Maryland Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog

Montgomery County Police recently released updated information regarding an accident involving a motorcycle and an SUV in Rockville near Montrose Road and Tower Oaks Boulevard.

According to a statement from police, a 2006 Toyota Highlander was traveling east on Montrose Road and began to turn left onto northbound Tower Oaks when it struck a Ducati 848, which was traveling west on Montrose. The driver and passenger of the motorcycle were ejected from the vehicle. Police stated the bike then erupted into flames.

The driver of the motorcycle died at the hospital as a result of the injuries he suffered following the collision. The passenger reportedly suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Police also said the driver of the Highlander suffered non-life threatening injuries.

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Earlier this month, Maryland State Police troopers responded to a reportedly serious motor vehicle collision involving a motorcycle on US Route 301, just north of MD Route 227.

The preliminary investigation revealed that a tractor-trailer was traveling northbound on US Route 301 at MD Route 227, and had stopped at the signal for a red light. Once the light turned green, the truck began to travel forward and through the intersection. At that time, a Yamaha Motorcycle carrying a male driver and passenger was also traveling northbound, behind the tractor-trailer. The motorcyclist somehow failed to control his speed in order to avoid the collision, and crashed into the trailer. Though the information regarding the nature of the collision is unclear, it appears as thought the motorcycle was not stopped at the red light, but rather had been traveling at a fast speed and failed to anticipate having to slow down.

When police arrived on the scene, they located two unresponsive men wearing motorcycle safety equipment and lying in the roadway. Further inquiry revealed that both men had been ejected from the vehicle, and they both ultimately died at the scene due to their injuries. The driver of the tractor trailer was unharmed.

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Two unrelated motorcycle accidents in Carroll County left one rider dead and another seriously injured in on two different roadways.

The first accident, which occurred in Taneytown in the morning, involved a rider who reportedly failed to negotiate a turn properly, which caused him to careen off of the road where he ultimately crashed into a fence post and wire. Emergency personnel pronounced the man dead at the scene. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.

An unrelated motorcycle crash occurred in the evening in Westminster, resulting in serious injuries to the rider. According to police, the motorcyclist was riding westbound on Route 97 when he crossed the double yellow line, and thus entering the southbound lane where he collided head on with an SUV. The four occupants of the SUV, two adults and two children, were reportedly unharmed in the crash. The motorcycle rider reportedly suffered serious but not life threatening injuries and was was taken by helicopter to Shock Trauma for treatment. Police believe that speeding and alcohol consumption may have been factors contributing to the crash. The investigation remains ongoing and charges are reportedly pending.

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A motorcyclist was reportedly driving north of Thurmont over the weekend, when he apparently lost control of his motorcycle, throwing both him and his female passenger from the bike.

At nearly 12:30 in the afternoon, the motorcycle was heading south on Md. 550, north of Kelbaugh Road in Sabillasville, Md., when the driver suddenly lost control on a curve in the road, throwing both riders off of the bike.

Maryland State Police reported that the man was pronounced dead on the scene. According to a news release from state police, the woman was transported to a local medical center for treatment of her injuries. The investigation remains ongoing.

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A Baltimore woman was killed earlier this month in Queen Anne’s County when a car struck the motorcycle she was riding.

State police reported that the collision occurred just before 9 p.m. on Route 18 in Kent Narrows, west of the intersection of Kent Narrows Way South. A Nissan Versa reportedly crossed the yellow center line in the road and struck the motorcycle head-on. Both the car and motorcycle caught fire after the collision.

Maryland State Police said that the driver of the Nissan was transported to a hospital in Queen Anne’s County for treatment. The driver and passenger of the motorcycle were both flown to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center for treatment. The passenger was listed as being in critical condition, while the driver of the motorcycle died a few hours later. The accident remains under investigation by state police.

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According to police, a man was killed in Lanham last month, when his motorcycle collided with a truck in Howard County.

The accident occurred when the motorcyclist was traveling on his motorcycle northbound on U.S. 1 in Elkridge when he collided with a truck that was turning left from southbound U.S. 1 onto Kit Kat Road.

The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the truck was not injured. Police say the truck is owned by Georgetown Paper Stock.

Police stated that a preliminary investigation indicated that the speed of the motorcycle may have been a contributing factor to the crash.

This accident is one of many in Maryland in recent weeks that involves a driver attempting to make a left hand turn. Accidents occur often at intersections and other traffic crossings merely because there is a higher potential for two or more vehicles to make contact, and also because of issues with judging distance and right of way.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, per mile traveled on the road, motorcyclists are about 35 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a traffic crash.

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A Frederick area man died in a motorcycle accident last week, as he was following his long-time girlfriend’s car while she was driving in front of him.

The crash occurred last weekend near the 5800 block of Md. 77 near Thurmont. According to reports from the Maryland State Police, the collision occurred when the 56-year-old motorcyclist lost control of his bike and skidded into oncoming traffic, where he became pinned between the motorcycle and another vehicle.

The man’s girlfriend had been driving in front of him, as the two were returning from an American Legion fundraiser he had been participating in. The woman later learned that the man had been planning to propose to her soon.

The man, who was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police believe that wet pavement could have been a factor in the crash, as it had recently rained and the pavement was damp at the time.

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According to Maryland State Police, a Baltimore Ravens cheerleader was killed as a result of a motorcycle collision that occurred on Interstate 15 over the holiday weekend.

The 27 year old man was driving to Camp Woodward in Pennsylvania on Friday morning when he collided with a 2012 Volkswagen Jetta that was turning left. According to his former employer, where he was the coach of a local cheerleading squad, the man had recently tried out for the Baltimore Ravens’ co-ed cheerleading squad, and reportedly made the team and was set to begin his first season with the NFL this coming fall.

The driver of the Volkswagen was reportedly not seriously injured. The cause of the accident and the circumstances under which it occurred remains under investigation.

Drivers of other vehicles who are unaware of or otherwise not paying attention to motorcyclists on the road are often to blame for causing motorcycle accidents. Contrary to what people may believe about motorcycle drivers, motorcyclists are typically incredibly safe drivers and usually abide by all of the relevant traffic regulations.

When motorcycle accidents are caused by the negligence of other drivers, there will often be liability associated with the actions that lead to these collisions. However, liability is not taken at face value, and must be proved through the course of a lawsuit. Handling a motorcycle accident case requires the implementation of certain strategies due to the fact that motorcycle riders are often unfairly associated with negative stereotypes which can thus harm how they are perceived by potential jurors. Opposing attorneys will often seek to perpetuate these stereotypes in order to defend their clients.

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