WALDORF — A 36-year-old Bryans Road man was killed Thursday night when his motorcycle struck a car turning off Maryland Route 228 near Waldorf, Maryland State Police said.
Police identified the rider as Michael Alexander Jr., who was operating a Suzuki motorcycle. Troopers from the La Plata Barrack were sent to MD 228 at Greenwood Drive at 10:34 p.m. Oct. 29, according to a state police news release.
The preliminary investigation found the motorcycle was heading west on MD 228 while a Ford Taurus was turning left from eastbound MD 228 onto Greenwood Drive. The motorcycle hit the Ford, pushing it onto Greenwood Drive, where it struck a Toyota Highlander parked in a residential driveway and then a house, police said.
The driver of the Ford was taken by ambulance to a local hospital with injuries. Police did not release that driver’s name, age or condition, and the release did not say whether anyone inside the house was hurt.
Investigators believe excessive speed may have contributed to the crash, according to state police. The Maryland State Police Crash Team is leading the investigation, which remains active. Police did not say whether charges are being considered.
Lanes on MD 228 were closed for more than two hours while troopers worked the scene. Charles County Sheriff’s Office deputies and the State Highway Administration assisted.
Third deadly motorcycle crash on MD 228 this year
The crash is the third fatal motorcycle collision on MD 228, known locally as Berry Road, in Charles County that the Chronicle has reported this year. Two of the three involved a vehicle turning left across the rider’s path.
- April 3: Scott Beland, 64, of White Plains was killed at Berry Road and Bunker Hill Road when a car that police said ran a red light struck his Harley-Davidson and the driver fled.
- Early May: Patrick Murphy Jr., 36, of Waldorf died at MD 228 and Mill Hill Road after a Ford Explorer turning left from westbound MD 228 crossed his path, police said at the time.
- Oct. 29: Michael Alexander Jr., 36, of Bryans Road, at MD 228 and Greenwood Drive.
In September, a motorcycle safety survey by a personal injury law firm ranked the Berry Road and Bunker Hill Road intersection the second most feared junction for riders in Maryland, citing drivers who turn across Berry Road without correctly judging an oncoming motorcycle’s speed.
Statewide, motorcyclists have run against an otherwise improving trend. Maryland had recorded 55 motorcyclist deaths by early September, already more than the 49 for all of 2025, even as overall roadway deaths were down 13% from the year before, the Chronicle reported.
Anyone with information about the Oct. 29 crash is asked to call Sgt. Justin Zimmerman at 301-392-1231.
