In May, three motorcyclists in the Washington, DC area died within a three day period. Another motorcyclist was seriously injured. The three separate accidents lead to the three fatalities.
Two male bikers were each riding their motorcycles near the intersection of Route 301 and Short Cut Road on a Thursday afternoon in May. A minivan that was also at the intersection should have yielded the right of way to the two bikers, but failed to do so, and the resulting crash killed both of the motorcyclists. Both bikers were killed on impact when they were hit by the van, according to Maryland State Police.
The identity of the van driver was not released. He was treated at a local hospital for the minor injuries that he sustained in the crash.
The previous Wednesday morning another motorcyclist was seriously injured in a separate crash. Around 5:45 a.m. a chain of events
was set off that involved a whole series of accidents. In the northbound lane of I-95 early Wednesday morning, a Toyota was rear ended by a station wagon. Then, seconds later, a motorcycle was unable to stop and ran into the back end of the station wagon.
The motorcyclist was thrown from his bike and directly into the path of an oncoming tractor trailer. The motorcyclist was killed as he was run over by the tractor trailer. He was transported to Ivona Fairfax Hospital for treatment as quickly as possible, but the man had sustained life-threatening injuries and could not be saved.
In the collision the bike that the man had been on flew forward, causing several other vehicles to swerve to avoid hitting or getting hit by the motorcycle. As the cars swerved to avoid hitting the bike, three vehicles ended up in a crash. Thankfully none of these other drivers were injured.
The station wagon driver, whose actions set this chain of events in motion, was charged with careless driving.
Motorcyclists are the most likely of all motorists to be fatally injured or sustain very serious injuries in the event of an accident with another vehicle. Other drivers are afforded more protection by their vehicles, while motorcyclists are protected only by the helmet they have hopefully chosen to wear.
The day before this crash, another accident had already occurred. On Tuesday a 68-year-old man was riding his motorcycle on I-95, heading northbound, when he lost control of his bike. He was driving his motorcycle in the left lane of I-95, but lost control due to the wet roads. He drove onto the shoulder and then back into the center lane, but as he did so, his motorcycle was hit by a tractor trailer. The tractor trailer just kept driving after hitting the man.
Motorcyclists should take extra care when riding their bikes. Because they have little protection, they must always be observant of safety regulations and not take any chances or make any risky moves. But motorcyclists are not immune to careless actions by other drivers, and they are most likely to be seriously affected by the negligence of other drivers.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident caused by another driver’s negligence, contact an experienced Missouri motorcycle accident attorney. You may be entitled to compensation for damages relating to the accident.
