Articles Posted in Fatal Motorcycle Accidents

As a personal injury attorney, my job is to represent victims of accidents precipitated by the negligent actions of other individuals. Motorcycle riders may be one of the most common groups of motorists injured on the road, especially during the spring and summer months.

Unfortunately, traffic accidents involving bikes, such as Harley-Davidsons, Suzukis, Triumphs and Hondas, are usually severe and cause extensive bodily injury to the riders. More often than not, a crash with a passenger car or commercial truck can result in death. Helmets make a big difference, but in this life there are no guarantees.

The tragic part of the story is that many injuries and fatal crashes experienced by the motorcycling community could be avoided if other motorists took the added effort to check for two-wheelers sharing the road. As a Maryland motorcycle accident lawyer, I’ve seen enough horrendous accident scenes to last a lifetime. But I never tire of offering help to victims and their families following these kinds of terrible and sometimes life-altering collisions.

Having assisted numerous motorcycle riders following life-threatening bike-automobile accidents, I have seen the carnage that can be inflicted on a motorcyclist during a serious crash. It goes without saying that bikers and other riders of two-wheel motor vehicles have less protection against a severe traffic wreck than people in four-wheeled vehicles, and zero when compared to semi truck drivers in their big rigs. But most motorcycle riders know this and understand the risks.

Some highway collisions cannot be survived. At the very least, massive head and back injuries are common, even at low speeds, which can lead to permanent paralysis and a lifetime of medical care. Rehabilitation following such accidents can help, but is also expensive and can crush a family’s savings in a very short time. If the victim was the major income earner for the family the effects of a debilitating bike wreck are only magnified.

Not long ago a young rider from Broomes Island was killed when a pickup truck apparently pulled into the road directly in front of the man’s motorcycle. According to reports, the accident occurred just after 6pm along Broomes Island Road near Island Creek Lane in Calvert County.

Few can deny that motorcycles have their appeal. On one hand they offer a feeling of freedom. On the other hand, they certainly can be dangerous. This is why some motorcycle owners describe riding a bike as an exercise in risk management. One of the biggest risks for bikers here in Maryland — regardless of whether they own a Honda, Kawasaki or Harley Davidson — is the potential for severe injury or even death as a result of a traffic accident.

As a Baltimore motorcycle accident lawyer, I’ve met many motorcyclists and they all share an undying passion for riding, for the open road. Each person deals with the inherent risks in his or her own way. Sadly, however, all bikers face some formidable dangers in the guise of passenger cars, family minivans and commercial trucks. From being side-swiped by a distracted driver to catching a thrown tread off a poorly maintained semi tractor-trailer, the prospect of receiving cuts, bruises, broken bones and road rash looks downright sunny next to the dead-end alternative a fatal high-speed crash with another, larger motor vehicle.

Not long ago, two riders died in separate accidents on the same Friday evening here in Maryland. One could say it was a fluke, but with the number of motorcycle enthusiasts on the road these days, a more cynical person would suggest it was simply inevitable. In each of these cases — one in Joppa, MD, and the other in Hanover — the accidents involved questionable riding behavior on the part of each rider. Both motorcycle accidents involved a collision with an automobile.

One fact that becomes quite clear, having represented numerous victims of motorcycle accidents, is that bikes offer next to no protection for their riders. It makes little difference whether you ride a Harley, Suzuki, Yamaha or Honda, larger vehicle including cars, SUVs, minivans and semi tractor-trailers can inflict serious injuries to a rider in the case of a crash. Deaths from car-bike wrecks and bike-truck accidents are also common.

It is because of this fact that riding a motorcycle leaves very little margin for error. The freedom of two-wheel travel on the open road must always be balanced by the dangers awaiting even the most careful biker. This is why, as a Maryland motorcycle accident lawyer, I am quick to remind anyone contemplating owning a chopper, cruiser, standard or so-called crotch-rocket, be careful and use every piece of safety equipment available to you.

One recent motorcycle crash points out the potential finality of any traffic accident. According to news reports, a 31-year-old rider died following a collision with a van on Route 301 in Waldorf, MD. The accident occurred late on a Saturday afternoon when Deven Rachar Blackshear hit the side of a 2005 Chrysler Town & Country that was pulling out of a parking lot onto the highway.

It is a fact that motorcycles offer less protection to their riders than cars or trucks do to their drivers and passengers. But while some people say bikes are too dangerous to ride on the street the choice to ride or not is a personal decision that every motorcyclist must make for him or herself.

As a Baltimore motorcycle injury attorney, I support an individual’s right to choose how they will live their life, even if the risks are more than some people can accept. So long as the state of Maryland allows bikers to rider their machines on the city streets and rural roads, they have the same rights and responsibilities as passenger car drivers and truck operators.

In my position, I often hear of fatal motorcycling accidents that would give most people pause. Recent news of a crash in Charles County is one such incident. According to Maryland State Police in La Plata, there was a traffic accident on Route 301 that resulted in the death of a rider and injury to two other motorists. At the time of the news article, police were still investigating the crash.

Motorcycle riders are particularly at risk when it comes to Maryland traffic accidents. Unlike bicycles, whose riders are similarly exposed, a biker’s machine is more powerful and much faster. Even when wearing leathers or other protective riding gear, being thrown from your Harley or Honda onto hard pavement at highway speeds can result in life-threatening injuries, sometimes a rider is even killed on the spot.

Motorists also have a hard time identifying motorcycles in traffic. Because of this, a smaller Suzuki or Yamaha two-wheeler can go unnoticed until it’s too late. As a Baltimore injury lawyer, I‘ve read too many time about motorists turning directly in front of a bike in broad daylight only to say they never saw the rider or his bike. That’s a scenario that many riders learn about first hand, and it only takes once to make that point clear.

A recent news reports indicated that a resident of Ann Arundel County pleaded guilty to a charge of negligent homicide in the drunk driving-related traffic accident that killed a Glen Burnie motorcycle rider last summer. The accident happened on Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard last August when a 2004 Acura driven Alida Roxana Holyoke, 27, apparently turned in front of a motorcycle rider causing him to crash, the woman then left the scene of the accident.

A word to the wise: It doesn’t matter how good a cycle rider you are, motorcycle accidents can happen to the best riders. Tragically, motorcycle accidents can be very unforgiving to many motorcyclists. As motorcycle accident attorneys, I and my colleagues understand how sudden a fatal traffic accident can occur; many motorcycle-car accidents can spell danger to bike riders. Just recently, a veteran police officer and avid motorcyclist lost his life while riding to work.

According to news reports, an 42-year-old off-duty Baltimore County officer was killed in late October when his cycle nearly collided with a car about two miles from the Parkville Precinct station. Officer Jeffrey Neral, a 17-year member of the department, was riding to work around 1pm on his 2009 Harley Davidson southbound on Old Harford Road when he approached a 2002 Ford Focus, a police spokesman said.

The car’s driver, 26-year-old Pei Kao had just left Loch Raven Presbyterian Church in the 9300 block of Old Harford Road. To avoid a collision, Neral laid down the motorcycle but was subsequently thrown from it and hit the driver’s side of Kao’s automobile.