Batman impersonator known for charity work dies on roadway

In this March 27, 2012, photo, Leonard Robinson, dressed as Batman, poses for a photo outside his home, in Owings Mills, Md. Authorities say, Robinson, known for visiting hospitalized children dressed in his Batman costume, died, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2015, in a crash on Interstate 70, in western Maryland. Police say Robinson was checking the engine of his Batmobile while standing in the fast lane of eastbound I-70 Sunday night when the car with hit by a Toyota Camry. The driver of the Camry wasn't injured. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via AP) WASHINGTON TIMES OUT; NEW YORK TIMES OUT;THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER AND USA TODAY OUT; MAGS OUT; NO SALES; MANDATORY CREDIT In this March 27, 2012, photo, Leonard Robinson, dressed as Batman, poses for a photo outside his home, in Owings Mills, Md. Authorities say, Robinson, known for visiting hospitalized children dressed in his Batman costume, died, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2015, in a crash on Interstate 70, in western Maryland. Police say Robinson was checking the engine of his Batmobile while standing in the fast lane of eastbound I-70 Sunday night when the car with hit by a Toyota Camry. The driver of the Camry wasn't injured. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via AP) WASHINGTON TIMES OUT; NEW YORK TIMES OUT;THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER AND USA TODAY OUT; MAGS OUT; NO SALES; MANDATORY CREDIT

By Associated Press August 18, 2015 3 min read

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) – He dressed up as a dark, brooding crime fighter but spent years bringing delight to children at hospitals and charity events.

Leonard B. Robinson, who was known for dressing up as Batman, was killed along a highway when a car hit him while he was checking the engine of his custom-made Batmobile.

Robinson, 51, of Owings Mills, Maryland, was returning from a weekend festival in South Charleston, West Virginia, when he was struck by a Toyota Camry around 10:30 p.m. Sunday, about 90 miles west of Baltimore.

Robinson had pulled his car onto the median, with the passenger side partly in the traffic lane, Maryland State Police said Monday.

Police said the Camry also sideswiped the red-and-black Batmobile, a replica of the car used in the 1960s “Batman” television show. The Camry driver, a 39-year-old man from Charlottesville, Virginia, wasn’t hurt and hasn’t been charged.