Maryland drivers are accustomed to seeing large trucks, such as 18-wheelers or tractor-trailers, on the state's roads and highways. Most of the drivers of these vehicles are professionals and follow strict rules and regulations to avoid accidents even as they work to deliver their goods on schedule. Unfortunately, a few truck drivers routinely fail to follow relevant regulations and lives, and in doing so they endanger the lives of others on the road.
In Denton recently, police have identified a motorcyclist who died in a truck accident on July 22 as a 19-year-old Federalsburg man. According to police, the man was traveling on state Route 404 when he collided with an eastbound tractor-trailer truck as he was making a U-turn. The motorcyclist became wedged underneath the truck which then caught fire. He died at the scene of the crash. The 65-year-old truck driver was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Authorities are continuing to investigate the frightening truck crash.
Truck drivers who are involved in collisions can be held accountable if the accident resulted from negligence. Accident victims and their families will need to follow any investigation closely to determine if they have the right to take legal action against a truck driver, truck company or truck owner. The victims and their families can also conduct their own investigations with the help of private investigators and accident reconstructionist specialists. Doing so can help a family gather substantial evidence against the presumed driver's negligence.
Victims of truck accidents may be entitled to awards and damages if the presumed negligent party is proven to have acted recklessly or without exercising due caution. A victim can also settle a case out of court through negotiation or mediation.