Maryland Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog
If there is one thing that motorcyclists, as well as other drivers, cannot completely avoid it would be random occurrences that affect the safety of that particular rider, driver or vehicle occupant. Traffic accidents by their very nature are random, whether they happen here in the Baltimore area, over in Bowie, Annapolis or Washington, D.C. What is more important to understand is that preparation can only help one to be ready for the unexpected.
As a Maryland personal injury lawyer, I know that nobody can fully prepare themselves for any contingency. This is why insurance companies exist and why people buy life, health and automobile insurance policies; there are just some events that cannot be predicted. Certainly, the timing of catastrophic events is very difficult to pin own, and again, this is why people all over the world purchase insurance to protect themselves and their loved ones.
Taking random events as a given, and as haphazard as they may seem, unexpected car and trucking accidents can turn out to be very deadly. More than one motorist, biker, cyclist, pedestrian or bystander has been killed or maimed by the random and deadly events sometimes precipitated by a negligent individual. And more than one wrongful death lawsuit has been filed in a Maryland court following what the plaintiffs have deemed gross negligence or even extreme indifference on the part of the defendant.
We mention the chance occurrence of a deadly roadway accident because of a couple articles we ran across not so long ago. In one case, a motorcycle rider died after being involved in what most anyone would describe as a freak happening. The other accident, certainly a more typical scenario, sent the rider to emergency room for treatment of injuries suffered as a result of the collision.
The first accident proved fatal to a rider when a low-flying bird struck a motorcyclist as he was traveling along a stretch of Brown Station Rd. in Upper Marlboro. According to information provided by Prince George’s County police, the crash happened around 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Officials stated that the riders was passing another vehicle on the right-hand shoulder of the road when a buzzard reportedly contacted the rider. The impact apparently resulted in the rider losing control of his mount, then hitting a curb and striking both a fire hydrant and a nearby utility pole.
The 31-year-old motorcycle rider was taken by EMS personnel to a local hospital, but doctors could not save the man and he died a short time after being admitted to the emergency room. Police did say that the motorcycle may have been speeding; that, as well as the impact with the large bird likely caused the wreck.
In another incident, a 22-year-old motorcycle rider from Westminster was injured when the biker tried to avoid another vehicle as he was headed east along a stretch of Old Taneytown Rd. Based on police reports, the rider had to swerve to avoid a car traveling in the wrong lane. The emergency maneuver apparently caused the rider to lose control and crash, though he did not hit any other vehicles.
The victim was taken by medevac chopper to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center following the mid-day crash, according to Maryland State Police. Fortunately for this individual, his injuries were not life-threatening and it appeared that he would recover without serious medical problems.
22-year-old crashes motorcycle avoiding another vehicle, CarrollCountyTimes.com, May 17, 2012
Man Killed In Motorcycle Crash, CBSLocal.com, May 8, 2012