Maryland Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog

While winter may be here to stay for some time, it’s important to remember that motorcycle accidents can and do happen at the most unlikely times and for sometimes unexpected reasons. As a Baltimore auto accident attorney and motorcycle injury lawyer, I’ve seen enough news articles and police accident reports to know that bikers are at high risk for injury and death when traveling on our public roads.

Especially during the off-season for riders, fewer passenger car and commercial truck drivers are looking for motorcycles in the colder months. Riders already know they are relatively invisible and therefore more apt to be hit by another, larger motor vehicle. The results, of course, can be tragic.

It wasn’t long that a motorcyclist from Anne Arundel County died in a multi-car accident on Solley Road when a deer apparently bolted out into the street. According to police, the accident happened late on a Saturday night when 34-year-old John Fabian III and a passenger where riding on the man’s ‘96 Honda Shadow near Nabbs Creek Road.

Just before midnight, Fabian was traveling behind a ‘08 Honda Civic when a deer appeared in the roadway right in front of a ‘95 Ford Contour. The driver of the Ford hit his brakes in order to avoid the deer, according to police reports. As a result, the Honda Honda’s driver also slammed on his brakes, Fabian apparently did not brake in time. The motorcycle rammed into the rear of the Honda, throwing the rider and his passenger off the bike.

County police and firefighters responded to the scene, where Fabian was pronounced dead. The passenger, 29-year-old Miranda Means from Baltimore, was taken to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore with serious injuries. According to police, alcohol may have contributed to the accident.

Motorcyclist dies in chain reaction crash, HometownAnnapolis.com, October 3, 2010

Bicycle accidents, like other traffic collisions involving pedestrians and motorcycle riders, can result in severe injury to the cyclist. It makes little difference whether a bike rider is hit by a passenger car or a commercial delivery vehicle, the harm is immediate and sometimes long lasting. Scrapes and bruises are the least of it, with broken bones, internal injury and head trauma being some of the more common and severe injuries.

As a Maryland personal injury lawyer representing individuals hurt in bicycle accidents in Baltimore, Annapolis, Washington, D.C., and all across the state, I know that more than half of the cyclists all around the nation are minors. And it’s hard to imagine that statistics show more than 10,000 children are injured while cycling every year in the U.S. A third of those involve traumatic brain injury and sometimes death.

When a child is injured on his or her bicycle, parents can wonder whether or not they should have let their son or daughter ride at all. Sadly, many preventable bicycle accidents involve a motorist who was careless or simply negligent. As motor vehicle operators, not paying attention or making an error in judgment can lead to someone else’s injury or death.

Not long ago a young boy died after spending several days in the hospital following a car-bike crash. According to news reports, the youngster was hit while pedaling in the West Baltimore area. Based on Baltimore city police reports, the 12-year-old was hit by a car on a Thursday evening while traveling with a group of friends on cycles.

The victim, Joshua Blackwell, was riding along Lynhurst Avenue with nearly a dozen of his friends near Windsor Mill Road. The boy was reportedly at the head of the pack with another youngster when he allegedly ran through a stop sign right in front of a Honda Element. Apparently trying to avoid a crash, Blackwell hit his brakes and lost control of his bicycle and ended up sliding underneath the oncoming vehicle.

Police reports show that the driver of the Honda was not able to stop in time and drove right over the child. Emergency personnel arriving on the scene likely provided medical aid before transporting the boy to a local hospital. Unfortunately, doctors were unable to save the boy and he died three days later from complications.

Boy struck, killed, while riding bike in West Baltimore, ABC2News.com, August 19, 2010

As the motorcycle season winds down here in Maryland, now is not the time to take your mind off the road and all those cars, minivans and large commercial trucks out there. As any rider who wants to avoid a traffic accident knows, bikes are nearly invisible to many motorists mainly because of their small profile and their even fewer numbers when compared to the thousands of four-wheeled motor vehicles on the roadways.

As a Baltimore motorcycle accident lawyer and Washington, D.C., injury attorney, I understand how easily a carefree ride can turn bad, usually with a collision between a bike and a much larger and more imposing passenger vehicle. Make no mistake, many bike riders involved in an automobile or commercial truck accident suffer life altering injuries, if they are even lucky enough to survive in the first place.

And it is a sad fact that a certain percentage of motorcycle riders are killed in traffic accidents. It is with this reminder that we say, please ride defensively and live to see another day. On that note, there was a story of a seasoned biker who was killed earlier in the year as a result of not being easily seen.

According to a news article, Carroll County, MD, saw its third motorcycle fatality when a 41-year-old rider was hit by another motorist along Maryland Route 30. The accident happened around 6:30pm on a Thursday evening when a vehicle turned left in front of his bike in Manchester.

Based on police reports, Irving Wheeler was headed southbound toward Ebbvale Road. A Chevy Cavalier, driven by Lawrence Taylor of Manchester, was reportedly going northbound. Just as Wheeler approached the Chevy, the car attempted a left turn onto Ebbvale Road apparently right into the path of the oncoming cycle.

Both Taylor and Wheeler were transported to the Carroll Hospital Center. According to reports, Wheeler hit the car directly with his head, likely causing massive trauma. Doctors told a family member that the rider should have been pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the car was treated for minor injuries.

At the time of the article, Wheeler was the third fatal bike crash in Carroll County for 2010. According to police, Wheeler’s accident and another of the three were deemed not the rider’s fault. The third was apparently rider error when the motorcycle collided with a mailbox and a fence on Alesia-Lineboro Road in Manchester.

Md. 30 crash is Carroll's third motorcycle fatality this year, CarrollCountyTimes.com, June 16, 2010

For people who live and work in the city, when we think of bike accidents we naturally envision a traffic collision between a delivery truck or city bus and a bicycle rider. But it is important to remember that motor vehicles aren’t the only cause of cyclist injuries. As illustrated in a summer time cycling accident, bicyclists can be hurt far from the hustle and bustle of our urban centers.

As a Maryland injury attorney and auto accident lawyer, I have seen what can happen when a car or truck strikes a relatively unprotected bike rider. But I and my colleagues also know that other factors can lead to a serious cycling accident. According to a news article a while back, a Maryland man was hurt on the Capital Crescent Trail in Bethesda, MD, when he was thrown from his bike face first to the pavement after a two-bike crash.

Based on police reports, 50-year-old Jay Roberts called the entire incident a “freak accident,” yet it points up the dangers inherent in any sport that involves relatively high speeds and a modicum of risk. The accident happened during a morning ride when Roberts was on his way to meet a friend. From out of nowhere, according to the avid cyclist, another bike came at him hitting his bicycle head-on.

According to reports, Roberts said that he had no time to react, not even to apply his brakes to reduce the impact speed. The second cyclist reportedly came out from behind several people walking the path on foot. The next thing he knew there were emergency personnel swarming around the two injured bikers.

Police reports show that the two cyclists were initially knocked unconscious by the collision. Roberts apparently came out of it better than the other guy, sustaining a broken left collar bone, eight or nine broken ribs, and various scrapes and bruises. The other rider reportedly ended up in an intensive care unit as a result of his injuries, although details were uncertain.

Police advise caution when passing people on foot or other bikes on any well-traveled bicycle trail. According to reports, concerns over safety a couple years ago prompted authorities to impose a 15mph maximum speed limit on that trail. At the time, the newly posted speed limit upset some users, but apparently was a welcome change for many other users of the trail.

Authorities remind those using the Capital Crescent Trail that it is not solely a bicycle path, nor only a trail for hikers. As a mixed-use trail there is always a risk of collisions and as such it’s probably a good idea to exercise caution whenever exercising oneself.

Head-on collision grim reminder of bike safety, WTOP.com, July 6, 2010