Maryland Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog

A 47-year-old motorcyclist and his passenger were injured on a Saturday afternoon when the bike they were riding on collided with a passenger car along a section of Maryland 63 just west of Hagerstown, MD. Being a Baltimore motorcycle accident lawyer for many years, this is a distressingly typical scenario experienced by many bikers at least once during their lifetime.

This traffic accident, which also involved a passenger vehicle, is only one of dozens reported every year in Maryland. In this particular case, the wreck was bad enough that it left the driver of the bike in critical condition at a local hospital.

According to police reports, two Carroll County residents were enjoying a Saturday afternoon ride outside of Hagerstown when a 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo tried to cross the roadway eastbound along Broadfording Road. In the process of crossing Md. 63 the Chevy apparently pulled right into the path of the oncoming motorcycle.

The bike carrying Michael Destefano and his girlfriend, 45-year-old Christine Biddinger, struck the left side of the Monte Carlo, throwing the motorcycle’s driver and passenger off the bike onto the roadway shortly before 3pm. Police put some of the blame on a large tree located at that intersection, which apparently obstructs the view from both roads.

Officers from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded along with other emergency responders. Destefano, a New Windsor resident, was reportedly flown to the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center where he was listed in critical condition Sunday the next day. Biddinger was taken to Washington County Hospital with a variety of injuries including a broken arm, chest injuries and a collapsed lung. Biddinger was listed in fair condition the day following the accident.

According to the news article, the driver of the Chevy 20-year-old Morgan Fahey of Hagerstown, refused treatment. There was no information at the time of the news article whether or not charges would be pressed against the car’s driver. The area was reportedly closed to traffic for several hours as a reconstruction team attempted to piece together the crash.

Carroll County man in critical condition after motorcycle accident, Herald-Mail.com, June 12, 2010

Baltimore has become a very popular city with cycling enthusiasts. However, with that popularity comes increasing number of cyclists on city streets, sharing lanes with passenger cars, motor-powered two-wheelers, large SUVs and commercial trucks of all types. Whether you’re an optimist or not, recent data may have bicycle riders grinning ear-to-ear while at the same time looking over their collective shoulders more than ever.

According to Transportation for America (TOA), the pedestrian and bicycle safety organization, over 76,000 Americans have been killed in the past 15 years simply crossing the roads in their very own communities.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my colleagues offer legal services to individuals hurt in bicycle and automobile-related accidents. Many of these accidents are caused, sadly, by the negligence of motorists or because of commercial trucking accidents. As injury attorneys, all of us have sensed the pain and seen the suffering that can follow a cycling accident resulting from a car or truck crash. It goes without saying that the medical costs associated with treatment and rehabilitation from such accidents can become quite expensive.

The TOA’s report on pedestrian injuries and fatalities nationwide ranked metropolitan areas in terms of accident frequency for persons on foot as well as on bicycles. The shocking part of the study for this office was the authors’ description of the total deaths across the nation as being equivalent to a commercial airliner crashing with a full passenger load once a month.

Transportation for America points out that nearly 4,000 children under 16 years have been killed so far in the 2000s. Based on the TOA’s numbers, the study stated that children, the elderly and infirm individuals, and ethnic minorities are over-represented when it comes to total death count.

The study also pointed out that while many pedestrian deaths (which in this case includes not only persons on foot but also bicycle riders) are typically termed “accidents,” suggesting an error either on the part of the motor vehicle operator or the person on foot or on his or her bike. However, the TOA stresses that a large percentage of supposed accidents occurred along roadways that were, as they term it, “dangerous by design.” This is to say, that maybe the blame should be aimed at poor roadway and sidewalk design, rather than at the drivers, pedestrians and cyclists who use those walkways and streets.

Continue reading " Maryland Bicycle Injury Update: Baltimore and D.C. Rank 29th and 32nd Nationwide in Fatal Traffic Accidents " »

As a personal injury attorney, my job is to represent victims of accidents precipitated by the negligent actions of other individuals. Motorcycle riders may be one of the most common groups of motorists injured on the road, especially during the spring and summer months.

Unfortunately, traffic accidents involving bikes, such as Harley-Davidsons, Suzukis, Triumphs and Hondas, are usually severe and cause extensive bodily injury to the riders. More often than not, a crash with a passenger car or commercial truck can result in death. Helmets make a big difference, but in this life there are no guarantees.

The tragic part of the story is that many injuries and fatal crashes experienced by the motorcycling community could be avoided if other motorists took the added effort to check for two-wheelers sharing the road. As a Maryland motorcycle accident lawyer, I’ve seen enough horrendous accident scenes to last a lifetime. But I never tire of offering help to victims and their families following these kinds of terrible and sometimes life-altering collisions.

A little while ago we came across a news item that illustrates one of the worst-case scenarios facing motorcyclist on our public roads. According to reports, a 46-year-old Charles Thompson III of Hagerstown died while riding his bike along U.S. 40 in Frederick County. The accident happened just before 8pm when another motorist was attempting to enter the roadway in a 2001 VW Jetta.

According to police, 19-year-old Zachary Gunther, a resident of Myersville, was attempting to enter the eastbound lane of U.S. 40 off of Pleasant Walk Road and apparently pulled right in front of Thompson’s motorcycle. In the process the rider was thrown from his bike onto the roadway.

Emergency crews arriving on the scene administered first aid and then transported the severely injured man by helicopter to R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. Unfortunately, Thompson’s injuries were too extensive and he died a short time later at the hospital.

Police issued the Jetta’s driver with a traffic citation for failure to yield the intersection right of way. At the time of the news article, local police were expected to approach the Frederick County state’s attorney’s office to discuss whether additional charges should be brought against Gunther.

Hagerstown motorcyclist dies following crash in Frederick County, Herald-Mail.com, May 7, 2010

Having assisted numerous motorcycle riders following life-threatening bike-automobile accidents, I have seen the carnage that can be inflicted on a motorcyclist during a serious crash. It goes without saying that bikers and other riders of two-wheel motor vehicles have less protection against a severe traffic wreck than people in four-wheeled vehicles, and zero when compared to semi truck drivers in their big rigs. But most motorcycle riders know this and understand the risks.

Some highway collisions cannot be survived. At the very least, massive head and back injuries are common, even at low speeds, which can lead to permanent paralysis and a lifetime of medical care. Rehabilitation following such accidents can help, but is also expensive and can crush a family’s savings in a very short time. If the victim was the major income earner for the family the effects of a debilitating bike wreck are only magnified.

Not long ago a young rider from Broomes Island was killed when a pickup truck apparently pulled into the road directly in front of the man’s motorcycle. According to reports, the accident occurred just after 6pm along Broomes Island Road near Island Creek Lane in Calvert County.

Based on police reports, 21-year-old John Alton Stratchko riding his 2003 Yamaha YZF R6, traveling southbound along Broomes Island Road. As he approached the entrance of a private, a 2002 GMC pickup apparently began to enter the roadway right in the path of Strachko’s motorcycle. The bike struck the driver’s side of the truck, which was being driven by another local resident, 53-year-old Martin Wayne Mister.

It appears from the police report that Stratchko may have tried to lay his bike down before colliding with the pickup. The reports indicated that the man was ejected off the bike with his body hitting the driver’s door of the vehicle. The motorcycle itself came to rest on top of Stratchko’s body. Emergency responders transported the man to Calvert Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead from his extensive injuries.

At the time of the news article, a cause of death and nature of the injuries sustained by Stratchko were pending an autopsy, which was scheduled to be performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) in Baltimore, Maryland. The Calvert County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Team was also involved in determining the events of that evening that led to the death of the untimely death of this motorcycle rider.

Calvert Man Killed in Street Bike Accident, TheBayNet.com, May 4, 2010