Guard Rail

A Rosedale man died Friday after his motorcycle hit a guard rail on Route 702 near I-695. Daniel Bowles, 37, was driving south at a high rate of speed on Route 702, also known as Southeastern Boulevard, when he left the roadway shortly after 11 p.m. Thursday, Baltimore County police said. He struck a guard rail near the southbound exit to the beltway and was thrown from the motorcycle. Investigators say the high rate of speed was a factor in the crash. Bowles was taken to Bayview Hospital, where he died about 1 a.m., police said.

A 41-year-old man died early Monday when his car struck a guard rail and caught fire in Hanover. The Anne Arundel County police department identified the deceased driver as Vernon Bryant Jr. of the 7500 block of Maiden Head Drive in Hanover. According to police, officers responded at 1:07 a.m. to a report of an accident involving a vehicle striking a guard rail on Corporate Center Drive near Old Stoney Run Way. Officers reported finding a 2011 GMC SUV on fire and severely damaged by the guard rail.

A Maryland state trooper escaped injury Tuesday when the brakes of his 1989 Chevrolet Caprice patrol car locked and the vehicle spun into a guard rail on Stone Chapel Road near Medford Road.Tfc. Ronald E. Diggs, 24, said he was pursuing a vehicle east along Stone Chapel Road about 2:25 a.m. when the accident occurred.He said his brakes locked when he attempted to stop at Medford Road, and the car spun out of control, crossed Medford Road and hit the guard rail.Officials said they are conducting an administrative investigation of the accident.

An early morning accident Monday on Route 50 near Parole claimed the life of a 33-year-old driver. Brian Scott Jonelis of Annapolis died at the scene of the accident, police said. Maryland State Police responded to the crash at 12:45 a.m. The victim, who was driving a GMC truck eastbound on Route 50, struck the guard rail as he attempted to exit on the ramp to Route 450, The truck turned over several times and the driver and a woman passenger were both ejected. The driver's legs were pinned under the truck, when it caught fire.

A Sparks woman was killed early Saturday after her car struck a guard rail in Cockeysville. Baltimore County police Sgt. Benjamin Yohe said that Tamara Sue Miller-Portesky, 48, was driving north on York Road at about 2:30 a.m. Shortly after going through the intersection at Thornton Mill Road, the 2003 Ford Explorer crossed the center line and rammed into the guard rail. Upon impact, Miller-Portesky was ejected from the vehicle, and she was pronounced dead at the scene from her injuries.

A 41-year-old man died early Monday when his car struck a guard rail and caught fire in Hanover. The Anne Arundel County police department identified the deceased driver as Vernon Bryant Jr. of the 7500 block of Maiden Head Drive in Hanover. According to police, officers responded at 1:07 a.m. to a report of an accident involving a vehicle striking a guard rail on Corporate Center Drive near Old Stoney Run Way. Officers reported finding a 2011 GMC SUV on fire and severely damaged by the guard rail.

WHITE MARSH -- A 69-year-old Dundalk man was killed yesterday afternoon when his pick-up truck ran off Interstate 95, hit a guard rail and flipped over three times, tossing him out.State police said William Paul Meyers, of the 1700 block of Inverness Ave., was pronounced dead at the scene by a state medical examiner. His truck was southbound about 3 p.m. when the accident occurred, police said.

Two motorcyclists, one from Virginia and the other from Pennsylvania, were injured in unrelated accidents in the Westminster area, authorities said.Steven E. O'Brien, 54, of Littlestown, Pa., and Rafael A. Rivera, 23, of Falls Church, Va., were taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore for treatment.O'Brien's 1995 Honda rear-ended a vehicle at 6: 30 a.m. yesterday on Baltimore Boulevard, state police said. He was in serious but stable condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.Rivera hit a guard rail on Route 97 near Morgan Run and was thrown from his 1986 Honda early Saturday, state police said.

Three arrested in drug raid on homeThree people were arrested Tuesday night when county police officers raided a Glen Burnie home for drugs.Armed with a search and seizure warrant, members of the Northern District's Tactical Narcotics Squad entered a home in the 6400 block of Union Court shortly before 9:30 p.m.Police said they seized several ounces of PCP-treated parsley, several hundred dollars and two cars.Steven Michael Andrew, 24, and Laura Lee Fiorani, 33, who both live in the 6400 block of Union Court, were charged with possession with intent to distribute PCP.Kimberly Ann Kisamore, 32, of the 8000 block of West End Drive, in Baltimore, was charged with possession of PCP.Millersville man thrown from carA 42-year-old Millersville man was seriously injured Tuesday night when he was thrown from his car after it crashed into a guard rail on Interstate 97 near Dorsey Road.

County police seized more than 300 hits, or doses, of LSD during twoseparate drug operations over the weekend.At about 9 p.m. Friday, officers from the Southern District Tactical Narcotic Team made arrangements to buy LSD from two men at a gas station on Route 468 in Edgewater.Robert Edward McKenna, 18, of the 1000 block Rogers Avenue in Churchton, and Joseph Jordan, 21, of no fixed address, were charged withpossession with intent to distribute LSD after they arrived at the station with 256 hits of the drug, police said.

A Sparks woman was killed early Saturday after her car struck a guard rail in Cockeysville. Baltimore County police Sgt. Benjamin Yohe said that Tamara Sue Miller-Portesky, 48, was driving north on York Road at about 2:30 a.m. Shortly after going through the intersection at Thornton Mill Road, the 2003 Ford Explorer crossed the center line and rammed into the guard rail. Upon impact, Miller-Portesky was ejected from the vehicle, and she was pronounced dead at the scene from her injuries.

A Rosedale man died Friday after his motorcycle hit a guard rail on Route 702 near I-695. Daniel Bowles, 37, was driving south at a high rate of speed on Route 702, also known as Southeastern Boulevard, when he left the roadway shortly after 11 p.m. Thursday, Baltimore County police said. He struck a guard rail near the southbound exit to the beltway and was thrown from the motorcycle. Investigators say the high rate of speed was a factor in the crash. Bowles was taken to Bayview Hospital, where he died about 1 a.m., police said.

The deaths of Connor Peterson and Kyle Patrick Wankmiller, whose bodies were found on the light rail tracks in Lutherville last Sunday afternoon, have proved to be something of a mystery that is only now coming into focus. This much is now known: It was the result of an accidental collision with a northbound train. The 17-year-olds were walking north on the southbound tracks when they were struck from behind by a train they likely assumed was traveling on the other set of rails. At least that's what the evidence collected so far by the Maryland Transit Administration would seem to indicate - but it also raises some disturbing questions for which the MTA does not yet have adequate answers.

THE PROBLEM : Sections of a guard rail are missing from a Locust Point bridge. THE BACK STORY : Joggers and bikers who use the narrow walkway on the Fort Avenue bridge leading to Fort McHenry in Locust Point should keep moving when they pass the missing guard rails on the northern side. Two sections of the rail are missing there, on the end closest to Reynolds Avenue, leaving only a short wall between pedestrians on the narrow sidewalk and the plummet below. "It would be so, so easy for a child/teenager to fall over 40 feet below to the railroad track bed," wrote Bronson Sweeney, a runner who lives in the area, in an e-mailed response to a query from Watchdog.

An Owings Mills man was killed on the Baltimore Beltway yesterday morning when his minivan struck a guard rail and a light pole, then flipped over several times, state police said. Oscar A. Diaz Lemus, 19, of Embleton Road was driving a Toyota Sienna north on Interstate 695 when the vehicle drifted from the passing lane to the right side of the road, said Tfc. David Johnson. Lemus, who was wearing a seat belt, suffered head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Alcohol was not involved and witnesses said the driver appeared to be following the speed limit, Johnson said.

Two motorcyclists, one from Virginia and the other from Pennsylvania, were injured in unrelated accidents in the Westminster area, authorities said.Steven E. O'Brien, 54, of Littlestown, Pa., and Rafael A. Rivera, 23, of Falls Church, Va., were taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore for treatment.O'Brien's 1995 Honda rear-ended a vehicle at 6: 30 a.m. yesterday on Baltimore Boulevard, state police said. He was in serious but stable condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.Rivera hit a guard rail on Route 97 near Morgan Run and was thrown from his 1986 Honda early Saturday, state police said.

The deaths of Connor Peterson and Kyle Patrick Wankmiller, whose bodies were found on the light rail tracks in Lutherville last Sunday afternoon, have proved to be something of a mystery that is only now coming into focus. This much is now known: It was the result of an accidental collision with a northbound train. The 17-year-olds were walking north on the southbound tracks when they were struck from behind by a train they likely assumed was traveling on the other set of rails. At least that's what the evidence collected so far by the Maryland Transit Administration would seem to indicate - but it also raises some disturbing questions for which the MTA does not yet have adequate answers.

Two Carroll County men were killed in separate automobile accidents within 12 hours Wednesday night and yesterday morning.State police said Brett Richards Geist, 25, of the 17500 block of Grace Road, Hampstead, died about 7:15 a.m. yesterday in a multi-vehicle collision that occurred in dense fog on Route 482.Police said Mr. Geist was driving a Plymouth Horizon west on the highway and swerved to avoid a vehicle that pulled out in front of him from Gablehammer...

On the eve of a crucial vote by Conrail shareholders, Maryland leaders vowed yesterday to oppose any rail merger that jeopardizes jobs and rail service in Maryland and fails to assure Class I rail competition at the port of Baltimore."

A Maryland state trooper escaped injury Tuesday when the brakes of his 1989 Chevrolet Caprice patrol car locked and the vehicle spun into a guard rail on Stone Chapel Road near Medford Road.Tfc. Ronald E. Diggs, 24, said he was pursuing a vehicle east along Stone Chapel Road about 2:25 a.m. when the accident occurred.He said his brakes locked when he attempted to stop at Medford Road, and the car spun out of control, crossed Medford Road and hit the guard rail.Officials said they are conducting an administrative investigation of the accident.