A head-on traffic accident can be one of the most severe roadway collisions that can happen to a family sedan or minivan. The deadly effects of this kind of car wreck is that the force of the impact is usually about twice what it would be if one moving car or truck hit another stationary vehicle.
The effective speed of the crash is the combined speeds of both vehicles — that is, if two vehicles traveling at 50mph in opposite directions collide head-on, the force of the collision would be similar to one vehicle hitting a parked car at 100mph. This is significant in anybody’s book.
As Maryland personal injury lawyers and auto accident attorneys, I and my colleagues have experience representing the victims of traffic accidents here in Baltimore and elsewhere, including Washington, D.C. Head-on collisions are so violent that they can typically be fatal to one or more occupants of either vehicle.
In the case of a semi tractor-trailer running head-on into a passenger car, it is almost like the car hits a brick wall, due to the huge amount of mass represented by a commercial truck. And, we won’t even talk about the deadly results of a commercial delivery truck hitting a motorcycle, as bikers have very little protection to begin with and even a helmet cannot ensure one’s survival in a head-on collision along a country road.
Suffice it to say that this kind of road accident is not very forgiving to any of the victims. A while back, two people were seriously injured in severe car crash in Harford County, MD, along a stretch of Rte 24. According to police reports, the accident occurred on a Friday afternoon when a southbound pickup truck apparently crossed the roadway median and struck three other vehicles in the northbound lanes of the highway.
Based on news articles, the pickup was being driven by 46-year-old Michael Trossbach, a resident of Bel Air, when for some reason the man lost control of the vehicle, which proceeded across and into the opposing lanes of traffic. The first vehicle hit by the out-of-control truck was a Toyota RAV4 driven by a 64-year-old out-of-state man.
The Toyota, which was carrying the older driver and two 89-year-old elderly individuals as passengers, was reportedly heavily damaged in the collision with the larger pickup truck. According to one of the emergency responders the entire left side of the Toyota was smashed in. Both drivers were in pretty bad shape, according to reports, with the pickup’s driver exhibiting signs of neck and back injuries.
The Toyota driver was trapped in his vehicle and required the help of firefighters to remove him from the car, as did the pickup driver. Four victims in all were flown by medevac helicopter to the medical facilities for treatment of their injuries. Two went to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, while the others were taken to the Upper Chesapeake Medical Center. Three occupants in two other vehicles also involved in the traffic wreck refused medical attention.
At the time of the news report, the accident was still under investigation by the Maryland State Police crash reconstruction team, which was trying to piece together the crash. It was too early for any definitive answers, but the possibility of defective vehicle equipment could not be totally ruled out.
Two flown to trauma centers following multiple vehicle accident, BaltimoreSun.com, June 14, 2011