Articles Posted in Motorcycle Accidents

Hit-and-run accidents are often characterized by several distinct elements. Common characteristics include the accident having very few witnesses and or poor lighting, as the driver is more likely to believe there will not be repercussions for their behavior. If there are many witnesses or the scene is highly visible, people are less likely to flee the scene of a crash. Similarly, drivers are much more likely to flee the scene of an accident between the hours of midnight and 4:00 a.m., than between 8:00 a.m. and 11:59 a.m. This is due to a host of reasons, but one explanation is that nighttime drivers generally engage in more risky behavior.

A recent article described how a serious hit-and-run accident occurred early on the morning of Sunday, September 25. Around 4:00 a.m., a man was riding a Lime motorized scooter on the way home on 14th Street Southwest when the incident occurred. A witness told law enforcement officials that she was right behind the driver when she saw the car hit the scooter near 14th Street and Jefferson Drive Southwest. The witness said that the driver did not stop when the collision occurred, and instead, kept driving toward Virginia. After seeing the crash and realizing the driver was not stopping, the witness followed the car that hit the scooter and took down the license number. She then called the police. That night, first responders from D.C. Fire and EMS took the man to a local hospital. The scooter rider is now recovering in the ICU. The driver has not been located and the hit-and-run is now being investigated by the D.C. police.

Hit-and-run accidents can be scary, frustrating, and anxiety-producing because of the many questions you may have about what to do next. From insurance claims to filing police reports, and figuring out the next legal steps, this type of accident can be tricky to navigate alone. A hit-and-run accident involves a driver hitting a person, vehicle, property, or object and fleeing the scene, taking no accountability for the injuries to the person or the damages made to the property. This includes failure to provide assistance and failure to report the accident. Under Washington, D.C. law, first-time offenders of a hit-and-run violation may face a penalty of 180 days in jail and a fine of $1,000. Penalties may increase depending on how many times a person has been found to have been involved in a hit-and-run violation, as well as depending on the damages that resulted because of the collision.

According to a recent news report, a driver of a car was driving on Frank Tippet Road in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and collided with a motorcycle. The motorcyclist was found unresponsive at the scene and was later pronounced dead. The driver of the car fled after the crash. Police were able to later find the car that was involved in the crash, and were working to identify the driver.

On a typical day, drivers and pedestrians share the road with various emergency vehicles such as police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances. Emergency vehicles may have to maneuver their way through heavy traffic to respond to an incident, which requires other drivers to be alert and prepared to safely move to the right and allow the vehicle to pass by. It is not surprising that when emergency vehicles are responding to other incidents, there’s a risk that they may instead collide with other cars, motorcyclists, or pedestrians on the road. According to the National Safety Council, in 2020, 180 people died in crashes involving emergency vehicles. Drivers and pedestrians should be alert and aware of their surroundings so that they can pay attention to when emergency vehicles that share the road with us.

In a recent news report, a man on a motorcycle was seriously injured after he was struck by a firetruck in Northwest D.C. According to the report, D.C. Fire and EMS crews were responding to a fire when they collided with a motorcyclist. The accident occurred at the intersection of 3rd and E streets in the Judiciary Square neighborhood. While no one on the fire truck was injured, the driver was taken to a hospital with serious injuries. An internal investigation is taking place to determine the cause of the crash.

In a busy city like Washington, D.C., it is common to hear an emergency siren blaring or to see emergency lights flashing, signaling a need for drivers to safely yield so that the emergency vehicle may pass by. Unsurprisingly, emergency response vehicles may be traveling at high speeds to respond to an incident, and sometimes these vehicles may provide little to no warning to give drivers enough time to decide how best to proceed. In some situations, if an accident occurs with an emergency vehicle, the emergency vehicle may decide either not to stop so that they may continue responding to their original emergency situation, or they may decide to stop briefly to give the other driver enough time to get identifying information.

A recently filed class action lawsuit accuses District of Columbia police officers of intentionally running their squad cars into black motorcyclists, in order to then confiscate the bikes and sell them.

The main plaintiff in the case claims that the Metropolitan Police Department officers intentionally target mostly young, male, African American motorcyclists in poorer areas of the city, without regard for their lives, safety, or constitutional rights.

The suit further claims that the District of Columbia and MPD supervisors not only condone but also tacitly encourage this practice, in order to make money off of the bikes.

The class seeks to represent all young black motorcyclists riding small motorbikes or all terrain vehicles of 250 cubic centimeters or less. They estimate the class size to be in the hundreds, based upon the declarations submitted by victims.

The complaint alleges that riders abandon their bikes after being hit by MPD cruisers, in an attempt to flee. The bikes are then confiscated, and allegedly sold to create a revenue stream. The class claims the officers have caused bodily injuries, pain and suffering, disability, emotional distress and damage to their bikes, among other things. They seek class certification and $100 million in compensatory and punitive damages for alleged constitutional violations, negligence, assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

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