Maryland Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog

As mentioned previously, when it comes to motorcycle accidents involving a second motor vehicle, it is quite common that the automobile or truck driver behind the wheel of the other vehicle may actually be the negligent party. This is due to the all-too-common problem of the smaller profile that motorcycles present in traffic. And to make matters worse, a motorcyclist is at least 20 times more likely to die in a traffic accident than an occupant of a passenger car.

While not always a valid excuse, the fact is that when a driver fails to recognize a nearby rider in traffic, the potential resulting accident can turn out to be very serious to the point of being life-threatening. After a bike crash, the needed medical treatment and potential rehab, which may also be required, can add up to extensive hospital bills. A rider who incurs such costs following an accident caused by another negligent driver should consult a qualified personal injury lawyer to better understand his or her options vis-à-vis recouping those medical costs from the responsible party or parties.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we have the skills and training to handle motorcycle-related accident cases, which we have already established can often be due to the negligence of another driver in a car- or truck-related accident. Furthermore, it’s a fair assumption that the majority of motorcycle riders are safety conscious despite the negative stereotypes typically portrayed on television and in the movies.

Continue reading " Baltimore Traffic Accident Update: How Maryland Personal Injury Lawyers can Help Motorcycle Accident Victims -- Part Two " »

Motorcyclists have a touch time of it, we know. While their mode of transport offers a wonderful feeling of freedom and ease of travel, the very nature of a motorcycle -- be it a so-called crotch rocket, standard bike, cruiser or chopper -- is that these motor vehicles are small and not easy to notice in traffic, at least this is the complaint of most drivers who get into accidents with bikers.

Add to their slim profile, most bikes are fairly fast and even quick to stop, putting less-than-inattentive drivers of four-wheeled passenger cars and 18-wheel commercial trucks in danger of running into them both coming and going. Insurance companies understand the dangers of motorcycles, to the point of making their policies less than attractive, or even placing certain motorcycle models on a list of “uninsurable” vehicles.

For anyone who hasn’t had a close call with a motorcyclist, as Maryland personal injury attorneys who represent bikers injured in traffic collisions, we can say that even the best drivers can be caught unaware by the “sudden” appearance of a bike in the roadway ahead of them. But it is conceivable that even police officers who have been trained in all manner of traffic safety, defensive driving and emergency situations, could from time to time be surprised by a motorcyclist.

Late last year, a news article described an accident between a biker and a marked police cruiser in the North Laurel, MD, area. According to news reports, a 43-year-old rider was sent to the hospital after a collision with a police car on Rte 216 near the Leishear Rd. intersection.

Continue reading " Baltimore Traffic Accident News: Maryland Biker Hospitalized following Crash with Howard County Police Cruiser " »

Although cars and trucks share the road with motorcycles, bikers all around Maryland and Washington, D.C., should understand that when it comes to a roadway accident, being injured while riding a bike is not exactly the same as being hurt in while riding in an automobile or commercial vehicle.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my staff have in-depth knowledge of the state laws and statutes covering traffic accidents, cost recovery following various types of personal injury, as well as the legal rules and guidelines that govern the insurance industry’s coverage of drivers, riders and passengers of various motor vehicles. As we mentioned above, the insurance laws governing individuals hurt while riding a Harley-Davidson, Honda, Ducati or any other kind of motor bike are somewhat different than those that apply to persons injured while riding in a car or truck.

Because of our experience in handling motorcycle-related personal injury cases, we know that most non-riders (that is, drivers of four-wheelers) are usually surprised to learn that the majority of car-bike and truck-bike collisions are caused by negligence on the part of the automobile or truck driver, not the motorcyclist as many tend to believe. Perhaps it’s the rough and tumble, so-called bad-boy image of the biker typically portrayed in movies and on TV; but the fact remains, most riders are conscientious and safety-oriented individuals.

Continue reading " Baltimore Traffic Accident Update: How Maryland Personal Injury Lawyers can Help Motorcycle Accident Victims -- Part One " »

When we talk about traffic-related personal injury accidents in Baltimore, Gaithersburg, Rockville or the District, it’s a good guess that most readers’ thoughts shift to that of an automobile, motorcycle or trucking-related roadway collision; however, these are just the most common types of traffic accident, not the only ones.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my legal staff are constantly hearing and reading about pedestrian and bicycle accidents thought the state. While these kinds of traffic collisions are, perhaps, less common than truck or car accidents, they nonetheless can be very serious and many times fatal.

We’ve covered numerous pedestrian-versus-car crashes over the years, but cyclists are even more at risk than pedestrians in some respects due to the fact that bike riders tend to share the road with motor vehicles much larger and more massive than themselves and their relatively flimsy aluminum and steel bicycles. Helmets and other protective gear can only help reduce injuries, because when it comes to a very serious collision with a car, truck or bus, the bicyclist is more often the loser.

Continue reading " Baltimore Personal Injury Update: For Active Riders a Bicycle Accident is not “If,” but “When” Event " »