Common Truck Accident Injuries in Maryland
Maryland’s vibrant trucking industry transports about 1,039,800 tons of cargo daily with few accidents. But when there is an accident, chances are that 80,000 pounds of metal and rubber will do great harm to any motorists involved. Unfortunately, truck fatalities have risen in the past few years.
When a truck smashes into your vehicle, you face a lengthy recovery and will need a way to pay for it. If the crash is the trucker’s fault, trucking company’s fault, or manufacturer’s fault, logic dictates they should pay for your physical, emotional, and financial losses. Because common truck accident injuries in Maryland can be devastating, you should contact a skilled 18-wheeler crash attorney to discuss your legal options.
Common Injuries Sustained in Truck Crashes
Truck accident injuries routinely require extensive hospital and rehabilitative care and cause those injured to lose wages because they cannot work due to physical and emotional trauma. Even less severe injuries, such as flying glass and debris lacerations, can cause disfigurement and infections. Other common truck accident injuries in Maryland include:
- Spinal cord damage, causing temporary or permanent paralysis below the injury site, which could result in surgeries or a lifetime of disability
- Head and brain trauma, from concussions to traumatic brain injuries that forever change the injured person’s life
- Burns from truck fuel tanks that ignite in severe crashes
- Whiplash, a condition in which a vehicle’s sudden stop causes a motorist’s brain to whip back and forth in the skull
- Broken bones, usually multiple, requiring months of medical care and physical therapy
- Internal organ damage from deployed airbags, seat belts, or other pressure from the crushing metal frame
- Amputated limbs from being crushed under a truck’s weight or from sliding under a truck on impact
In 2022, the NHTSA amended some safety rules to protect motorists from common truck accident injuries in Maryland. Tractor-trailers and semi-trailers must now be equipped with rear impact guards helpful in multiple truck crash situations, including underride crashes in which cars skid under the back of commercial trucks.
A Personal Injury Attorney Proves Negligence
An experienced injury attorney must prove the defendant acted negligently and caused the accident that injured the plaintiff. Negligence consists of four parts
- The defendant owes a duty to the plaintiff
- The defendant breaches the duty
- The defendant causes an accident
- The accident directly injures the plaintiff
A truck driver could be negligent by driving impaired or distracted. The trucking company could be responsible if it encouraged the driver to falsify logs and drive more hours than the NHTSA permits. The truck manufacturer could be negligent if any of the truck’s systems malfunction because they were substandard.
If a defendant is found negligent, a plaintiff could be awarded compensation for economic losses and more subjective losses such as disfigurement, loss of companionship, and emotional anguish. Truck accident injuries in Maryland frequently lead to significant damages awards.
A Maryland Truck Accident Attorney Helps You Get Back on Your Feet
Most truck drivers are skilled professionals who share the road with your safety in mind. However, all it takes is one human or mechanical error for a catastrophe. After a truck crash, you will need help to overcome the various losses you face.
Our legal team wants to help get you back on your feet. We can fight to get you adequate compensation from a trucking company’s insurance carrier or from a lawsuit against the negligent parties who caused your injuries. Call us as soon as possible to begin strategizing after you suffer from any of the common truck accident injuries in Maryland.
