Richard Burchfield II, 45, died Friday at Meritus Medical Center near Hagerstown, where he was taken after the accident to be treated for numerous injuries, authorities said.
Robert Daniel Hilliard Jr., 26, of 1010 Bramly Court in Hagerstown, who was charged in connection with causing the accident, was being held Friday at the Washington County Detention Center on a $750,000 bond.
His bond was set earlier at $500,000, but Judge Mark D. Thomas raised it during a bond review hearing Friday in Washington County District Court.
"Your honor, this morning the victim died," Assistant State's Attorney Christopher McCormack told Thomas during Hilliard's bond review.
Hilliard appeared at the bond hearing via closed-circuit television between the court and the detention center.
"I got scared because my kids were in the car," Hilliard said, apparently referring to the charge of leaving the scene of an accident.
Among the other charges against Hilliard are causing life threatening injury by motor vehicle or boat while under the influence of alcohol; failure to immediately stop a vehicle at the scene of an accident involving bodily injury; failure of a driver involved in an accident to render reasonable assistance to an injured person; and driving or attempting to drive a vehicle while impaired by drugs or alcohol or alcohol and drugs.
Thomas set Hilliard's next court date for Dec. 22.
The four-vehicle accident was reported Thursday at 12:51 p.m. on Eastern Boulevard, just north of Md. 64.
According to the statement of probable cause, a witness told Washington County Sheriff's Office deputies that she was traveling south on Eastern Boulevard and noticed a silver Honda in front of her swerving from "side to side" ... and "speeding up and slowing down repeatedly." The witness said a male driver and a child were in the Honda.
The witness stated that the driver of the Honda accelerated rapidly and struck the "rear end of the vehicle that had been directly in front of the Honda.
"The vehicle in front of the Honda, a gray Ford Focus, was pushed into a motorcycle and the motorcycle was subsequently pushed into (an) SUV," the statement of probable cause said. The witness stated that "the rear end of the Ford Focus had been lifted off the ground with the front end of the Honda being underneath the rear end of the Ford."
The witness said that the Honda then backed up and drove away on the southbound shoulder of Eastern Boulevard.
The impact forced Burchfield's motorcycle underneath a 2007 Jeep Cherokee.
"Burchfield was trapped underneath of the Jeep, wedged between the Jeep and his motorcycle," according to the statement of probable cause. "He was removed by fire and rescue services and transported to Meritus Medical Center."
Police said they found the Honda's license plate under the Ford Focus and determined that it was registered to Hilliard's mother, Doris Willis of 1010 Bramly Court in Hagerstown.
Officers went to the Bramly Court address and detained Hilliard as he was leaving, the statement of probable cause stated.
Willis was questioned at the house.
"She stated that Hilliard told her he 'had an accident,'" police said. "Willis asked (him) why he left the scene of the accident and Hilliard stated, 'I don't know, I got scared.'"
Deputies said Hilliard smelled like alcohol when they spoke with him. Hilliard told them that he had one shot on the day of the accident and had been drinking the night before.
During a medical screening, Hilliard told authorities that he was a user of methadone, oxycodone and klonopin, documents allege. He submitted to a breath test that showed his blood-alcohol content was .01 percent.
The legal limit in Maryland is .08 percent.
"Per Assistant State's Attorney Steve Kessel, Hilliard was transported to Meritus Medical Center ... and a blood test was obtained from Hilliard because he was suspected of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs," the statement of probable cause said. "The blood test kit will be sent to the Maryland State Police ... for analysis."
Deputies said that Hilliard asked about the motorcycle rider's condition while he was being taken to Central Booking.
Hilliard was informed that "the operator of the motorcycle was not going to make it and that the hospital was trying to keep him alive until the family arrived," according to documents.
Deputies said Hilliard started to break down and told them that the vehicle in front of him "slammed on the brakes."
"(Hilliard) said that the kids who were in the vehicle began to freak out and he left the scene," documents allege. Hilliard said "he could never forgive himself if he killed someone."
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