Maryland Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog

Sad to say, not everyone’s moral compass functions well under stressful and sometimes life-shattering situations. Such would appear to have been the case a while back when an unknown driver of a smaller SUV crashed into a cyclist in the Brooklyn Park area of Baltimore. Cycling and pedestrian traffic accidents have been in the news for a while now with little sign that the deadly situations Marylanders face daily in urban and densely populated areas will improve in the near term.

It’s hard to say for certain, but personal injury accidents involving bicycles and cars or commercial trucks have always been more serious than solitary biking crashes. Of course, hitting a tree or other stationary object at 20mph or more on a bike can result in traumatic brain injury, also referred to as closed-head trauma. This is in addition to other, less life-threatening conditions like cuts, lacerations and simple bone factures.

Bicycle helmets -- now in common use by competitive cyclists, serious riders, and safety conscious parents with young children -- can give a rider that extra margin of protection, which can make the difference between a short hospital stay and weeks or maybe months of medical treatment, post-operative rehabilitation and physical therapy.

According to news reports, a 25-year-old Baltimore resident died in the hospital from injuries he received during a hit-and-run car crash in Brooklyn Park. Police reports indicate that Alex Hernandez was one of two cyclists struck by hit-and-run drivers in separate incidents on a Thursday morning in July. Unfortunately for Mr. Hernandez, his injuries were much too severe and doctors could not save him.

Based on police reports, a female driver operating a black sedan – possibly a Hyundai -- was believed to have hit Hernandez at around 8am. Police believed that the suspects vehicle had visible damage to the car’s front right headlight, part of the hood and the windshield.

Continue reading " Baltimore Bicycle and Pedestrian Injury News: Maryland Rider Dies after Hit-and-Run Collision " »

As Maryland personal injury attorneys and motorists ourselves I and my colleagues see near misses between cars, trucks and motorcycles every month on the roads in and around Rockville, Cumberland, Annapolis and Washington, D.C. These instances are hard to forget because they are real-life reminders of the sometimes random and haphazard way in which car and trucking accidents can occur.

Aside from those individuals injured in motorcycle accident, bicycle riders are one of the more at-risk groups when it comes to traveling in densely populated urban and suburban areas. Efforts are ongoing to make the rural roadways and city streets, such as those in Baltimore, safer for two-wheeled and pedestrian traffic. Sadly, accident involving cyclists and persons on foot continue to occur with sometimes fatal consequences.

When it comes to motorcycle accidents, fatalities can be quite common for bikers hit by commercial delivery vehicles and even smaller passenger cars. Even with proper safety equipment -- operating headlight, taillight, good footwear, heavy leather jacket and pants, as well as a correctly-fitted helmet -- a cycle rider can receive extensive and sometimes life-threatening injuries. A helmet can help to reduce the extent of head injuries, but traumatic brain injury is one of common conditions that emergency room doctors see after a car-bike crash.

The so-called “donor cycle” moniker given to motorcycles by some in the healthcare field is not totally undeserved. In fact, it is likely due to the preponderance of closed-head injuries that the name arose, since it is often brain or spinal cord damage that kills or renders a rider in a vegetative state, leaving the rest of the individual’s body more or less in tact. Needless to say, motorcycle riders of any age must always remain alert and aware to the dangers all around them.

Continue reading " Maryland Traffic Accident News: Biker Critically Injured in Harford County after Collision with Passenger Car " »

If it wasn’t clear already, riding a bicycle in Baltimore, Annapolis, Frederick or Washington, D.C., was and continues to be fraught with hazards. Everyday, bicyclist, walkers and joggers are either hit by a passenger car or commercial delivery truck, or come within inches of being struck by a motor vehicle. It’s not a stretch to say that our asphalt jungles take a toll on pedestrians and bike traffic on a daily basis.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my colleagues urge both cyclists and pedestrians to be extremely cautious whenever they mix with vehicular traffic. Furthermore, we also implore those passenger car drivers, motorcyclists and heavy motor vehicle operators to be extra careful when traveling in urban areas and certain rural roadways where foot traffic is encountered.

Accidents can happen anywhere, any time. But there are measures that can be taken which can sometimes prevent or, the very least, lessen the potential for bodily injury by both motorists and pedestrians. A little while back, an article brought up the subject of pedestrian safety and the ways in which everyone who uses our public roads can participate to make Maryland’s highways and byways safer.

According to that piece, cycling advocates were unified in urging care on Maryland’s roadways, taking their message to the streets to educate automobile drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians regarding proper safety measure to take while sharing the road together. The author of that article talks about a couple who went for a Memorial Day bike ride with friends from their house in Clarksville, MD, to Montgomery County.

Continue reading " Baltimore Cycling Safety News: Bicycle Riders Urged to Use Caution on Maryland Roads " »

Aside from the heat, it would appear that this is particularly bad summer for persons on foot and riding bikes in Anne Arundel County, according to news reports of late. In fact the month of July started out very badly for a number of people who were either hit by passenger cars or commercial trucks while walking or cycling.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my staff have represented many individuals injured in car, truck and motorcycle crashes over the years. Pedestrian and bicycle-related traffic accidents can be some of the more deadly for the unprotected walker, runner or rider; more so, in some cases, than those individuals involved in a high-speed interstate collision or other car-to-car roadway wreck.

Based on various news reports, there were more than a half-dozen bicycle- and pedestrian-related traffic injuries and fatalities within ten days alone in Anne Arundel Co. As Maryland and Washington, D.C., injury attorneys and occasional pedestrians ourselves, we know all too well that persons on foot can sustain serious and sometimes life-threatening injuries if struck by a passenger automobile or commercial delivery truck. In fact, pedestrians have been know to be killed by speeding bicycles on sidewalks and though marked crosswalks.

Traumatic brain injury is one of the common injuries for pedestrians and bicycle riders, since most people fall down when hit by a car or truck, striking their head on the hard tarmac, curb or other roadway surface. A blow to the head can cause loss of motor function or coordination, trouble with memory, even forgetting how to eat or do the simple things we all take for granted everyday of our lives. Helmets help, of course, but not every time.

Not long ago, an article mentioned the rather marked increase in motor vehicle accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists. According to the news, official in Anne Arundel County noted the increase in these kinds of accidents, noting that there were seven incidents in just two weeks. These included the following:

Continue reading " Traffic Injuries and Fatalities in Anne Arundel County taking Toll on Maryland Pedestrians and Cyclists " »