A Maryland truck driver died while on the job late at night on Thursday, August 16.
Gregory Bryan Watkins, age 34, was traveling northbound on Interstate 95 around 11:00 PM when he lost control of the tractor-trailer he was driving just as he approached the exit for Interstate 395 northbound.
The truck smashed into a barrier on the right side of the road and overturned onto the driver’s side of the loaded flatbed. The out-of-control vehicle then skidded along the road for several feet before slamming into a second barrier on the left side of the road.
The impact of this second crash forced the truck upright again before it burst into flames. It was another 45 minutes before firefighters could completely extinguish the fire. Investigators believe one of the truck’s two diesel tanks ruptured in the crash.
Fire and emergency crews were unable to save Watkins, who died in the cab of the truck. He was a resident of Fort Washington in Prince George’s County and a truck driver for Cardinal Logistics Management Corp.
He was carrying a flatbed loaded down with lumber when the Maryland truck accident occurred. He was not carrying any passengers with him, and Maryland State Police say there were no other vehicles involved in the fatal crash.
Police kept the northbound lanes of the highway closed for more than seven hours to clean up the spilled debris and fuel and to complete a preliminary accident investigation.
The Maryland accident attorneys at Nickelsporn and Lundin express our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Mr. Watkins in the wake of this terrible tragedy.