Maryland Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog

Motorcyclists and Bicyclists Face Similar Dangers on Maryland Roadways

July 22, 2016 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Auto accidents that involve automobiles and two-wheeled vehicles, whether bicycles, motorcycles, or motorized scooters, share common characteristics demonstrating the unique dangers that are faced by commuters using smaller vehicles on our nation’s roadways. Not only are the users of two-wheeled vehicles more likely to suffer an accident based on the negligence of another driver, but also they are more likely to be seriously injured or killed in an accident as a consequence of the difference in mass between the vehicles.

Other Drivers Owe a Special Duty of Care to Motorcyclists and Bicyclists

There are several reasons why accidents between normal vehicles and smaller, two-wheeled vehicles are more common than between two normal vehicles alone. A primary cause of the increased accident risk is the fact that motorcycles and other small vehicles can be more difficult for another motorist to see, resulting in an unintended collision. Although bicycle and motorcycle operators should use additional caution when commuting around larger vehicles, the drivers of the larger vehicles have a legal duty to exercise due care while on public roadways, and this duty includes paying attention to the road and keeping an eye out for smaller vehicles. If the driver of a larger vehicle fails to see a smaller vehicle and causes an accident, the driver of the larger vehicle may be accountable for damages to the motorcyclist even if the driver of the other vehicle never actually saw the smaller vehicle before the collision.

Motorcyclists and Bicyclists Should Use Approved Safety Equipment to Ensure Their Safety

Motorcyclists should always employ fully functional safety equipment to protect themselves while on the road. This includes lights, reflectors, proper signaling equipment, protective clothing, and a helmet. Using approved safety equipment while on the road can help save a motorcyclist’s life in the event of an accident and additionally support their case for compensation from a negligent driver who may have caused the crash. A motorcyclist or bicyclist involved in an accident who failed to use safety equipment or follow traffic laws before an accident may lose their right to collect the full amount of damages from a negligent driver who caused the accident.

Alcohol Is a Major Factor in Many Fatal Maryland Motorcycle Accidents

July 15, 2016 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Serious and fatal motorcycle accidents have a number of potential causes. In some cases, it is the motorcyclist who is at fault for driving recklessly, or operating the bike without the proper level of experience. However, these accidents are far less common than most would believe from reading the news media, which seems to imply that most motorcycle accidents are the fault of the motorcyclist. However, that is simply not the case.

Causes of Motorcycle Accidents

Single-vehicle motorcycle accidents account for just one-third of the total of all motorcycle accidents. Of these, it is true that operator error is listed as a potential cause about 65% of the time. However, the vast majority of motorcycle accidents involve at least one other vehicle. Of those accidents, just one-third involve motorcyclist error as a potential cause. In fact, the most common cause of all motorcycle accidents is the other driver’s failure to see the motorcycle. Of course, there can be many reasons for this, including that the other vehicle’s operator is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The determination of fault has nothing to do with the fact that a serious motorcycle accident can have irreversible effects on a family.

Motorcyclist Liability to Passengers

Even when it has been determined that a motorcyclist was in fact at fault in a motorcycle accident, the operator, as well as their passenger, may be able to recover for their injuries through the driver’s insurance coverage. In cases where a motorcyclist causes a serious accident that injures a passenger, the passenger may be entitled to monetary compensation through the driver’s insurance policy. Indeed, this is the very reason that insurance coverage is mandatory in Maryland.

Bicycle Accidents on Maryland Roads

July 8, 2016 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As the summer season rolls in, more and more people will hop on their bicycles, leaving the cars in the garage. Bicycling can be an affordable and environmentally friendly way to get where you need to go, but riding a bicycle presents additional dangers that commuters should be aware of and should take precautions against.

Perhaps some of the biggest dangers to bicyclists are distracted drivers. Since in most cities bicycles are required to ride on the road with cars and trucks, a driver who is not paying as close attention as they should may inadvertently drift into a bike lane or fail to see a turning bicyclist. In cases in which another motorist causes a bicycle accident, that bicyclist may be entitled to recover compensation for any injuries they sustained. However, in Maryland, a very specific doctrine makes it difficult – if not impossible – for a bicyclist to recover for their injuries when the bicyclist shares fault with another party.

The Doctrine of Contributory Negligence

Maryland follows the doctrine of contributory negligence when it comes to determining who is able to recover for their injuries after an accident. Indeed, contributory negligence is a very strict doctrine that prevents an injured accident victim from seeking compensation for their injuries if they are even the slightest bit at fault in causing the accident that resulted in their injuries. This means that it is incredibly important for anyone injured in a Maryland bicycle accident to seek out the counsel of an experienced personal injury attorney.

Court Declines to Apply Governmental Immunity in Motorcycle Accident Case When Evidence Presented Showed a Breach of a Ministerial Duty

June 27, 2016 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month, a Mississippi court issued an opinion in a motorcycle accident case brought by the estate of a man who died when he inadvertently entered a construction zone and crashed his motorcycle. In the case, Mississippi Transportation Commission v. Adams, the court made its ruling based on the governmental immunity that state, federal, and municipal governments enjoy when engaging in the discretionary functions of running a government. However, in this case, the court declined to extend the immunity to protect the government because the activity at issue — covering the white lines used to guide motorists — is “ministerial” in nature rather than “discretionary.”

The Facts of the Case

Adams was riding his motorcycle on a Mississippi highway when he accidentally entered a construction zone. Once in the construction zone, Adams attempted to exit safely, but as he tried to do so, his motorcycle hit an uneven surface, and he lost control. He was ejected from his motorcycle and was then struck by two passing vehicles. He died as a result of his injuries.

His wife filed a lawsuit against the government, claiming that the traffic control devices, including the white lines used to guide motorists on the highway, were not effective in preventing motorists from entering the dangerous construction zone.

Man Critically Injured in Motorcycle Accident; Reconstruction Team Trying to Discover Cause

June 20, 2016 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In most accidents, there are two sides to the story. Often, each party’s version of what happened is partly based on reality and partly based on their own biases. However, in some accidents, due to the nature of the injuries involved, there may only be one side to the story. That is often the case in motorcycle accidents in which the motorcyclist sustains a serious injury to his or her head.

Police are supposed to do more than ask each person involved their side of the story. Indeed, police and accident investigation teams should conduct a thorough investigation of the scene, plugging in what each party claims to have happened to determine which scenario is closest to the truth. In some cases, however, there is no reliable evidence on which the police can base their investigation, and an accident reconstruction team is called in to reconstruct the accident in hopes of determining how the accident was caused. This determination is important for police to determine if either of the drivers should be issued a citation, and it may also be the basis for a personal injury lawsuit in the future.

Reconstruction Team Deployed to Figure Out Recent Motorcycle Accident

Earlier this month, an accident involving a motorcycle and a pickup truck left one man in critical condition. According to a news report covering the incident, the collision took place during the morning commute in Rochester, Minnesota.

Left-Turn Accidents: One of the Leading Causes of Fatal Motorcycle Crashes

June 13, 2016 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Motorcycle accidents, like car accidents, have a number of causes. Most commonly, a motorcycle collision involves one driver not paying as close attention as they should to the road and failing to see the other party. Anyone who has spent much time on a motorcycle knows that one of the most dangerous moments for motorcyclists is when cars or trucks are making a left turn. This is when the car or truck is most likely to overlook the motorcyclist and cause a collision.

Drivers of cars and trucks like to try and shift the blame for motorcycle accidents onto the motorcyclists themselves, claiming that motorcyclists “ask for it” by choosing to ride a motorcycle. However, that is not how the law sees it. Under Maryland law, motorists owe a duty of care to everyone with whom they share the road, including motorcyclists, bicyclists, and those riding motorized scooters.

When the driver of a car or truck fails to keep a proper lookout and strikes a motorcyclist, that driver may be held accountable for their actions through a Maryland personal injury lawsuit. This includes situations in which the collision was an honest “accident,” since the fact that the driver didn’t mean to cause an collision doesn’t make the recovery process any easier for those who were injured as a result.

Motorcycle Accident Victim’s Case against City Alleging Negligent Failure to Remedy Dangerous Road Conditions Permitted to Proceed

June 6, 2016 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month, the Oregon Supreme Court issued an opinion in favor of a motorcycle accident plaintiff who was injured when another driver struck him at what he claimed to be a known dangerous intersection. In the case, Turner v. Department of Transportation, the court allowed the plaintiff’s claims against the city and county governments, alleging that the entities were negligent in failing to remedy an intersection known to be dangerous.

The Facts of the Case

Back in 2008, one of the defendants was making a left turn from a street onto a larger highway when she struck the plaintiff, who was riding a motorcycle. The plaintiff had the right-of-way. The plaintiff suffered a serious injury as a result of the accident and filed a personal injury lawsuit against both the driver of the car that hit him as well as several government entities in charge of maintaining the road.

Relevant to this case, the plaintiff claimed that the government entities should have done something to fix what was known to be a dangerous intersection. Evidently, drivers making a left from the street onto the highway had a greatly reduced line of sight, and previous accidents had been caused in the same manner as the one in this case.

New Statistic Shows Motorcycle Deaths Topped 5,000 in 2015

May 26, 2016 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

While motorcyclists only account for a small number of the vehicles on the roads, the number of serious or fatal accidents involving motorcycles is fairly high. While some motorcycle accidents are caused by rider error, many of the fatal motorcycle accidents we see each year are caused by other motorists and their inexperience with sharing the road with motorcyclists. In fact, one of the major causes of serious and fatal motorcycle accidents is another motorist’s failure to see a motorcyclist.

Whether a motorist drives a car, truck, or motorcycle, they have a duty to those with whom they share the road. This duty requires that the motorist operate their vehicle in a manner that is safe and responsible. Of course, this also includes refraining from distracted or intoxicated driving. When a motorist violates this duty and creates a danger on the road, he or she can be held liable for the damages that result through a Maryland motorcycle accident lawsuit.

Injured motorcyclists should be prepared for a fight, however. Routinely, at-fault drivers and their insurance companies try and shift the blame onto the motorcyclist. For example, if a motorcyclist is injured while not wearing a helmet, an at-fault driver may attempt to use that fact against the motorcyclist. However, the fact remains that without the at-fault driver’s negligence, there would have been no accident in the first place.

Family of Fatal Motorcycle Accident Victim Takes Issue with the Determined Cause of the Accident

May 19, 2016 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Motorcycle accidents are often misunderstood by many members of the general public, and this shouldn’t really come as a big surprise because most people don’t ride motorcycles as a primary means of transportation. However, it is more surprising – as well as more upsetting – when police subscribe to the same stereotypes that lead others to assume that any single-vehicle motorcycle accident was the rider’s fault.

While it is true that a large percentage of motorcycle accidents are caused by user error or aggressive driving, those are certainly not the only causes. In fact, other motorists failing to see or yield to a motorcyclist is one of the leading causes of motorcycle accidents. However, news reports routinely place the blame for motorcycle accidents on the rider, rather than consider alternate causes. In some cases, police will also take a “short cut” and, rather than conduct a thorough investigation into what really occurred, will claim that a motorcyclist “lost control” of the motorcycle, leading to the accident.

This can be devastating to the family of a deceased motorcyclist, not only because it leaves them without anyone to answer their questions about what happened, but also because it leaves them with little to no means of recourse.

Off-Duty State Trooper Killed in Motorcycle Accident

May 12, 2016 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Motorcycle accidents are caused by a variety of poor driving habits, most commonly distracted or inattentive driving. Each year, about a quarter of all serious or fatal traffic accidents are caused by distracted driving. While society does not condemn distracting driving, as it does drunk driving, the reality is that the two are about equal in the number of deaths they cause.

Whether an accident is caused by a distracted or drunk driver, or any other time a motorist is responsible for causing a serious or fatal motorcycle accident, the motorcyclist as well as his passenger may be entitled to monetary compensation based on the other driver’s negligence. To prove this kind of case in Maryland or Washington, D.C., an accident victim must be able to prove not just that the other motorist was at fault but also that the accident victim himself was not at all at fault in the accident. This is due to the doctrine of contributory negligence, which is in effect in both Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Man Killed in Florida Motorcycle Accident

Earlier this month, a state trooper in Tampa Bay, Florida was killed when the motorcycle he was operating was struck by an SUV. According to one news report, an SUV was stopped at an intersection waiting for traffic to clear. When the driver believed the intersection to be clear, she pulled out to cross the intersection. However, as she did so, she ended up striking the motorcycle, which was carrying an off-duty state trooper and his wife.