Maryland Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog
The odds of any motorcycle rider making it through his adult life without any kind of bike-related accident seems to be quite low, especially when one reads of the myriad of biker injuries and deaths on Maryland roadways that occur throughout the year. Granted, the nature of the sport, if you will, means that motorcyclists are at much higher risk of being injured in a collision with a car or commercial motor vehicle, and the statistics bear this out.
It may seem amazing to non-riders that motorcyclists continue to ride their bikes despite the overwhelming evidence that many of them will be hurt or killed in a traffic-related collisions at some time or another. Having represented numerous individuals who have sustained serious and life-changing injuries as a result of a crash caused by another driver, we as Baltimore auto accident lawyers know the passion with which this group defends their right to right and enjoy the sport. All we can say is that the average four-wheeled motorist fails to appreciate the dedication and enthusiasm that bikers all over this country possess.
On the flip side, as personal injury attorneys, we can truly say that motorcyclists tend to turn a deaf ear to the warnings that come from those in the general driving population. It’s not that they don’t want to hear those concerns for their safety, but more to the point that they are well aware of the risks, having faced them squarely every day of their riding careers. As more than one rider would be quite to remind these folks, since motorcycle riding is not without risk, the sport of riding is more a matter of risk management.
And yet the accidents continue to take their toll on the riding community. This can only prove the point that every biker understands to his or her core: to enjoy their life of freedom and feeling of individualism, they must challenge fate on a daily basis. Whether the enemy is a tractor-trailer, a city bus, or a sport utility vehicle pulling a 22-foot boat, every mile is fraught with danger and potential death. Despite helmets and other protective gear, a rider who is thrown from his mount will likely suffer any number of possible injuries, including closed-head trauma, spinal cord damage, broken arms or legs, the ubiquitous “road rash” and other lesser injuries.
Accidents like the one we recently came across also involve fatal injuries, as well as the threat of burns. Based on a news story in the Washington Post, a rider died along a stretch of Rte 50 when he inadvertently clipped the bumper of a passenger car while merging into traffic. Police noted that the man and his other motorcycling companions were likely traveling at 100mph shortly before the accident.
According to reports, the 29-year-old Bladensburg, MD, man was riding his ‘06 Kawasaki Ninja sport bike with three other riders in the area of Landover. The crash happened around 6pm in the eastbound lanes when the victim tried to merge into the left lane of Veterans Pkwy. In the process, the man’s bike contacted the bumper of a Mercedes-Benz that was in the right-hand lane. As a result of the impact, the rider was thrown from his mount, which subsequently burst into flames. The bike came to rest, still burning, on top of the victim, according to police reports. Witnesses said they saw the man being burned as his friends tried to save him. Sadly, by the time emergency responders arrived on the scene the man was pronounced dead at the crash site.
Bladensburg man dies in fiery Saturday afternoon motorcycle crash, Gazette.net, September 24, 2012
U.S. 50 motorcycle crash kills Bladensburg man, WashingtonPost.com, September 23, 2012