Here in Baltimore, hailing a cab may not seem to be a very risky proposition, but as personal injury specialists we understand that any kind of transportation by motor vehicle has its own particular hazards, regardless of degree. For those who ride public transport, including taxis, city buses, airport shuttles and even commuter trains, the opportunities for a serious accident do exist and can occur without warning.
Riding in a taxi cab or hired limo may hardly seem to be dangerous activities, but the commercial trucking injury lawyers at Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, know of instances where innocent people have become unwitting victims due to a commercial driver’s careless or negligent actions. In cities throughout the Old Line State, individuals have been injured, maimed or killed while traveling in what they believed was a safe and secure mode of transportation.
Whether one lives or works in Annapolis, Glen Burnie, Rockville or the District, the number of people availing themselves of public transportation is significant, which means that more than a few people may be in danger of bodily harm over the course of the year. In particular, taxi cabs are used quite often in the city by shoppers, businesspeople, out-of-towners and tourists, as well as other everyday commuters who prefer to take advantage of the convenience offered by livery cabs over city buses or traveling by foot.
The use of cabs is especially evident when the weather turns inclement. Certainly, as commuters ourselves, riding in a cab is more inviting than waiting at a damp bus stop or walking in the rain, sleet or snow. However, as Maryland trucking accident attorneys, our personal injury experts understand that cabs, like any mode of transportation, have risks involved. Those who travel by cab should remember that the majority of these vehicles are simply commercialized versions of typical passenger cars and minivans, and the threats to family sedans, vans and SUVs still apply to these types of taxis.
We mention this because just as the lives of drivers and passengers riding smaller passenger vehicles can be placed in jeopardy by a single mistake on the part of a commercial truck driver, so can the fate of taxi cab occupants hang in the balance as well. A traffic accident that involves a hired limousine or livery cab and a much larger 18-wheeler big rig can result in some serious and sometimes life-threatneing bodily injuries.
It is not unprecedented to hear of a cabbie and his fare being taken to a local emergency room with head, neck or spinal cord injuries after a roadway collision with a tractor-trailer or large box truck. This is because highway wrecks and urban motor vehicle crashes involving commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) can be much more catastrophic than a typical collision between two like-sized passenger cars. This is not to say that some bad car-to-car accidents are without their own serious consequences; however, a fully loaded CMV, such as a big rig semi or tanker truck can weigh 20 to 30 times that of an average passenger vehicle.
Since this often huge weight disparity exists between commercial trucks and taxi cabs or limos, the basic laws of physics can conspire against the occupants in the smaller hire cars, leading in some cases to deadly outcomes. Although, statistically, commercial truckers are generally more careful than the average passenger car driver, when a crash does occur, the amount of energy from the impact can leave a small car or minivan in a crumpled and sometimes unrecognizable wreck.
Tens of thousands of people suffer every year from physical injuries sustained during traffic accidents between cars and commercial trucks. Four to five thousand deaths are typically attributed to these kinds of commercial vehicle collisions annually. And while many accidents involving trucks may not be a direct result of negligence on the part of the truck driver, the end result can be just as devastating to the victims and their families.
Not only can the sheer size and mass of a CMV pose great danger in the event of an accident, the cargo the truck is carrying may play a role in the severity of a crash. The obvious dangers include hazardous materials and particularly flammable liquids, like gasoline, diesel fuel and industrial solvents. Fires arising from a collision between a taxi cab and a commercial fuel tanker truck could result in death or life-threatening burns for the victims. Even those individuals who survive an initial collision with a tanker truck can suffer from the fatal effects of extensive burn injuries.
As Baltimore auto and trucking accident lawyers, the legal team at Lebowitz & Mzhen is well prepared to help victims and their families mount a vigorous personal injury claim against those responsible for a CMV-related injury accident. In proving one’s case against a truck driver or trucking company, we apply the legal theory of negligence when demonstrating to the court that the responsible parties are liable for damages in terms of emergency medical treatment, lost wages, extensive physical rehabilitation, and even long-term nursing care.
Trucking accident cases can be made more complicated when victims were riding on public transportation or a hired vehicle, such as a taxi, city bus or limousine. Because of the multiple parties involved, the best course of action for any victims of the crash would be to consult with a qualified personal injury lawyer who has experience representing people hurt in commercial vehicle accidents.
When serious injuries are involved, such as traumatic brain injury or spinal cord damage resulting in para- or quadriplegia, the need for a skilled injury attorney is always a primary concern. If a truck driver or commercial trucking company can be shown to have breached their duty to the victims by not exercising a reasonable degree of care given the circumstances of the crash, there may be opportunity to recover monetary damages.
At Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, our legal team works hard to prepare every case, including the identification of potential defendants. In order to recover damages resulting from an injury-related trucking accident, it is our job to identify as many potential defendants as possible, not just the driver of the truck that caused the personal injury, but the trucking company that owned and maintained the vehicle, as well as any contractors, employers and insurance carriers that may be legally obligated to compensate the victims for their injuries.
If you have been injured as a result of a Maryland commercial trucking accident involving a taxi cab, limousine, city bus or airport shuttle, we recommend that you contact a qualified personal injury lawyer with experience in litigated commercial vehicle injury cases. Lebowitz & Mzhen understands that any traffic collision can be a life-changing event. But when a person has been injured or killed as a result of another driver’s negligence, there is no reason to allow the responsible parties to avoid their legal obligations.
If someone you care deeply about has been seriously injured in a traffic accident, please take the time to contact our law firm for a free, no-obligation legal consult. At Lebowitz & Mzhen, our hardworking commercial trucking accident lawyers are always ready to help those victims suffering injury as a result of the actions of a negligent driver. Contact us by sending an email to Jack Lebowitz or Vadim Mzhen, or call our toll-free number at (800) 654-1949 to schedule a one-on-one meeting to discuss your case.