The family of John R. “Jack” Yates is suing a truck driver and his employer for the 67-year-old’s Baltimore wrongful death. Yates was cycling in the Charles North neighborhood on Maryland Avenue behind the truck driven by Michael Dale Chandler on August 4 when he got trapped under the loaded fuel tanker’s tires and was run over.
The truck kept going because Chandler does not appear to have realized that he had driven over anyone. Yates was pronounced dead at the crash site.
Now, Yates’ daughter and wife are suing the truck driver and Potts & Callahan Inc. for $5 million. Following an investigation into the Baltimore truck crash, the bicyclist was found responsible for the tragic accident since he was riding in the parking lane and tried to overtake the truck from the right. However, the plaintiffs’ legal team is adamant that Yates wasn’t at fault. Under Maryland law, bicyclists must keep up with the flow of traffic and make sure their bicycles stay to the right.
Chandler has not been criminally charged over the Maryland truck collision.
Maryland Truck Crashes
It is devastating to know that someone you loved died in a tragic accident. Not only must surviving family members cope with losing someone they love and the effects that this unexpected, premature death will have on their lives, but there is also the trauma of imagining what your loved one may have had to endure prior to death. For bicyclists that survive large truck crashes, they may be left to struggle with traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, burn injuries, or disfigurement.
Even if a negligent motorist isn’t charged in criminal court, you can sue them for the Maryland wrongful death of your loved one in civil court.
Family of bicyclist killed in city accident files $5 million lawsuit, The Baltimore Sun, March 5, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Senate wants drivers to move over for cyclists, Maryland Politics, The Baltimore Sun, February 11, 2010
Maryland Bicycle Laws and Regulations, College Park Area Bicycle Coalition