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Towson Truck Accident Attorney

truck accident lawyer in towson maryland

John J. Leppler understands the severity of truck accidents in Towson, Maryland, as any accident involving a large commercial truck is bound to have serious consequences. But more importantly, he understands the consequences such accidents have on your life and the lives of your loved ones.

Serious injuries, like those caused by truck accidents, may leave you with a mountain of medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses, including losses you can’t even measure, like the pleasure of playing with your child or your grandchildren.

If your life has been negatively impacted by a truck accident or injury, contact Towson truck accident lawyer John Leppler for help. You may have legal options, and we can explore them together.

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Do Truck Accidents Occur Often in Towson, Maryland?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 4,965 people died in large truck accidents in 2020. That number is scary enough, but then you consider who the victims commonly are in those accidents. Roughly 71% of the people who died in those accidents were occupants of other vehicles. They were ordinary motorists and passengers in the middle of a trip when their lives were tragically cut short.

As a Towson truck accident attorney, John Leppler is aware that county routes are among the most dangerous for Towson, Maryland, motorists. The Maryland Department of Transportation notes that 6,966 crashes occurred on county (CO) routes and 3,718 crashes on Maryland (MD) routes in 2020. During that same year, 2,785 recorded crashes were on interstate (IS) routes.

Most Dangerous Roads for Truck Accidents in Baltimore County

  • Interstate 95 is one particular stretch of road that has witnessed many accidents. You must be especially wary of trucks on I-95 because this road is fairly close to the port. Many trucks use I-95 to deliver and pick up goods, so it is no surprise that accidents are fairly common there.
  • Interstate 695 and Interstate 895
  • The Jones Falls Expressway has developed an unfortunate reputation for being an injury-plagued stretch of road in Baltimore County.
  • Intersections can also be tricky to navigate for both car and truck drivers. While going through Towson, Maryland, you should be careful using the Gwynns Falls Parkway and Reisterstown Road intersection. That intersection is challenging even for experienced drivers, so the last thing you want to do is to speed blindly through it.

Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Towson, Maryland

A truck accident lawyer in Towson, Maryland, will tell you there are numerous reasons for trucks crashes in Baltimore County, including:

  • Distracted driving
  • Trucker’s Fatigued driving
  • Speeding
  • Impaired driving
  • Trucker’s lack of experience
  • Poor judgment
  • Vehicle drivers driving in the truck’s zero visibility zones; i.e., the zones behind and beside a commercial truck where the truck where mirrors don’t cover
  • Vehicle drivers changing lanes abruptly around a truck
  • Vehicle drivers misjudging an approaching truck’s speed at an intersection and making a left turn in front of the truck
  • Vehicle drivers merging improperly into traffic, causing a truck to brake quickly
  • Vehicle drivers failing to slow down or speed up when a truck begins to change lanes or merge
  • Vehicle drivers unsafe passing, particularly passing with insufficient headway
  • Vehicle drivers pulling into traffic in front of a truck without accelerating sufficiently
  • Vehicle drivers driving between large trucks
  • Abandoning a vehicle in a travel lane, or failing to get a disabled vehicle completely off the highway and onto the shoulder

What to Do Following a Truck Accident in Towson, Maryland

The moments immediately following a truck accident are critical for victims. You can save lives during that time, and you can do that if you know what you are doing. If you are planning to sue for compensation following your accident, the success of your lawsuit may also hinge on the actions you or your Towson truck accident attorney immediately take.

Check Yourself and Your Passengers for Injuries

Your main concern following the accident should be the safety of everyone in your vehicle. Start by examining yourself for injuries. If you feel fine, you can start checking out your passengers for injuries too.

Call 911

Do not second-guess yourself about calling 911. Call them immediately if you or someone in your vehicle requires medical attention. Make the call as soon as possible because every second is precious in that situation.

You should also call 911 even if no one is injured. Ask the dispatcher to send officers from the Towson police department to the scene because you will need their help.

Obtain Information from the Truck Driver

If you are feeling well enough to walk around, you can take this time to speak to the truck driver. You will need to know their name, contact details, and insurance information. Since they are likely driving for a commercial trucking company, you should ask for the name of their employer as well. Do not leave the scene of the accident without those important details.

Avoid an Extended Conversation with the Truck Driver

You do not need to have an extended conversation with the truck driver. As soon as you get the details you need, you should end your conversation with them.

Continuing the conversation is also risky because the truck driver may trick you into accepting some blame for what happened. Since Maryland is a contributory negligence state, you can lose your opportunity to receive damages if even they attribute one% of the blame for the accident to you. If the driver wants to keep talking, you can direct them to your Towson truck accident lawyer.

Collect Evidence

Gathering evidence is a good idea if you are well enough to do it. Take pictures of the vehicles and the surrounding area to capture what happened. You should also talk to any witnesses and record their statements because they can be helpful if you decide to sue.

Speak to the Police Officers in Towson

At this point, the Towson police officers should already be at the scene of the accident. Speak to them and share what happened from your perspective. You can also provide any evidence you have gathered so far. Remember to ask for the officers’ contact details so you or your legal representative can reach out to them later.

Consult with a Doctor

Not all injuries caused by truck accidents are obvious. Some injuries, like concussions, do not manifest right away. Head in for a consultation with a doctor so you can receive an accurate assessment of your current condition.

Hire an Experienced Legal Representative

Enlisting the help of an attorney is a must if you want to sue the driver and/or their employer. If you do not have an legal representative currently, now is the time to hire one.

Do I Need a Lawyer for a Trucking Accident?

As the victim in a semi-truck or 18 wheeler accident case, you may think that hiring an attorney is unnecessary. Your injuries are obvious, and the accident was clearly not your fault, so what is there to argue about? Unfortunately, these cases are rarely ever that simple.

Trucking companies are not interested in handing out payments uncontested, and you will likely be dealing with them here. Even if you are only suing the driver, their insurer may dispute your claims and attempt to shift blame onto you. Legal battles stemming from truck accidents can get nasty and guilty parties will not shy away from twisting the facts if doing so benefits them.

If you are not completely aware of the laws relevant to your case, the other side can catch you off guard and deprive you of compensation. You can effectively minimize the odds of something like that happening by working with a truck accident attorney in Towson, Maryland.

How Can a Lawyer Help With My Towson Truck Accident Lawsuit?

Waging a legal war with the truck driver’s insurer and/or employer is not the only thing your legal representative can do. Detailed in this section are different tasks they can take on as they fight for your fair compensation.

Handle Conversations with the Other Side’s Lawyers

Lawyers for insurers and trucking companies can be aggressive. Before the case gets to court, they may call you constantly, hoping you or your attorney will slip up or agree to an unfair settlement.

In your injured state, you may become vulnerable prey to them. You can avoid those messy dealings with the other side by asking your attorney to handle those calls. Having them by your side is essential at this point.

Gather Additional Evidence for Your Claim

Your truck wreck attorney can pick up right where you left off on the day of the accident in terms of evidence collection. They can follow up with witnesses and go back to the scene of the accident to see if there are pieces of evidence that you can use.

They can also get in touch with the police officers to obtain the accident report and learn more about the current status of the case.

File Your Lawsuit on Time

The statute of limitations for truck accident cases in Maryland is three years. We know that sounds like a lot of time, but it can fly by if you have a long road to recovery ahead of you. Make sure the statute of limitations does not become a factor in your case by hiring a truck injury attorney.

Secure the Compensation You Deserve

Given the injuries you sustained, the damage to your property, and the pain and suffering you have been dealing with, you may be in line to receive substantial compensation from the defendant.

Do not let the defendant get away with paying a meager sum. Your Towson truck accident lawyer will tell you what kind of compensation you should get, and they will fight for it fiercely in the courtroom.

Understanding Liability in a Truck Crash Claim

Truck accidents in Towson, Maryland, are commonly very serious, due to the nature of an 80,000-pound vehicle rolling down the road at 75 m.p.h. Stopping these vehicles suddenly generates tremendous amounts of sheer force that has to be absorbed by something; unfortunately, typically a 4,000-pound passenger vehicle.

Another reason truck accident cases are so complicated are the issues involved with identifying the fault of the various involved parties. With large commercial trucking accidents, there may be multiple entities that share fault for truck accidents, including:

  • Drivers. Often, truck drivers are solely responsible, and they may be independent contractors rather than employees. If this is the case, the only party to sue may be the driver, and few drivers have the financial resources to pay for your damages.
  • Trucking Companies. Trucking companies should make sure that their trucks are safe and that their drivers are adequately trained and qualified. When trucking companies fail to adequately train and verify their drivers, they may be held liable for any resulting accidents.
  • Insurance Companies. Trucking companies are subject to special laws and regulations regarding everything from inspections to insurance. Sorting out what insurance coverage a truck, trucking company, or other party has can be difficult. You’ll need a legal representative with experience handling trucking accident cases.
  • Third-Party Contractors. Many trucking companies hire various third-party contractors to handle everything from ownership to driving to maintenance. This may be due to relative costs but may also be for the purpose of attempting to shield themselves from liability.

What Are Some of the Most Common Types of Truck Accident Injuries?

As a Towson truck accident attorney, John Leppler knows that truck wrecks can be devastating for everyone involved. Even if you survive the accident, you may still sustain some serious injuries.

Broken Bones: Broken bones are common injuries in both car and truck accidents. Arms and legs are especially vulnerable to fractures during crashes because they are often left exposed.

Organ-Related Injuries: Pieces of your vehicle may break off and hit your body at high speeds during a collision with a truck. If one of those pieces hits a vital organ like your liver or one of your lungs, you could end up badly hurt.

Brain Injuries: Brain injuries are scary because they can be hard to recognize and linger. You may look fine on the surface, but damage to your brain may affect your concentration, memory, and even your mood. Some individuals who suffer brain injuries from truck accidents may even develop depression. You need to check with your doctor right after the accident so they can examine your brain for any abnormalities. If there is anything amiss with your brain, it would be ideal to catch it as soon as possible.

Wrongful Death: Truck accidents can be fatal. They are even more life-threatening for occupants of other vehicles. Suing the truck driver or trucking company will not bring your loved one back, but the compensation an attorney can help you collect provides some measure of restitution for what happened.

Soft Tissue Injuries: The impact of the truck hitting your vehicle could cause bruising, muscle tears, ligament strains, and numerous other soft tissue injuries. You will likely need to undergo rehab to recover fully from those types of physical trauma.

Common Truck Types Involved in Crashes

Accidents involving trucks can be quite varied based on the specific vehicle involved. Examples of trucks that often get caught up in these accidents include:

  • 18-wheelers
  • Tractor-trailers
  • Tow trucks: Tow trucks are especially susceptible to accidents if their loads are not properly secured.
  • Tanker trucks and concrete mixers are also prone to accidents because of their size.
  • Delivery trucks: Accidents involving delivery trucks are also becoming more common because of how prevalent those vehicles have become.

Experienced Attorney in Towson, Maryland

At Leppler Injury Law, you’ll find the kind of personal attention that you can’t find at the huge mega-firms, such as 24/7 accessibility and attention to detail throughout the legal process, free, no-obligation consultations, no fees charged unless you win, same-day responses to messages, an aggressive approach for dealing with insurance companies and opposing attorneys, and personalized and customized attention to the details of your unique case.

If you’ve been injured in a truck accident in Towson, Maryland, first seek immediate medical attention, then contact a Towson truck accident lawyer either by email or by phone at 443-955-1989 for a same-day response, even before you contact your insurance company.

In addition to Towson, John Leppler serves Baltimore, Timonium, Pikesville, Owings Mills, Parkville, and more. Let us handle your claims with the kind of personal attention we’ve become known for. Contact us today for a free consultation.

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