others that cars or people are on the road and that they need to proceed with caution.

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 Posted on September 29, 2022 in Truck Accidents

No matter how careful you might drive your motorcycle, there may come a day in which a careless driver crashes into your bike. These accidents may result in significant trauma. Following certain steps after a Maryland motorcycle accident may greatly improve your physical, emotional and legal outcomes.

GET TO SAFETY, BUT DO NOT LEAVE THE SCENE

Leaving the scene of an accident can result in your being incarcerated, and it counts as a felony on your record. You should never leave the scene unless you are taken away by emergency personnel. However, you also do not want to remain right in the middle of the accident scene, because that can cause greater danger. Stay close to the scene until the police arrive, but remove yourself from any oncoming traffic, and get off of the road.

LEAVE THE BIKE ALONE

For many bikers, their motorcycle is their baby. Wanting to move the bike following an accident may feel natural, but you should not touch the bike at all. Leaving the bike alone following motorcycle accidents is necessary for these reasons:

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 Posted on September 15, 2022 in Truck Accidents

Auto accidents can create confusion and apprehension like few other events in life. Many times there are seriously injured passengers as well as fatalities, and often there is much danger in the aftermath that can result from fuel leakage and other issues. This means that those who are still mobile should react quickly in checking vehicles and contacting emergency authorities. And just as important is not leaving the scene. However, there are also some other actions to avoid following the fact that especially apply in Maryland regarding accident adjudication of injury and damage claims.

AVOID INTERACTION WITH OTHER DRIVERS

Aside from accidents where no one is injured and vehicles can be driven away, it is important to limit any conversation with an opposing driver regarding the accident. Simple minor damage fender benders only require exchanging insurance information. Anything else that is said could be used against a driver with respect to fault. This is vital in Maryland motor vehicle accidents due to the pure contributory negligence law.

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 Posted on September 01, 2022 in Truck Accidents

Not all Maryland wrongful death lawsuits are equal when damages are assessed. There are specific rules with respect to what damages may be claimed, and the age or family structure of a victim has a direct impact on those elements. A wrongful death victim in the prime of their life will typically yield a much higher financial award if they had high earning capacity and leave behind a family they were supporting. However, when children or the elderly die due to the negligence of another party, damages may be limited.

CLAIM ELEMENTS FOR MINORS

Wrongful death claims involving children are among those that yield smaller damage awards even if a case goes to trial. Children are not evaluated on lost income potential because standing is typically assigned to their parents and they is no true financial support loss. There is usually a primary claim for loss of consortium along with medical bills, and there are often claims for funeral expenses and other associated costs included in damage demands.

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 Posted on August 26, 2022 in Truck Accidents

A lot of the time in criminal law, the prosecutor must prove to the judge or jury that the defendant not only committed the crime but did so intentionally. Intent is a big issue in this area of the law. It can impact what prosecutors can charge the defendant with and even if they can pursue charges at all.

Personal injury law is different. As the plaintiff in a lawsuit over a car accident, you do not have the burden of proving that the defendant injured you on purpose. Instead, negligence is the standard. Negligence is a legal concept that means someone acted below the level of care that someone with ordinary prudence would have exercised under the same or similar circumstances.

RISKY CHOICES CAN LEAD TO BAD OUTCOMES

For example, a prudent person would not drive after drinking several glasses of wine or beer. A person who drinks and drives and causes a crash is generally considered to have acted negligently because intoxication reduces your ability to drive safely. Other common examples of negligent behavior that causes serious injury in auto accidents are:

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 Posted on August 18, 2022 in Truck Accidents

While it might be a smaller state, there are a lot of places to explore in Maryland. Two of the most popular transportation methods in this state are cars and motorcycles. Considering that, it’s always smart to research the safety of these two vehicle types. Here’s a closer look at a few potentially eye-raising statistics about car and motorcycle accidents.

FATALITIES

Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for car or motorcycle accidents to result in fatalities. With that said, in the event of a collision, the fatality risk is higher for motorcyclists. According to J.D. Power, motorcycle accidents cause injuries or deaths 80% of the time. Of course, fatalities are always possible in automobiles. However, the protection of an automobile sometimes lets drivers and passengers walk away unscathed.

LEADING ACCIDENT CAUSES

When looking over collision statistics, it’s also important to understand why these accidents happen. However, there’s not much of a difference between what causes motorcycle accidents and car crashes. In most cases, either type of accident typically results from either human error or faulty vehicle parts.

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