A Reiterstown man was recently unlucky enough to find himself not between a rock and a hard place, but between two hard but moving tractor-trailers as one pushed his car into the rear of another on Maryland Highway 140.
According to a Maryland State Police report, the early morning motor-vehicle crash happened when one tractor-trailer driven by a Maryland driver struck the rear of the automobile on Dede Road in Finksburg. The impact pushed the car into the rear of the second tractor-trailer driven by a man from Washington state.
The victim sustained injuries in the accident and had to be extracted with hydraulic rescue tools by a local fire department. He was transported in stable condition to Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. Neither of the semitruck drivers was injured. The highway was closed for two hours.
According to authorities, the driver of the first tractor-trailer failed to control the speed of his truck, leading directly to the collision. When officers from Maryland's State Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division inspected that vehicle, they found that its brakes were defective. The trucker was then cited for driving his vehicle with inoperable brakes, failure to control speed and negligent driving.
Among truckers' responsibilities before hitting public highways is inspecting their commercial vehicle and making sure everything from frame to wheels to brakes is safe and in good working condition at all times. If a truck driver fails to perform such tasks, then any accident resulting from unaddressed maintenance issues can be held against the trucker along with the truck company.
The victim of a truck accident caused by maintenance issues or driver negligence may wish to pursue compensation for injuries and damages sustained. With a personal injury lawsuit, the victim can seek payment for medical costs, lost income and emotional distress.
