Tag: maryland

Tractor Trailer Accidents on Maryland’s Highways

Posted on by Loni Liss

Maryland’s highways are bustling with activity, serving as critical arteries for commerce and transportation. However, too many tractor-trailer accidents happen on Maryland’s roadways.

A big problem is their massive size and weight, making them a potential road hazard. Big rig accidents can lead to devastating injuries or even fatalities.

If you or a loved one is injured in an accident with a big truck that was not your fault, contact The Yost Legal Group for guidance. Our truck accident attorneys offer a Free Consultation to discuss your potential truck accident claim.

Tractor trailer accidents cause too many Maryland car accidents leading to death.

The Scope of Tractor Trailer Accidents in Maryland

Tractor trailer accidents are a serious concern across the United States, and Maryland is no exception. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), large trucks have been involved in over 450,000 crashes nationwide in recent years.

Of these accidents, approximately 4,800 were fatal, and 114,000 resulted in injuries.

In Maryland alone, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) reports that there are hundreds of crashes involving large trucks annually, with many leading to catastrophic injuries.

The sheer size and weight of tractor trailers—often exceeding 80,000 pounds when fully loaded—make these vehicles particularly dangerous in collisions.

When a passenger vehicle, typically weighing around 3,000 pounds, is involved in an accident with a big rig, the results can be devastating.

Victims of these accidents often face life-altering injuries, including spinal cord damage, traumatic brain injuries, and even fatalities.

Faulty tractor trailer brakes can cause serious car accidents in Maryland.

Why Do Tractor Trailer Accidents Happen?

Understanding the causes of tractor trailer accidents is crucial for prevention and legal accountability. Here are some of the most common reasons big rig accidents occur:

  1. Driver Fatigue

Truck drivers are often pressured to meet tight delivery deadlines, leading many to work long hours with insufficient rest. While federal regulations limit the number of hours a truck driver can be on the road, violations of these rules are common. Fatigued drivers have slower reaction times and impaired judgment, significantly increasing the risk of accidents.

  1. Distracted Driving

Just like other drivers, truck operators can be distracted by texting, eating, or adjusting the GPS while driving. However, due to the size and weight of the vehicle, the consequences of a distracted truck driver can be far more severe.

  1. Mechanical Failures

Tractor trailers require regular maintenance to ensure they are roadworthy. Brake failures, tire blowouts, and other mechanical issues are common causes of accidents. In many cases, these failures result from negligence by the trucking company or the maintenance crew.

  1. Improper Loading

The cargo in a tractor trailer must be loaded and secured properly to prevent shifting during transit. Improperly loaded or overloaded trucks can become unstable, leading to rollovers or difficulty in braking.

  1. Reckless Driving

Speeding, tailgating, and aggressive driving behaviors are unfortunately common among some truck drivers. These actions endanger the truck driver and everyone else on the road.

Other Causes of Truck Accidents on Maryland’s Roads

Adverse Weather Conditions

Maryland’s highways are no strangers to adverse weather conditions such as heavy rain, snow, and ice. These factors can make it difficult for truck drivers to control their vehicles, especially if traveling at high speeds or carrying heavy loads.

Blind Spots

Tractor trailers have significant blind spots on all sides, making it difficult for drivers to see smaller vehicles. Accidents often occur when a passenger vehicle is caught in a truck’s blind spot, leading to sideswipes or collisions during lane changes.

Poor maintenance by trucking companies causes too many car accidents on Maryland's highways

The Devastating Impact of Tractor Trailer Accidents

The aftermath of a tractor trailer accident can be life-changing for victims and their families. Injuries sustained in these accidents are often severe and may include:

  • Spinal Cord Injuries: A spinal cord injury can result in partial or complete paralysis, requiring lifelong medical care and rehabilitation.
  • Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI): A TBI can lead to cognitive impairments, memory loss, and emotional changes.
  • Broken Bones: The force of a collision with a tractor trailer can cause multiple fractures, often requiring surgeries and extensive recovery periods.
  • Internal Injuries: Damage to internal organs can be life-threatening and may not be immediately apparent after an accident.
  • Fatalities: Tragically, many tractor trailer accidents result in the loss of life, leaving families to cope with unimaginable grief.

The financial burden of these injuries can be overwhelming, with accident victims facing medical bills, lost wages, and long-term care costs. This is where experienced legal representation becomes essential.

Why Choose The Yost Legal Group for Your Truck Accident Injury Claim?

If you or a loved one has been injured in a tractor trailer accident, you need a legal team that understands the complexities of these cases.

The Yost Legal Group has a proven track record of successfully representing victims of truck accidents in Maryland. Here is why we are uniquely qualified to handle your tractor trailer accident claim:

  1. Extensive Experience

The Yost Legal Group has decades of experience handling personal injury cases, including those involving tractor trailer accidents. Our truck accident lawyers understand the unique challenges of these cases, from investigating the accident scene to dealing with trucking companies and their insurers.

  1. Thorough Investigations

Truck accident cases require a detailed investigation to determine liability. Our 18-wheeler injury lawyers work with accident reconstruction experts, review truck maintenance records, and examine driver logs to build a strong case on your behalf.

  1. Knowledge of Federal and State Regulations

Trucking companies and drivers are subject to strict federal and state regulations. Our personal injury law firm has in-depth knowledge of these laws and uses them to hold negligent parties accountable.

  1. Compassionate Representation

At The Yost Legal Group, our experienced personal injury lawyers understand the physical, emotional, and financial toll a tractor trailer accident can take on a person and their family. We are committed to providing compassionate and personalized legal representation, ensuring your needs are always our top priority.

  1. No Fees Unless We Win

Our personal injury law attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. This means you don’t pay any legal fees unless we recover compensation for you. This allows you to focus on your recovery without worrying about upfront costs.

  1. Proven Results

Our lawyers for personal injury have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for our clients. We are dedicated to achieving the best possible outcome for every case.

Take the First Step Toward Justice

Tractor trailer accidents on Maryland’s highways can have devastating consequences, but you don’t have to face the aftermath alone. Filing a personal injury claim will allow you to seek justice when a car accident happens because of a truck crash.

The Yost Legal Group is here to help you navigate the legal process and fight for the compensation you deserve.

Whether you’re dealing with medical bills, lost income, or the emotional toll of an accident, our team is ready to help.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a tractor trailer accident that was not your fault, contact The Yost Legal Group today for a free consultation.

Call us at (800)-YOST-LAW, (800)-967-8549, or text us at 1-410-659-6800. You can also fill out the form on our website, and we will contact you shortly.

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Happy Veterans Day from The Yost Legal Group

Posted on by YostLaw

Veterans Day is an important time to reflect on the incredible sacrifices that our men and women in uniform have made to defend our freedoms. At The Yost Legal Group, we deeply appreciate your bravery, dedication and commitment.

Please join us today in showing your respect to the veterans who have served this great nation.

The Yost Legal Group – Experienced Attorneys Dedicated to Protecting Your Rights

LEAD PAINT: The Hidden Threat to America’s Cities

Posted on by YostLaw

In 2013, the Center for Disease Control estimated that over 500,000 American children between the ages of 1 and 5 years old faced the severe medical dangers associated with lead poisoning. Despite the fact that federal law banned the use of lead-based paints in 1978, the lingering effects of this underrepresented health crisis are still prevalent today in many of America’s inner city neighborhoods.

Knowing the facts about lead paint can help you keep your children and loved ones safe from this public health hazard.

Research released by Colombia University’s David Rosner and CUNY’s Gerald Markowitz in their 2013 book Lead Wars estimates that some 30 million American homes still contain toxic lead-based paint. Homes built prior to 1978 pose the highest risk of containing lead paint. But even newer homes could contain undercoats of lead-based paint that remain a health threat years or even decades after their installation.

Children can become exposed to unsafe levels of lead after walls containing lead-based paint are damaged through normal wear and tear, renovation, leaks, sanding, and even drilling or nailing.

Possible signs of lead poisoning in children are:

  • Tiredness or loss of energy
  • Hyperactivity
  • Irritability or crankiness
  • Reduced attention span
  • Poor appetite and weight loss
  • Reduced attention span
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Constipation
  • Aches or pains in stomach

Before you begin any type of home renovation, be sure to contact your landlord, real estate agent or contractor to ensure that you take the necessary precautions. Even as walls containing lead-based paint are being removed, clouds of lead flakes can remain behind on floors, carpets, or window sills. In fact, Rosner and Markowitz’s maintain that many children are often exposed to lead poisoning during the removal process itself.

One study conducted in the 1990s by an affiliate research institution of Johns Hopkins University found that Baltimore city had the highest lead poisoning rates for children in the country. Baltimore residents should consult their medical professional as well as the Center for Disease Control’s Lead Prevention Program for advice and steps to take.

If you feel you or your child has been exposed to unsafe levels of lead due to negligence or poor building upkeep, contact The Yost Legal Group at 1-800-YOST-LAW (967-8529). The Yost Legal Group is experienced in aggressively litigating lead paint exposure claims.

The Yost Legal Group has successfully protected the rights of many families exposed to this serious health risk. If you feel you are at risk, don’t hesitate to call today for a free consultation.

FDA’s Generic Drug Warning Labeling Rule Change

Posted on by YostLaw

The New York Times recently published an editorial in support of the FDA’s generic drug labeling rule. AAJ (American Association for Justice) released an editorial board memo on generics and Katie Gommel (AAJ Press Secretary) did an outstanding job working behind the scenes with Public Citizen to shape this editorial.

Late last year, the Food and Drug Administration proposed new regulations  that would authorize the makers of generic drugs to update safety labels without waiting for F.D.A. approval, to warn of newly discovered risks. The change is strongly opposed by the manufacturers of generic drugs out of fear of being held liable for damages to patients harmed by their products. But the change is an important one, to give both patients and doctors more timely warning of possible risks and to enable patients to sue.

The current law, enacted in 1984, requires the labeling for a generic drug to be the same as the labeling already approved for the brand-name drug it had copied. The proposed rule change is important for two reasons. One is that a Supreme Court ruling in 2011 said that “because makers of generic drugs do not control the labeling, they cannot be sued under state law for failure to warn of new dangers”. So basically, patients could sue a brand-name drug manufacturer for such a failure, but consumers harmed by the generic version of the same drug were left without recourse. This important rule change would advocate consumer safety measures and allow both generic and non-generic drug companies to be held responsible for any adverse reactions.

The use of generic drugs account for 80 percent of all prescriptions filled in the United States today. Typically, once a generic drug enters the market, the brand-name drugs drop in popularity or disappear altogether; there are many generic drugs for which there is no brand-name drug still on the market whose label can be changed to indicate new risks.

With that in mind, the F.D.A.’s proposed changes would allow makers of generics to use the same process as brand-name drug makers to update safety information in the product labels. The F.D.A. is now considering a final rule.

The changes are strongly opposed by the Generic Pharmaceutical Association, a trade group, which argues that exposing makers of generics to product liability lawsuits will drive up their costs by at least $4 billion annually, increase the price of generic drugs, and cause confusion if different warnings are put on different versions of the same drug.

Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group based in Washington that has been pushing the agency to make the change, believes there will be little or no confusion and suggests that the liability costs will not be large because prompt safety updates should help to prevent injuries from occurring in the first place.

Now that generics constitute the vast majority of prescriptions, their manufacturers should be made responsible for alerting the public to risks discovered after their drugs are on the market.

If you or a family member believe you may be a victim of a defective drug, contact The Yost Legal Group for help. You can speak with an attorney for free about your situation.

The Baltimore defective drug lawyers at The Yost Legal Group are here to help you get the justice you deserve. We have years of experience holding negligent pharmaceutical companies accountable and know exactly what needs to be done in these cases to get maximum compensation for our clients.

A formal review of FDA policies is a step in the right direction, but not enough to help current victims. We are here to take your case and fight for you, helping you get the true compensation you deserve.

To schedule your free consultation with an experienced Baltimore defective drug attorney, contact The Yost Legal Group today at 1-800-Yost-Law. (1-800-967-8529)

 

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