Maryland Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog
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