LOTHIAN, Md. — A motorcyclist died after his hitting a box trailer, loosing control, and then striking a utility pole in Lothian early Monday morning, Anne Arundel County Police said.
Officers from the Southern District responded to the area of northbound Southern Maryland Boulevard (MD 4) and Talbot Road at about 5 a.m., police said.
A preliminary investigation revealed a 2005 Dodge pickup truck, driven by 66-year-old Thomas Earl Morsell of Sunderland, was traveling on northbound MD 4 pulling a box trailer.
A motorcycle being driven by 33-year-old Christopher Doran Whisman, Jr., of the 8200 block of Church Road in Broomes Island, was traveling on the same stretch of road, approaching the truck and trailer from behind. As Whisman attempted to pass Morsell, the motorcycle struck the back of the trailer, causing Whisman to loose control. The motorcycle veered off the left side of the roadway and into the wooded median, striking a tree.
Whisman was thrown from the bike, striking a utility pole. He was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel and taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy.
Morsell remained on the scene. He was uninjured.
Police believe the cause of the crash was Whisman making an “unsafe lane change,” Speed did not seem to be a factor, and a toxicology test is is pending to determine if drugs or alcohol may have been factors. The Traffic Safety Section is investigating the crash.
