Fatal Bike Crash On Route 50

WEST OCEAN CITY - A Lansdowne, Md. man was killed in the motorcycle accident on Route 50 in West Ocean City last Saturday night, adding a somber tone to what was a decidedly loud and successful Bike Week 2009 around the resort area.

Shortly before 8 p.m. last Saturday, Maryland State Police troopers responded to a reported motor vehicle collision on eastbound Route 50 at Golf Course Rd. involving injuries. The investigation revealed a 1997 Harley Davidson Trike operated by Ronald Raymond Lough, 69, failed to reduce his speed to avoid a collision with the motorcycle in front of him, a 1998 Harley Davidson operated by Ronald Victor Eisner, 49, of Herndon, Va.

According to police reports, Eisner was slowing down for two motorcycles trying to merge into traffic directly at Golf Course Rd. when the 1997 Harley Trike operated by Lough ran into the back of the motorcycle in front of him. The force of the collision caused the trike to hit a curb and spin out of control. The trike subsequently overturned, ejecting Lough.

Lough, affectionately called 'Pop' by those in the biker community who knew him, sustained life-threatening injuries at the scene and was transported to Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin where he was later pronounced deceased. According to some reports, Lough was a wonderful man and a safe rider who always looked out for those with whom he shared the road.

The accident snarled traffic in the area of the collision, which is almost always congested at that time of night on Saturday and was compounded by Bike Week. Traffic was diverted around the scene of the accident, while the investigation was completed, and the roadway was eventually opened after being closed for about two hours.

While the fatal accident on Route 50 last Saturday evening was certainly the most serious incident reported related to Bike Week, the sheer volume of bikes, estimated at around 100,000, contributed to other incidents throughout the area.

Bike Week 2009 in Ocean City barely got officially underway last Thursday before the first accident associated with the event sent one participant to an area hospital after a collision with a delivery truck on Coastal Highway.

Shortly before 10 a.m. last Thursday, an unidentified biker collided with a delivery truck on Coastal Highway near 59^th Street, according to Ocean City police.

The victim was flown to Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury with undisclosed injuries believed to be non-life-threatening.