Morris Margulies LLC Represents Truck Accident Victims

Commercial trucks of all sizes have different roadway views than passenger cars. When you’re involved in an accident with a delivery van or an 18-wheeler semi truck, the injuries can be catastrophic because of the sheer size of the vehicles. State and federal laws govern truck regulations. The trucking industry is highly regulated due to the nature of disastrous accident injuries. Determining the cause of a truck accident is vital to pursuing a personal injury claim.

Truck accidents are frequently a result of:

• Failure to yield
• Driving without proper rest breaks
• Faulty equipment
• Failure to signal when changing lanes
• Being under the influence of alcohol or drugs

Accident victims and their families often find their lives are permanently changed. Victims’ injuries after these accidents can result in weeks of hospitalization, pain, extensive rehabilitation time and permanent disability.

At Morris Margulies LLC, our legal team has the experience you need to hold truck companies responsible for their negligent or careless behavior. We can help recover medical costs, compensation for pain and suffering, lost time from work and loss of future income.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is the organization that sets the safety regulations and requirements of transport carriers. The goal of enforcing these regulations on truck drivers and the companies they work for remains to diminish the possibility of roadway accidents and life-debilitating injuries.

Some of these regulations include:

• A valid commercial driver’s license (CDL)
• Drug- and alcohol-free transportation
• Alertness behind the wheel
• Restricted driving hours that remain within the hours-of-service rules
• Training regimens
• Logs of regular vehicle maintenance and driving records

Violations of these regulations could be definite representations of the negligence behind your accident.

While it may appear that the majority of commercial drivers are obeying the rules of the road, failure to follow work protocols, such as getting enough sleep, is enough to cause life-debilitating injuries to any person or object in the path of the vehicle or inhabiting it. Neglecting to work in a preventative manner causes thousands of roadway accidents a year, leaving hundreds of victims in their wake.

Frequently Asked Questions About Commercial Vehicle Claims

The questions below are designed to address the high-stakes nature of commercial vehicle claims and provide clear answers about how truck accident claims work.

Who can be held liable in a Maryland truck accident?

Unlike a typical car crash, where only the other driver is at fault, a truck accident may involve multiple negligent parties. Under Maryland’s “joint and several liability” laws, we can pursue compensation from several entities simultaneously to maximize your recovery. This includes:

• The trucking company: For negligent hiring or pushing drivers to exceed hours of service limits.
• The driver: For fatigue, distracted driving or being under the influence.
• Cargo loaders: If an improperly secured load caused the truck to jackknife or spill debris.
• Maintenance contractors: If faulty brakes or worn tires – violations of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration safety standards – led to the collision.

What is a “Spoliation of Evidence” letter, and why is it critical for my case?

In the trucking industry, “black box” data and driver logs can be legally destroyed or overwritten in as little as 30 days. A Spoliation Letter (or Evidence Preservation Letter) is a formal legal notice we send immediately to the trucking company. It legally mandates that they freeze and preserve all evidence related to your crash, including:

• Electronic Logging Device (ELD) data (proving if the driver was fatigued).
• On-board camera footage.
• GPS and speed data from the moments before impact.

Once they receive this letter, any destruction of evidence can lead to severe court sanctions and a “spoliation instruction,” where the jury is told to assume the missing evidence would have proved the trucking company was at fault.

How do FMCSA safety violations help prove my truck accident claim?

Commercial trucks are governed by strict federal rules from the FMCSA. When a truck hits you, we don’t just look at the police report; we look for regulatory violations. If we can prove the company ignored federal laws regarding weight limits, drug testing, or vehicle inspections, it becomes much harder for their insurance company to deny liability. We have spent three decades uncovering these hidden violations to hold massive corporations accountable for the harm they cause to families in our community.

Get A Strong Legal Advocate By Your Side

If you or a loved one is left injured in an accident involving a truck and you believe the operator was at fault, contact Morris Margulies LLC online or call us at 301-850-7380 to receive a free case evaluation. There is no fee unless we win.