Ellicott City residents David Destino and his 13-year-old son Michael died on Friday in a traffic collision involving a dump truck and three cars. David’s wife, Mary, was taken to Baltimore Shock Trauma where she was checked in under reportedly critical condition.
Mary was among four people that suffered personal injuries when the dump truck rear-ended the Destino family’s Ford Explorer on route 404 close to intersection 309. She was in the passenger seat while their son rode in the back.
The impact of the collision pushed the SUV’s backseat into the front of the car. The Explorer then stuck a Jetta and a Road Ranger. A Baltimore couple and their one-year-old baby had been riding the Jetta and they sustained minor injuries in the truck accident.
Prior to the accident, other motor vehicle drivers reportedly had contacted Maryland State Police to complain that the dump truck was driving on the road erratically. At least 9 people died in traffic accidents in Maryland between Wednesday and Friday of last week.
Statistics show that a dump truck is involved in one out of every nine motor vehicle accidents. 94% of these accidents result in the other parties that were not in the dump truck being seriously injured or dying.
Common reasons for dump truck accidents where the truck driver is responsible:
• Negligence by the dump truck driver
• A faulty or defective dump truck or dump truck part
• Mechanical failure
• Driver fatigue
• Carrying a load that is too heavy
• Speeding
Dumptrucksguide.com offers the following safety tips for dump truck drivers:
• Check and oil bushings and pins regularly.
• Check erect cylinders daily. Damaged cylinders should not be exchanged with cylinders charged at inferior operating pressure or smaller cylinders.
• Examine the pressure of the tires regularly. The pressure of the tires should be same on each dump truck’s side.
• Necessary tools should always be kept in the dump truck for safety.
• Check deferral systems under load to make sure that they are working properly or not and offer suspension. Fragile suspension should be exchanged instantly.
• Safety should also be provided on the construction sites while loading and dumping of materials.
Dump truck drivers are upheld to more rigorous safety standards on the road than the drivers of cars and motorcycles. Failure to uphold these safety standards could result in serious personal injuries and wrongful deaths of drivers and passengers of other vehicles and pedestrians.
2 dead, 4 hurt in Queen Anne’s crash, Hometownannapolis.com, September 1, 2007
Dump Truck Accidents, Dumptrucksguide.com
Related Web Resources:
Maryland Commercial Vehicle Safety Regulations
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations
If you or someone you love has been critically injured in a dump truck accident in Maryland or the Washington D.C. area, call the personal injury law firm of Lebowitz and Mzhen today. Your first consultation with one of our personal injury lawyers is FREE.