Maryland tractor-trailer accident on I-95 claims 2 lives

Maryland tractor-trailer accident on I-95 claims 2 lives

An early morning motor vehicle accident near the Tydings Bridge in Cecil County, Maryland, was responsible for the deaths of two people. State police at the JFK Highway Barrack report that when investigators arrived on the scene, the drivers of both vehicles were dead.

A Ford Explorer and a tractor trailer collided in the southbound lanes of Interstate 95 between the bridge and the exit at Perryville. Maryland State Troopers at the accident site say, based on the amount of damage to the truck as well as its position, it appeared the 18-wheeler and car collided after the truck flipped into the lanes of oncoming traffic.

The driver of the tractor trailer, identified as a resident of Tennessee, was found partially ejected from the truck cab.

The Explorer’s driver, also pronounced dead at the scene, was a woman from New York whose husband was a passenger in the vehicle. The husband survived the crash and was rushed to Baltimore’s Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Authorities say he is expected to recover from his injuries.

The fatal accident investigation is ongoing, although state police have issued an early report that states the tractor trailer appeared to be headed in a northbound direction on the interstate.

A reason has not yet been established for the tractor trailer’s departure from the highway, but investigators know that the rig veered left and struck the center median. The tractor trailer then hit the oncoming Ford Explorer on the southbound roadway when it overturned.

HAZMAT units from Cecil County and fire crews from Perryville responded to the scene. Maryland State Police conducted an accident reconstruction at the site.

The initial investigation and clean-up blocked all of southbound Interstate 95 and some of northbound traffic for about five hours.

As this tragic case shows, truck accidents can cause extreme damage and devastation. It is rare for everyone to come out unscathed from a collision involving a big rig. Trucking companies are required to follow federal regulations surrounding the amount of hours a driver can work as well as regular maintenance checks. Hopefully terrible accidents like this one will further encourage Maryland trucking companies to follow the mandated regulations.

Greenberg Law Offices