LEXINGTON PARK, Md. — An adult male e-bike rider suffered severe injuries in a collision with a car on Maryland Route 235 near Lincoln Avenue on Oct. 29, 2025, prompting a medevac flight to a regional trauma center.
The incident occurred at 2:31 p.m., when Bay District Volunteer Fire Department Station 3 in Lexington Park and nearby emergency medical services units received the dispatch. Assistant Communications Manager David Morris, operating as E-Com 2, arrived first and reported the cyclist lying in the roadway with critical injuries, leading to an immediate request for air transport.
Responders from Squad 3, Fire Chief 3 and several EMS crews reached the scene within minutes to initiate stabilization efforts. The U.S. Park Police dispatched its closest available helicopter, Eagle 2, which serves medevac missions across the National Capital Region, including Southern Maryland. Ground crews moved the patient to a landing zone at the Lincoln Avenue ball fields, where Engine 32 from the department secured the area against traffic and bystanders.
Flight medics aboard Eagle 2 assumed care and airlifted the rider to a trauma facility for advanced treatment. No details emerged on the driver’s condition or circumstances of the crash, which remains under investigation by St. Mary’s County authorities.
Efforts to address these issues include a January 2025 workshop under the Maryland Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, where residents proposed enhancements like buffered bike lanes and crosswalk signals along the Route 235 corridor from Airport View Drive to Great Mills Road. The Maryland Department of Transportation also upgraded traffic signals at key intersections in March 2025 to ease congestion and improve visibility, targeting spots prone to rear-end and turning collisions. St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Safety Unit has intensified patrols since 2023, issuing citations for violations that endanger cyclists, following a string of serious crashes on the route.
Eagle 2, a Bell 412 helicopter based at the U.S. Park Police’s Anacostia facility, routinely supports medevac operations in Maryland, often in tandem with state police units like Trooper 7. Its role extends to search-and-rescue and law enforcement flights, covering the Potomac River basin where quick aerial access bridges gaps in ground transport times. In St. Mary’s County, such helicopters shave critical minutes off response to remote or congested sites, aligning with the Zero Deaths Maryland initiative’s goal to halve roadway fatalities by 2030 through data-driven interventions.
Bicycle use in Southern Maryland has grown with e-bike adoption, offering affordable commuting options amid rising fuel costs, but it amplifies injury severity in impacts. County transportation plans classify sections of Route 235 as suitable for shared lanes, yet gaps in infrastructure persist, prompting calls for federal funding under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand off-road trails.
As fall progresses, with daylight fading by 5 p.m., officials reiterate visibility measures. Bicyclists should equip bikes with white front lights and red rear reflectors, visible from 500 feet, per Maryland law, and don fluorescent gear. Motorists must yield three feet when passing and scan for users in low-light conditions. These steps, drawn from the county’s safety plan, aim to prevent the 80 percent of cyclist crashes occurring at intersections.
