On Saturday, October 1, 2005, at 12:05 p.m., DFC J. Wahlgren of the Calvert County Sheriffs Office responded to Rt. 261 south of Brownies Beach for a report of a personal injury crash involving a motorcycle. DFC Wahlgren arrived on the scene and advised Calvert Control that it was a serious crash and a member of the Sheriffs Office Crash Reconstruction Team was needed.
Investigation revealed that a motorcycle sitting on the edge of the road failed to yield the right of way while negotiating a U-turn. A van traveling southbound struck the motorcycle. The driver of the motorcycle, Robert Ernest Rothe, 51, of Dundalk, Md., was ejected and seriously injured. He was flown to Prince Georges Hospital Center where he is listed in critical but stable condition. The driver of the van, Christine Y. Gross, 48, of Chesapeake Beach, was transported to Calvert Memorial Hospital where she was treated and released without injury.