With a population of 6.18 million, Maryland roadways are bustling with activity. Tragically, the Maryland Department of Transportation’s most recent comprehensive data reveals that there were 108,656 crashes in 2021, resulting in 40,788 injuries and 563 deaths. These tragedies were largely preventable, with just four underlying causes accounting for 71% (or 28,881) of the total injuries and 93% (or 524) of the total deaths from car accidents that occurred in 2021 in Maryland.
The Snyder Law Group, LLC fights for Maryland’s truck accident victims. Our Baltimore truck accident attorneys have an unwavering dedication to the people we serve. Our steadfast commitment to integrity and pursuing justice enables us to help our clients secure necessary compensation so they can start to rebuild their lives after tragedy strikes.
What Are the Top Four Causes of Truck Accidents in Maryland?
Distracted driving, impaired driving, aggressive driving, and speeding resulted in the highest number of fatalities and injuries compared to other causes, such as road conditions. Maryland motorists can prevent further injuries and death by exercising reason and care before getting behind the wheel.
Distracted Driving
Distracted driving accounted for 21,134 injuries and 222 deaths on Maryland’s roadways in 2021, all due to a preventable cause. Despite national campaigns to discourage people from texting and driving and warn them of the deadly dangers of such practices, distracted driving persists as the number one cause of injury and death on Maryland’s roadways.
For truck drivers, the risk of distracted driving is incredibly high. Truck operators drive their vehicles for long stretches of time, sometimes up to 14 hours. Drivers may lose focus because of fatigue or boredom, causing them to turn to dangerous practices to pass the hours. Truck operators may talk on the phone, watch videos, text loved ones, and engage in other activities while driving, putting themselves and others at risk of severe injury or death in a truck accident.
Drivers Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs
Tragically, 173 were killed and 2,802 were injured in Maryland in 2021 due to drivers who took to the road after consuming alcohol or drugs. Drugs and alcohol have devastating impacts on your ability to make decisions, react to changing road conditions, and execute motor activities required to operate a car safely.
When truck drivers take to the road after drinking or using drugs, it can cost many lives. Because of their immense size and weight, these vehicles require extended stopping distances to do so safely. Impaired drivers cannot adequately and timely respond to a stopped car or a car merging in front of them, potentially causing a fatal pileup.
Likewise, drivers of passenger cars or other non-commercial vehicles may not be able to appreciate the dangers of driving too fast or too slow in front of or behind a commercial truck. They may engage in risky behavior, such as cutting off these colossal carriers, causing collisions, and potentially taking lives.
Speeding
Speeding took the lives of 96 people and injured 3,187 more in Maryland in 2021, making it the second deadliest cause of injury and third deadliest driving practice in this region. Drivers who fail to follow posted speed limits do so at their own risk and endanger those around them. Speeding decreases the space a vehicle has to stop to avoid a hazard, such as a stopped vehicle or an intersection.
For commercial vehicles, speeding can cause drivers to swerve to avoid a road hazard, potentially spiraling into a jackknife or rollover truck accident. These accidents can result in catastrophic injuries, requiring the victim to undergo surgeries or even file a lawsuit with the help of a Baltimore truck accident attorney to pursue compensation.
Aggressive Diving
Aggressive driving resulted in 1,758 injuries and 33 deaths in Maryland in 2021. Road rage is a real threat to the nation’s drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. When this fleeting but powerful phenomenon overcomes people, they may make rash and deadly decisions out of spite. Truck drivers under pressure to deliver their payloads on time or because of frustration after being on the road for so long may resort to aggressive driving.
Regardless of the reason, aggressive driving results in unnecessary and preventable deaths. No Maryland resident or visitor should die or be injured in a truck accident because someone was overcome by road rage. When reckless drivers let road rage take the wheel, a car accident attorney can help you file a legal claim and hold the responsible party accountable for their actions.
What Should I Do If I’m In a Truck Accident in Maryland?
Being in a truck accident can be a terrifying experience, changing the trajectory of your life in an instant. If you are in a collision involving a commercial vehicle, your priority is to attend to your physical health. Seek medical attention and notify authorities so they can report the accident and take precautions necessary to safeguard your health and that of the others involved in the crash. Seeking medical attention also works to your benefit in other ways, such as by creating a paper trail you can use to prove the accident caused your injuries.
The next step is to file a claim with your insurance provider. If you are a passenger, you can file a claim with the driver’s insurance company instead. When you communicate with the authorities and the insurance company, limit your description of what happened to the facts necessary for them to understand what happened.
The insurance company will scrutinize what you say and try to use it to discredit your underlying claim later. For that reason, limit your commentary about the event by refraining from making statements like, “I didn’t see the other car because it was raining.” These statements may seem harmless, but the at-fault driver and their insurance company may try to characterize these comments as an admission of fault, creating an uphill battle for you.
After you file an insurance claim, consider contacting an experienced Baltimore truck accident attorney to evaluate your claim and help you negotiate a fair settlement with the other parties.
Our legal team has extensive experience handling cases involving the leading triggers of tractor-trailer accidents throughout Maryland.
Contact The Snyder Law Group Today
The Snyder Law Group, LLC proudly represents clients throughout Maryland and Washington, D.C. Our experienced Baltimore attorneys understand the frustration of an insurance company, medical professional, or other party refusing to accept liability for negligent or reckless behavior. You can take heart in knowing talented and knowledgeable lawyers are ready to work for you. We have experience handling personal injury claims from medical malpractice or damages resulting from serious car and truck accidents. Our firm has secured hundreds of millions in verdicts and settlements. Please visit our website, www.410thefirm.com, or call us at 410-843-3476 for more information. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.