Man who visited DC-area hospitals dressed as 'Batman' struck and killed along Md. highway

A Maryland man best known as the "Baltimore Batman" has died.

Police say a car hit 51-year-old Leonard Robinson as he was checking his custom-made Batmobile along a Maryland highway Sunday night.

Robinson made dreams come true for countless children across the area when he visited them in hospitals dressed as Batman.

His Facebook page is filled with condolences and people sharing messages about the man who gave so much of himself to others who needed it the most, especially young children.

Robinson formed Superheroes for Kids and spent much of his time visiting children recovering from illnesses at hospitals and homes.

His home in Owings Mills, Maryland was a testament to his life. It was filled with Batman paraphernalia and a Batman-themed doorbell greeted guests.

He spent the last decade working with the Hope for Henry Foundation, a non-profit organization.

"He would come into the hospital parking lot and he would have the Batman theme music on and like everyone knew Batman is here," said Laurie Strongin, founder and executive director of Hope for Henry. "The kids who were ambulatory would run out and kids in wheelchairs would wheel out and the other kids would be dragging their IV poles and he would let them get in the Batmobile and sit in the seats and push the buttons and he'd open his huge cape and the kids would gather under the cape.

"He really was a hero and he would just transform their experience. It was like they weren't sick anymore and they weren't in a hospital. They were just in the presence of a hero."

Engine issues reportedly forced Robinson to make an emergency stop eastbound on Interstate 70. Police say a car struck Robinson and his car.

Maryland does have a Move Over Law, but it applies to emergency response vehicles.

In 2012, Robinson became a hit on social media after police pulled over his black Lamborghini in Silver Spring, Md. He would trade in the Lamborghini for the Batmobile later that year.

Robinson once visited FOX 5 where he took FOX 5's Tucker Barnes for a ride in his Batmobile and tried his hand at doing the weather forecast.

Robinson's funeral is scheduled Wednesday at noon at Har Sinai Congregation in Owings Mills.