Maryland Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog

Baltimore Biker Injury News: Maryland Woman Dies When Husband Loses Control of Couple’s Harley Motorcycle

August 23, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Without a doubt, motorcycle riding gives its fans a wonderful experience of freedom and adventure. There is little in the way of affordable fun that provides that same level of joy and excitement on the open road. But as a Maryland motorcycle accident attorney, I know the downside to all that fun and adventure. Sadly, when a rider is involved in a highway accident, especially at cruising speeds or involving a large commercial truck, the result can be nothing less than tragic.

While riding provides an unparalleled traveling experience, the pleasure of a two-wheel excursion must always be balanced against the dangers inherent with the sport. Not long ago a news article point out that fact in no uncertain terms.

According to the article, a woman was killed when the bike she and her husband were traveling on went out of control and crashed in Baltimore County. Based on police reports, the accident occurred on Putty Hill Avenue just after 12:30am in mid-July.

Maryland Motorcycle Injury News: Biker “Airbag” May Provide Added Crash Protection for Cycle Riders

August 16, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

If there is but one constant it’s that motorcycle riding can be a risky pastime. Whether you ride a Honda or Harley, Ducati or Yamaha, if you get into a crash situation with a four-wheeler or semi tractor-trailer you’ll need a lot of luck to avoid an injury. And, the faster you are going at the time will also determine your odds of receiving serious injuries such as broken bones, road rash or a skull fracture.

As a Baltimore motorcycle accident lawyer, I represent riders who have been injured as a result of another person’s negligence. I know from experience that bikers involved in bad highway collisions can have a long road to recovery — not just physically, but financially. Unfortunately, many riders are killed outright when hit by a larger passenger car or sport utility vehicle.

Well, there may be hope for better protection for riders in the future. According to a recent article, there is a new product that might reduce motorcycle crash injuries and even fatalities. The makers call it the Armored Air Jacket and it is supposed to improve bikers’ chances of surviving a bad crash.

Maryland Bike Accident News: Baltimore Cop Suspended following Fatal Police Chase with Motorcycle Rider

August 8, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As a Maryland personal injury attorney and motorcycle accident lawyer, my job is to help victims and their families recover from the aftermath of sometimes life-altering traffic collisions. Regardless of whether the individual is a driver or passenger, injuries sustained in a crash on city streets, open highways or rural country roads the results can be horribly expensive in both human and financial terms.

A recent article points out the dangers of police pursuit, especially in cases where life is lost. According to news reports, a Baltimore patrolman was suspended after he allegedly ignored orders to break off a chase with a biker allegedly riding a stolen Suzuki GSX 600. Police officials said that the 10-year department veteran had received orders to stop chasing a motorcyclist who was eventually killed in Cockeysville, MD, he apparently crashed as a result of the police pursuit.

Baltimore police are reportedly barred from chasing vehicles unless provided with specific orders to do so. The chase in question began on Northern Parkway after the officer, Timothy Beall, apparently saw the motorcyclist racing with another vehicle. According to the article, Officer Beall fatally shot a man in January 2009 when the suspect pointed an assault rifle at the officer during a foot chase in Better Waverly. The Baltimore Police Department ruled that the shooting was justified.

Maryland Motorcycle Accident News: Carroll County Rider in Critical Condition following Washington County Traffic Accident

July 31, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A 47-year-old motorcyclist and his passenger were injured on a Saturday afternoon when the bike they were riding on collided with a passenger car along a section of Maryland 63 just west of Hagerstown, MD. Being a Baltimore motorcycle accident lawyer for many years, this is a distressingly typical scenario experienced by many bikers at least once during their lifetime.

This traffic accident, which also involved a passenger vehicle, is only one of dozens reported every year in Maryland. In this particular case, the wreck was bad enough that it left the driver of the bike in critical condition at a local hospital.

According to police reports, two Carroll County residents were enjoying a Saturday afternoon ride outside of Hagerstown when a 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo tried to cross the roadway eastbound along Broadfording Road. In the process of crossing Md. 63 the Chevy apparently pulled right into the path of the oncoming motorcycle.

Maryland Bicycle Injury Update: Baltimore and D.C. Rank 29th and 32nd Nationwide in Fatal Traffic Accidents

July 22, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Baltimore has become a very popular city with cycling enthusiasts. However, with that popularity comes increasing number of cyclists on city streets, sharing lanes with passenger cars, motor-powered two-wheelers, large SUVs and commercial trucks of all types. Whether you’re an optimist or not, recent data may have bicycle riders grinning ear-to-ear while at the same time looking over their collective shoulders more than ever.

According to Transportation for America (TOA), the pedestrian and bicycle safety organization, over 76,000 Americans have been killed in the past 15 years simply crossing the roads in their very own communities.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my colleagues offer legal services to individuals hurt in bicycle and automobile-related accidents. Many of these accidents are caused, sadly, by the negligence of motorists or because of commercial trucking accidents. As injury attorneys, all of us have sensed the pain and seen the suffering that can follow a cycling accident resulting from a car or truck crash. It goes without saying that the medical costs associated with treatment and rehabilitation from such accidents can become quite expensive.

The TOA’s report on pedestrian injuries and fatalities nationwide ranked metropolitan areas in terms of accident frequency for persons on foot as well as on bicycles. The shocking part of the study for this office was the authors’ description of the total deaths across the nation as being equivalent to a commercial airliner crashing with a full passenger load once a month.

Transportation for America points out that nearly 4,000 children under 16 years have been killed so far in the 2000s. Based on the TOA’s numbers, the study stated that children, the elderly and infirm individuals, and ethnic minorities are over-represented when it comes to total death count.

The study also pointed out that while many pedestrian deaths (which in this case includes not only persons on foot but also bicycle riders) are typically termed “accidents,” suggesting an error either on the part of the motor vehicle operator or the person on foot or on his or her bike. However, the TOA stresses that a large percentage of supposed accidents occurred along roadways that were, as they term it, “dangerous by design.” This is to say, that maybe the blame should be aimed at poor roadway and sidewalk design, rather than at the drivers, pedestrians and cyclists who use those walkways and streets.

Maryland Man Dies after Car Pulls Out in Front of Motorcycle in Frederick County

July 15, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

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.

Maryland Motorcycle Rider Killed in Fatal Calvert County Traffic Accident with SUV

July 8, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

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.

Berlin Motorist Pleads Guilty to Hit-and Run Death of Maryland Bicycle Rider on Route 50

June 30, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Bicycle accidents, both fatal and non-life-threatening, have become more frequent as the warmer weather has drawn more and more cyclists out onto public roadways. Sharing the road is great in theory, but it takes the active participation of all parties. When motor vehicles and pedal-powered two-wheelers tangle it’s almost always the bicycle rider who gets hurt, or worse, killed. As Maryland bicycle accident attorneys, my staff has experience in the area of bicycle and pedestrian injury accidents.

Particularly in cities as vibrant as Baltimore, MD, bike riding is both a healthy way to exercise and a eco-friendly and low-cost method of transportation. Danger does exist and every bicyclist knows that the smallest mistake can result in serious injury or even death. Car, bus, taxi and delivery truck drivers also need to be especially vigilant during the summer months for cyclists traveling in urban traffic situations.

Not long ago an all-too-familiar and sadly reminiscent scene played out in a Worchester County courtroom. The hearing involved a 35-yearold Berlin motorist pleading guilty to manslaughter in the case of a June 2009 hit-and-run incident. According to news reports, Daniel Matthew Bren was driving along a Route 50 bridge when his vehicle struck two bicyclists in the roadway. The driver then left the scene of the accident, which left one cyclist dead and a second injured following that bicycle-automobile collision.

Suzuki and Yamaha Riders Die in Separate Maryland Motorcycle Accidents on Same Day

June 23, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

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.

Biker and Wife Thrown Off Cycle with Serious Injuries in Calvert, MD, Motorcycle Accident

June 16, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Cycle accidents were on the rise earlier this spring as many bikers and other motorcycle enthusiasts hit the interstates and rural roads at the first sign of warm weather. Calvert County experienced the third of southern Maryland’s serious motorcycle crashes late on a Saturday evening in April when a husband and wife where injured in a single-bike wreck.

The accident took place on Bowie Shop road, near Lowery Road in Huntington, MD. According to reports, the couple had been traveling westbound through Calvert County just before midnight when for some reason their 2007 Harley Davidson entered the westbound shoulder of the roadway. According to police at the scene, 43-year-old Flint Duffey was piloting the vehicle with his wife, Tracy, seated on the back. (It was unknown at the time whether or not the accident was cuased by rider error or defective vehicle equipment.)

The husband apparently steered to the left and applied brakes in order to avoid leaving the pavement; however he lost control of the motorcycle, which apparently laid over and slid on its side across the roadway. Both riders were reportedly ejected from the motorcycle, which came to rest following a collision with the eastbound guardrail.