While much of Harford County is quiet and rural, the area also has two of the most heavily trafficked roads on the East Coast running through it: Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1. As a result, Harford County sees much more commercial truck traffic on a daily basis than many other counties of the Old Line State, as well as many other parts of the country.
Unfortunately, and as you may have learned the hard way recently, not all that traffic passes through this area without incident. In fact, carelessness on the job by tractor-trailer drivers and trucking companies causes tens of thousands of preventable injuries each year in the United States, many of which happen right here in Harford.
If you have become part of that statistic by no fault of your own, you have help available from experienced personal injury attorneys in pursuing civil restitution. A Harford County truck accident lawyer from Price Benowitz can be an irreplaceable ally from the beginning to the end of your legal proceedings, working tirelessly in pursuit of the financial restitution you deserve.
How Truck Driver Negligence Leads to Traffic Accidents
In order to hold a commercial truck driver civilly liable for damages, a person injured in an auto accident involving that truck driver must show through a preponderance of the evidence that the trucker in question was directly at fault for causing the incident in the first place. More specifically, they must show that the trucker committed a specific reckless or careless act that violated the legal “duty of care” to act lawfully and responsibly behind the wheel, and that the accident in question likely would not have happened at all without that breach of duty.
Legally actionable negligence by a commercial trucker can take various forms, from straightforward violations of local traffic laws to breaches of state or federal trucking regulations to overtly dangerous acts like texting and driving or driving under the influence. A knowledgeable Harford County truck accident attorney can help establish exactly how a particular crash played out, who was to blame for it, and who is legally liable for damages stemming from that accident.
Are Passenger Car Drivers Ever at Fault for Semi-Truck Collisions?
Support from skilled legal counsel can also be key to fighting accusations of contributory negligence after a tractor-trailer wreck in Harford County. As a seasoned lawyer can explain in more detail, contributory negligence is the amount of fault an injured person holds for causing their own injuries through their own misconduct, as determined by a civil court or, during private settlement talks, an insurance company.
This can be especially impactful to truck injury lawsuits in the Old Line State, since Maryland is one of only a few states in the country that takes a pure contributory negligence approach to this legal concept. Under this approach, an injured person can be barred from receiving any civil compensation at all if they hold even one percent of fault for their own injuries.
A Harford County Truck Accident Attorney Can Help With Your Claim
Tractor-trailer accidents are both uniquely dangerous and uniquely challenging to file a civil suit over, especially if you have never tried to navigate the civil court system in Maryland before. Fortunately, the team at Price Benowitz is here to help you construct the strongest possible claim and proactively enforce your rights under state law.
You can discuss your possible claim and learn more about potential next steps by scheduling a free case evaluation with a Harford County truck accident lawyer. Call Price Benowitz today to set up a meeting.
