Runaway Semi Drops into Business
When an unoccupied tractor-trailer rolled down a hill in Lochearn, startled observers watched as it slammed through the side of a beauty supply store. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. All too often when vehicles crash into buildings, the result is a catastrophe. To be sure, 500 people die and another 4,000 are hospitalized with serious injuries after a vehicle crashes into a building somewhere in this country every year. Seek the assistance of a local personal injury attorney if you have been the victim of a bizarre wayward vehicle accident.
Out of Control Vehicles
It seems hard to believe, but vehicles crash into homes and commercial building more often than you’d think. In fact, studies reveal that about 60 accidents a day occur somewhere in America involving a motorized vehicle slamming into a building. Maryland is not immune to these incidents, in recent years we have seen several wayward vehicle accidents:
- A vehicle crashed into the Liberty Tax Building;
- A stolen tow truck careened through the Artworks Greenhouse in Hyattsville;
- A driver fleeing police slammed into a building in downtown Baltimore;
- A vehicle smashed through a pharmacy storefront in Montgomery County;
- A driver who experienced a medical problem slammed into an unoccupied building near Mechanicsville, and died shortly thereafter;
How does it Happen?
A number of factors impact these types of accidents. Research provides some insight into the most common factors associated with crashes into buildings:
- Drivers over age 70 are the predominant offenders in these accidents;
- Almost half of incidents are blamed on pedal errors, (drivers punch the gas when meaning to hit the brakes);
- Drivers thinking they are in park, or reverse, when in actuality they are in drive;
- Between ten and twenty percent of these incidents involve drugs or alcohol.
- Some incidents involve unattended vehicles that roll into buildings.
Prevention Strategies
Many of these crashes occur due to faulty parking lot design, so experts have advanced some ideas that could reduce these incidents:
- Limit parking along storefronts to parallel, not nose-first parking;
- Place barriers and bollards around existing buildings;
- Redesign existing parking lots so that vehicles don’t drive or park facing toward buildings;
- Provide hedges or gravel layers outside of buildings to slow down wayward vehicles;
- Build in a layer of protection with large planters, trees, or rocks around buildings.
Following an Accident
If you or a loved one were involved in a vehicle building crash, and experienced significant personal harm, you may still be trying to process the bewildering experience. Recovering physically and emotionally may be a long, slow process. At the Law Office of Hasson D. Barnes, LLC, our experienced legal team understands what you are going through, and is ready to fight to achieve the best possible outcomes for you. You focus on your recovery, and let us pursue compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and more. Contact us in Baltimore for a confidential consultation today.
Resources:
wusa9.com/article/news/local/maryland/car-crashes-into-buildings-raise-concern-in-hyattsville/202626209
foxbaltimore.com/news/local/runaway-truck-tractor-trailer-crashes-into-building
