Articles Posted in Fatal Motorcycle Accidents

Earlier last year in June, a Maryland man was killed when he was struck by a van being driven by a Pennsylvania man. According to one local news source, the accident occurred very close to the Pennsylvania/Maryland border on Baltimore Pike near Garret Road.

Evidently, the van was traveling south when it crossed over the median and struck the motorcyclist that was heading in the opposite direction. After the collision, the van burst into flames and caused a very serious accident scene that took emergency workers hours to clear.

The motorcyclist, a 64-year-old man from Westminster, Maryland, died from the injuries he sustained in the accident. The driver of the van sustained minor injuries. He also faces criminal charges for his involvement in the accident.

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Earlier last month, a Maryland jury convicted a man for DUI manslaughter stemming from the death of a 21-year-old motorcyclist. According to one local news report, the accident occurred back in 2012 near the intersection of MD 77 and Pleasant Valley Road.

Evidently, the accident occurred when the driver made a left turn in front of the motorcyclist without using his signal. As a result, the motorcyclist slammed into the side of the driver’s vehicle. The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene by responding emergency workers.

Upon investigating the blood-alcohol content of the driver, police discovered that the driver’s BAC was .15, almost twice the legal limit. At last month’s trial, the man was found guilty of operating a vehicle while “per se” intoxicated. This conviction carries with it a possible five years in prison as a punishment. Sentencing will be held after the court prepares a pre-sentence report.

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Earlier this year near Houston, Texas, two deputies were involved in a serious motorcycle accident that claimed one of their lives and left the other one seriously injured. According to a report by one local news source, the accident occurred around three in the morning on a highway in the Houston metro area. Both deputies were off duty at the time of the accident.

Evidently, police are still trying to piece together what happened in the fatal accident. However, so far they have determined that speed likely was a factor. A preliminary investigation revealed that the motorcycle went airborne shortly before the fatal crash. As the bike came back down to the ground, the driver lost control and crashed. It also seems that the driver of the motorcycle tried to come to a stop well before crashing.

The driver of the motorcycle suffered a broken arm and leg in the accident. However, his passenger, a 21-year-old female deputy, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Thus far in the investigation, it is not clear who was at fault for the accident, and no citations have been issued.

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Earlier this week in Reno, Nevada, one man was killed and another seriously injured after the two were involved in a head-on collision. According to a report by one local news source, the accident occurred around 4:20 in the afternoon and resulted in several lanes of traffic being closed for hours.

Evidently, the motorcyclists were heading in opposite directions when one of them crossed the center median, entering the path of the other. The two motorcycles collided, sending both riders flying off their bikes. Both riders were rushed to the hospital.

One of the riders was admitted with non-life-threatening injuries. The other died of the injuries he sustained in the accident. Police are still investigating the accident and will release a report shortly with their conclusions.

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Earlier this month in Bayonne, New Jersey, a 43-year-old man was found dead by police near his motorcycle, which had sustained heavy damage. According to one local news report, the motorcyclist was found by police around 11:35 on a Friday night, about 45 feet away from his motorcycle.

Evidently, the driver of the min-van that had hit the motorcyclist fled the scene of the accident. However, the next day he showed up at the police station and told police that his minivan had been stolen in hopes that they would not consider him a suspect.

However, police conducted an investigation that eventually led back to the minivan’s owner and called him back in for another interview, at which point he admitted to making up the story about his van being stolen. As a result, he was arrested and charged with several crimes, including knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death, hindering an apprehension, and tampering with physical evidence. He is also charged with filing a false police report.

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A few years back in Candiac, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal, a motorcyclist and his young daughter were killed after they rear-ended another driver who had stopped her vehicle in the middle of the road to escort crossing ducks. According to a recent local news report, the woman was charged with several criminal offenses that carried with them a potential life-prison sentence. However, she was only sentenced to 90 days and a 10-year license suspension.

Evidently, back in 2010, the woman was driving in the left-most lane of the highway when she saw seven ducklings crossing the road. She stopped her Honda Civic in the middle of the lane to ensure that the ducklings could safely pass. However, as she was stopped a motorcyclist ran into the back of her, ejecting the driver and his passenger. Both were pronounced dead shortly after the accident.

Just this year a Canadian jury returned a verdict of guilty of two counts of criminal negligence causing death and one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death. The maximum penalty for these charges was life in prison. However, the sentencing judge determined that 90 days was a sufficient jail sentence and sentenced her accordingly.

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Earlier this month in Orlando, Florida, one man was killed in a fatal motorcycle accident that was caused by a driver who didn’t see the motorcyclist entering the intersection. According to a report by one local Florida news source, the motorcyclist arrived at a four-way stop shortly before another vehicle. The motorcyclist stopped and then proceeded through the intersection as normal. However, as he was part way through the intersection, the other driver entered the intersection and hit the motorcyclist.

Due to the force of the collision, the motorcyclist was thrown from the bike. Sadly, although the motorcyclist was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, the injuries he sustained were fatal, and he was pronounced dead a short time later. Charges are currently pending against the other driver.

Motorcycle Accidents in Maryland

While the season for riding is pretty much over, that doesn’t mean that the lasting effects of an injury pass with it. Motorcycle accidents are some of the most serious personal injury cases we see on a regular basis, due to the unprotected nature of the rider on the bike.

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In a bout of what may turn out to be aggressive driving, one motorcyclist is dead after she ran into a car on Interstate 97. According to one local news report, the motorcyclist was traveling south on I-97 around 5:30 in the evening when the fatal accident occurred.

Evidently, the motorcyclist was in a group of other motorcyclists and was traveling at a high rate of speed. As she approached a Chevrolet Cavalier from the rear, she moved over to pass the car on the left. In anticipation of the motorcycle rapidly approaching from the rear, the driver of the car moved over to the left. It is unclear whether the driver of the Cavalier was getting over to block her passing or to make room for her.

Regardless, the motorcyclist ran into the rear of the Cavalier and flew off her bike. She ended up off the left side of the road and crashed into a guardrail before coming to a complete stop. The motorcyclist was taken to Baltimore Washington Medical in Glen Burnie, where she was unfortunately pronounced dead. The driver of the Cavalier was taken to the hospital as well, although with only minor injuries.

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Earlier this month, a fatal motorcycle accident claimed the life of a Woodbine man in Westminster, Maryland. According to a report by one local news source, the accident occurred around 6:30 in the evening on the 3300 block of Salem Bottom Road.

Evidently, the motorcyclist was heading north on Salem Bottom Road when a truck pulled out in front of the motorcycle to make a left turn onto southbound Salem Bottom Road. The motorcyclist ended up crashing into the driver’s side of the truck. Despite emergency responders’ best efforts to get to the scene in a timely manner, the man was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

The driver of the truck did not sustain any injuries as a result of the accident and may face charges once the police investigation is complete.

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Earlier this month in a Lexington Park neighborhood, a 22-year-old man was killed when he was struck while riding a minibike and then was run over by a car coming in the opposite direction. According to a report by one local news source, the fatal motorcycle accident took place near the intersection of Town Creek Drive and Dent Drive.

Evidently, the accident occurred at around 7:40 in the evening, and the minibike did not have lights on it at the time of the accident. At some point, the driver of a Volkswagen Jetta hit the rider, knocking him off the bike and onto the ground. Almost immediately afterward, an SUV traveling in the opposite direction ran over the motorcyclist, trapping him underneath the massive vehicle.

When emergency crews arrived, they were able to free the man by using airbags to lift up the SUV. The man was flown to the hospital by the Maryland State Police, but it was too late. He was pronounced dead before 2:00 a.m. A police investigation is still underway to determine how the fatal accident may have been caused.

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