A trucker from Cecil County has been killed in a commercial truck accident on Connecticut’s Interstate 95. According to news reports, Woodrow Phelps Jr., 68, of Elkton, Maryland, was killed May 13 when his tractor-trailer rig, heading northbound on I-95 in Milton, Connecticut, around 5:30 a.m., struck an SUV, setting off a chain-reaction.
News reports say six vehicles were involved in the chain reaction accident, including one other tractor trailer. According to State Police, Phelps, who had been driving a 2005 Freightliner for Penske Truck Leasing, struck an SUV that was merging onto the highway from a right-lane on-ramp. Phelps was pronounced dead at the scene. The SUV driver, who complained of leg pain, was taken to an area hospital.
The Associated Press reported that stretch of highway where the fatal motor vehicle crash occurred was undergoing work by the Department of Transportation, with traffic reduced to one lane. Police reported that the work crew was picking up from an overnight project when the accident occurred. Highway traffic was closed for eight hours following the crash. State police are investigating this fatal highway accident.
Maryland Large Truck Accident Statistics
The U.S. Dept. of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that in Maryland in 2007, large trucks were involved in 69 roadway deaths. Because of their sheer size and weight, large commercial trucks need more room to brake, stop, and maneuver than passenger cars.
Maryland Intersection and Roadway Departure Accidents
As experienced Maryland car truck accident lawyers see in too many of their cases, roadway on-ramps, off-ramps, and intersections are frequently involved in fatal accident scenes.
NHTSA reports that in Maryland in 2007, of the total 614 traffic fatalities, 120 deaths involved intersections and more than half — 362 fatalities — involved a roadway departure (which is defined by the Federal Highway Administration as when a driver leaves his or her lane to the right or the left). Roadway departure crashes tend to be more severe, cause the majority of highway accidents, and account for 59% of all U.S. traffic fatalities (Source: FHWA.gov).
Trucker from Md. dies in crash on I-95 in Conn.
BaltimoreSun.com May 14, 2009
Police Continue Probe Of Fatal Truck Crash On I-95 In Milford
Hartford Courant.com May 13, 2009
Related Web Resource
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Safety Program