Left Arm

A 53-year-old Linthicum woman lost her left arm in an accident that snarled traffic on Interstate 97 for about three hours yesterday, officials said. Linda Lindsay of the 400 block of Sudbury Road was driving her 2000 Hyundai sedan south near Quarterfield Road about 7:30 a.m. when her car collided with and became trapped under a tractor-trailer owned by Nemf Trucking, officials said. Firefighters spent about an hour trying to free Lindsay, who was trapped behind the steering wheel and whose arm had to be amputated, said John Scholz, division chief of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department.

At his weekly news conference Tuesday in College Park, Maryland football coach Randy Edsall said that injured quarterback Danny O'Brien would need about 12 weeks to recover from a broken bone in his left arm suffered in last Saturday's 45-21 loss to Notre Dame at FedEx Field. Edsall said he expected O'Brien to be back in the spring competing for the starting job with C.J. Brown. But later, when asked about speculation that O'Brien might transfer after graduating in the spring, Edsall made an interesting comment that is bound to stir things up among the Maryland faithful - and maybe in O'Brien's family.

Ravens right tackle Leon Searcy won't play Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and when or if he plays this season should be determined today. Searcy did not practice yesterday. Instead, he had tests on his left arm, which is still recovering from a torn triceps muscle suffered during an intrasquad scrimmage in training camp. The team had hoped to have Searcy back for his first game as a Raven on Sunday. If tests on his arm reveal further damage, there is a chance Searcy will need surgery again.

OAKLAND, Calif. - - With a stunning stiff-arm - both literal and figurative - the Ravens pushed aside the Oakland Raiders and clinched a wild-card playoff spot. Willis McGahee bashed a Raiders player to the turf on his way to a 77-yard touchdown, and the Ravens grounded the hopes of several AFC playoff contenders in similar fashion with their 21-13 victory over the Raiders before an announced 38,400 at Oakland-Alameda County Stadium on Sunday. With the win, the Ravens (9-7)

But for the gun misfiring, Amy Fischer would probably be dead.Instead, she has lost the use of her left arm -- and she is left-handed.Yesterday, Wayne Resper, who shot Fischer the night before she was to testify against him in a shoplifting case, was sentenced to life plus five years in prison.Deputy State's Attorney William Roessler was satisfied. "It was a planned assassination," he said.Nasty remarks and threats occasionally arise in Anne Arundel County murder and other high-stakes cases, but this was the only time in recent memory that someone had tried to kill a witness.

It was three months ago today that Brian Roberts was forced to consider the possibility that his burgeoning career could be over. That reality hit him as he lay in a heap near the first base bag at Yankee Stadium, clutching his dangling left arm after a gruesome collision with New York's Bubba Crosby. Roberts underwent ligament reconstruction surgery 10 days after the collision, which resulted in a dislocated elbow, a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament and his pronator flexor tendon tearing off the bone.

The right arm of a right-handed tennis player may have 30 percent more bone than the left arm -- because bones are especially responsive to forces of gravitation and stress. National Geographic's The New Everyday Science Explained

I remember his left arm.Leather-tough, lightly freckled,Thick as a fireplace log.Culminating in short, dense fingersWith near-perfectly round nails.Most memorable, though, was the forearm,Damaged by five blue numbers:His concentration camp tattoo.A daily/nightly reminder ofEvil and martyrdom,Faith and resilience.

A Baltimore man lost his left arm last night after he reached under a sofa bed for a loaded sawed-off shotgun and it discharged, striking him in the shoulder.City police said Alexander Jeffery Clayton Ceruti, 20, of the 1800 block of E. 30th St. near Clifton Park, was in serious condition at Johns Hopkins Hospital today after doctors amputated his left arm. Investigators said the shooting was accidental.Police said Ceruti was in a house in the 3900 block of Old York Road in Waverly shortly before 10 p.m. with some friends.

County police arrested a 30-year-old Hanover man on assault charges Sunday after a fight in which the victim was stabbed in the left arm, police said yesterday.Vercell David Horton of the 7200 block of Ridge Road was charged with assault, battery, possession of a deadly weapon and malicious destruction of property, police said.Vaughn Dailey, 32, of Woodside Terrace was treated for a stab wound of his left arm early Sunday, police said.Police charged that Mr. Horton stabbed Mr. Dailey during a fight over a woman.

- With a stunning stiff- arm - both literal and figurative - the Ravens pushed aside the Oakland Raiders and clinched a wild-card playoff spot. Willis McGahee bashed a Raiders player to the turf on his way to a 77-yard touchdown, and the Ravens grounded the hopes of several AFC playoff contenders in similar fashion with their 21-13 victory over the Raiders before an announced 38,400 at Oakland-Alameda County Stadium on Sunday. With the win, the Ravens (9-7) will meet the New England Patriots on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the first round.

Police Blotter is a sampling of crimes from police reports in Baltimore and Baltimore County. Baltimore Central Shooting: A man, 28, was seated in his parked car in the 1300 block of Guilford Ave. about 1:30 a.m. Monday when he was shot in the left arm by an unidentified man who fled on foot. The victim drove himself to Mercy Medical Center, where he was treated. Eastern Shooting: Moments after a man, 32, and his 3-year-old son were leaving a store in the 1800 block of E. Lafayette Ave. about 2:15 p.m. Sunday, two men assaulted the father.

As Chris Gonzalez lies on his back and closes his eyes in an effort to stay calm, a feeling of apprehension creeps into his psyche. The 14-year-old freshman from North Carroll is dressed in a bright-red and black wrestling singlet and a baggy "Panthers" jacket. He's lying near the wall of the Westminster High gym, his white iPod earphones on snugly. As he waits for his match to begin, the 145-pound junior varsity wrestler keeps telling himself, "If you lose, it's OK." Finally, it's his turn.

On the wall of Chris Crowe's bedroom is a poster of former major league pitcher Jim Abbott, with a quote that reads, "I work very hard and I felt that I could play the game and the only thing that could stop me was myself." For Crowe, a junior reserve outfielder for Havre de Grace, Abbott's words are an inspiration. Abbott was born without a right hand and went on to have a 10-year career in the majors. Similar to Abbott, Crowe only has full use of one arm due to a birth defect. Though Crowe has both hands, he has very limited use of his left hand, which is about a third of the size of his right.

It was three months ago today that Brian Roberts was forced to consider the possibility that his burgeoning career could be over. That reality hit him as he lay in a heap near the first base bag at Yankee Stadium, clutching his dangling left arm after a gruesome collision with New York's Bubba Crosby. Roberts underwent ligament reconstruction surgery 10 days after the collision, which resulted in a dislocated elbow, a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament and his pronator flexor tendon tearing off the bone.

It has been 11 months since Nicolas Anderson crashed his car into a New Jersey guardrail that severed one leg, crushed the other and left his left hand dangling without feeling or motion. Yesterday, in an exotic, six-hour operation at Johns Hopkins Hospital, surgeons hoped to turn his hand into a useful instrument again - by grafting nerves from his mother's arms and legs into his damaged left arm. Neurosurgeon Allan J. Belzberg said the operation went well, though it will take several months for the nerves to grow and connect to muscles in the hand.

An 18-year-old Annapolis man was in critical condition yesterday after he was shot in the back Friday evening.Darryl Collins of the first block of College Creek Terrace was at Prince George's Hospital's shock trauma unit.A second victim, John R. Furbush, 17, of the 100 block of Obery Court in Annapolis, suffered a minor gunshot wound to his left arm. He was treated at the scene.Police said they had identified a suspect but no arrest had been made.Pub Date: 6/14/98

A man armed with a knife slashed and robbed a Pasadena man who was getting into his car Tuesday behind a fast-food restaurant, county police said yesterday.Daniel Russell, 31, of the 1200 block of Lorene Drive, suffered several small cuts on his left arm but refused treatment.He told police he was getting into his car behind the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in the 7300 block of Baltimore-Annapolis Blvd. in Glen Burnie shortly after 5 p.m. when a man approached from behind and punched him in the face.

Brian Roberts still hasn't seen the play that resulted in the premature end of his finest season in the major leagues. And if the Orioles second baseman has it his way, he'll never watch the replay. The memory of New York Yankee Bubba Crosby running into his left arm, forcing a dislocation, a torn ligament and a detached tendon in the elbow is already fresh enough in his mind. "I remember it all for the most part. I remember it well enough that I don't need to see it again," said Roberts, his arm covered by a cast and resting in a sling.