Many motorists insist that bikers do not obey traffic laws, and instead act like pedestrians when convenient, but also take advantage of areas reserved for vehicle to move faster. Regardless, "the wiggle" is a staple of the SF bike community, and steps to improve what some have deemed "organized chaos" should be welcome, particularly when it can save lives.
For those of you now facing increased scrutiny, be sure to not only get to work in one piece, but set a good example and show the community that bikers in San Francisco are law abiding and friendly!
]]>The vehicle was reportedly speeding and hit the raised curb as it came off of an onramp. At least two people were ejected from the vehicle as it rolled, one of whom was pronounced dead, the other was rushed to the hospital with major injuries.
For those of you who are drive on long trips, please be sure to get adequate rest and be aware of traffic signals. Our thoughts go out to the family involved in this accident.
The video looks out over the intersection from the corner store, and shows a man walking with a cane in the middle of the crosswalk. Witnesses told reporters that the van was honking at cars in front of it, trying to rush them through the intersection. In the video, the van comes around the corner quickly and hits the pedestrian head-on, knocking him down. Police say the man was pinned beneath the van for about 20 minutes before emergency responders were able to remove him.
]]> No criminal charges have been filed against the driver at this time. Police say he stayed on the scene and was very cooperative. So far, the police say that the collision was simply an unfortunate traffic accident.More than 78,000 pedestrians suffer from injuries when hit by a car or truck each year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. There are many factors that can cause these accidents and injuries, but if the pedestrian is injured because the driver was negligent, there is a possibility that they can recover for the damage caused.
Injured pedestrians may be eligible to recover for medical expenses, lost wages from time away from work, and pain and suffering from the accident. If you or someone you know was the victim of a pedestrian accident, consulting an experienced attorney can help you figure out if you are able to recover for those injuries.
Source: ABC 7, "Pedestrian run over; SFPD says no crime," Feb. 15, 2012.
]]>Truck accidents can be extremely dangerous because of the size and weight of the vehicle. Hundreds of California residents die each year as a result of truck accidents, with highway 101 being particularly dangerous for drivers.
]]> Since truck accidents happen while the driver is on the job, truck companies and their insurers become involved immediately. If someone was injured or killed in the crash, the truck companies will often deny fault and do everything they can to avoid liability. An attorney with experience dealing with these companies and insurers can make a big difference for someone who has been the victim of a truck accident.If someone else's failure to exercise care caused the accident, victims may be entitled to compensation for injuries. Victims may be able to recover for lost wages, medical bills, rehabilitation, and pain and suffering, among other things.
Source: KTVU. "CHP honors SF woman for saving truck driver from fiery crash," Feb. 14, 2012.
]]>While the man was biking near a college campus during the evening, he was struck by a motorist and died as a result of his injuries. The driver fled the scene immediately after the tragic bicycle accident. It wasn't until the following morning that another biker found the 25-year-old's lifeless body still on the side of the road.
]]> Thankfully, police were able to track down a vehicle that was reportedly near the accident site. The man driving the vehicle involved in the fatal hit-and-run accident was arrested and pled guilty to felony hit and run causing death and misdemeanor vehicular assault in court. He awaits sentencing.Even though the guilty man faced the victim's family as he made his guilty plea, the biker's family still feels tremendous pain for their loss. They cannot understand why the man left him on the roadside to die. However, they understand that nothing can bring back the man back.
Families dealing with heartbreak, such as this, are forced to deal with years of suffering and anxiety. There are legal options for those dealing with a bike accident, however. By speaking to a trusted attorney, people can figure out if they might be entitled to receive compensation for their loss.
Realistically, those on bikes should have the same right to feel safe on the roads as a motorized vehicle. Yet so long as drivers act without caution, bikers in the Bay Area will have to deal with the unfortunate dangers of being on the road.
Source: Mercury News, "Man pleads guilty in hit-and-run that killed Santa Cruz cyclist Zachary Parke," Jessica M. Pasko, Feb. 9, 2012
]]>On the evening of the accident, a group of teens was partying in the San Francisco Bay area. The 19-year-old man made the mistake of getting behind the wheel after he had consumed alcohol. While they were driving on a highway in the early hours of the morning, the driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed into an SUV. The 17-year-old girl, who was sitting in the back seat, was thrown forward in the course of the collision. Medical professionals were not able to treat the injuries that would ultimately take her life.
]]> Just prior to the accident, the driver and a passenger were debating what radio station they should listen. This distraction prevented the driver from noticing that traffic was slowing down and his car swerved through multiple lanes as he tried to stop. Shortly after police arrived, the driver's blood-alcohol level was at least .15.Because of his negligence, the 19-year-old will serve two years in prison and pay nearly $50,000 in restitution. His irresponsibility led to the death of a person with so much of her life ahead of her. The late girl's family will continue to pay the price of their loss long after the teen's two years in prison are completed.
This story shows that lives can change in an instant. A night that was supposed to be fun turned tragic because someone made a terrible decision. Families suffering from the loss of a loved one due to the irresponsibility of another may have the ability to seek compensation for their pain.
Source: South Sanfrancisco Patch, "Man Sentenced to Two Years for Fatal DUI Crash," Feb. 6, 2012
]]>A pedestrian was struck at 5th and Harrison in San Francisco by a car exiting Interstate 80 towards downtown, sending the injured pedestrian to the hospital with serious injuries, authorities said.
]]>The bicycle vs. pedestrian accident victim fell to the pavement and struck the back of her head in the crash. Emergency personnel rushed the accident victim to San Francisco General Hospital after the accident.
The woman reportedly succumbed to her personal injuries roughly a month later. Authorities brought criminal charges against the 23-year-old cyclist for the fatal accident. Now, prosecutors say that the man has agreed to a plea deal, according to the San Francisco Examiner.
]]> The man was charged with vehicular manslaughter in relation to the accident that had occurred at Mission Street and The Embarcadero. Prosecutors and the man have reportedly agreed to resolve the criminal matter under a deal that will require the man to perform extensive community service, but he will reportedly not serve any jail time for the fatal accident.Criminal charges are brought by authorities under the state's statutes. Generally, criminal charges do not resolve all potential issues that may be involved in an accident.
San Francisco personal injury lawyers know that criminal charges may provide a certain level of closure for victims and their families, but criminal sentencing may not make accident victims, or their families, whole.
Accident victims and their families can experience great personal and economic losses from an accident. Criminal charges arising after an accident do not bar a separate civil suit related injuries arising during the crash.
Source: San Francisco Examiner, "Plea deal likely in Embarcadero bike death," Mike Aldax, Feb. 2, 2012
]]>Berkeley Police say that a 54-year-old man was traveling east on Marin Monday, and attempted to make a left-hand turn onto Tulare when his Prius struck the skateboarder. The accident victim suffered grave injuries and was taken to the trauma center at Highland Hospital in Oakland.
The young man fought for his life for roughly two days. Authorities report that the skateboarder lost his battle and was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after 4:00 p.m. Wednesday.
]]> The driver of the Prius stopped immediately after the pedestrian accident. No citations have been issued and police say that alcohol was not a factor in the accident.On Sunday a 17-year-old El Cerrito student who attended the same school as the skateboarder was killed after being struck by a train. The fatal train and pedestrian accident was reported at roughly 3:00 a.m. Sunday near the intersection of Carlson and Cutting boulevards. Police say that it is unclear what the young man was doing on the tracks early Sunday morning.
Fatal accidents can leave families of the accident victims devastated. The two fatal accidents involving students from the same school has also left the high school campus reeling.
A spokesman for the West Contra Costa school district says that school officials began connecting with students during the weekend in the aftermath of the first fatal accident. Officials say that the health center at the school opened its doors Monday for classmates seeking grief counseling.
Source: Contra Costa Times, "El Cerrito High School shaken by fatal accidents," Feb. 2, 2012
]]>Initial reports indicated that the cyclist suffered life-threatening injuries in the San Francisco bike accident. However, authorities revised those reports, saying the injuries appear to be minor. The accident victim was transported to San Francisco General Hospital after the accident for medical treatment. A spokesman for the San Francisco police says that she was released from the hospital roughly an hour after the crash.
]]> Law enforcement says that it appears the postal worker did not come to a complete stop at the intersection before that accident occurred. Police say that the woman had the right of way. The driver of the mail truck reportedly stopped at the scene of the crash and has cooperated with law enforcement. No citations have been issued.San Francisco personal injury lawyers know that head trauma can involve a wide range of brain injuries. Head trauma has received an increasing amount of public awareness in recent news events, including stories regarding veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, sports related stories of concussions leading to long range medical issues for professional athletes and the head trauma U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords sustained in January 2010.
The degree of severity of a brain injury can vary widely, but head trauma is generally not an injury that accident victims should take lightly.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle, "Cyclist hurt in S.F. crash with mail truck," Will Kane, Feb. 2, 2012
]]>News reports do not indicate what may have caused the tire to blow. However, the exploding tire is believed to have caused the 48-year-old driver to lose control of his bike. He was riding with a 27-year-old woman from San Jose as a passenger on the bike.
]]> Both people were ejected from the motorcycle sometime during the freeway accident. The woman who was riding as a passenger suffered fatal injuries in the wreck.The driver, a man from San Jose, was transported to Sutter Tracy Community Hospital after the crash for treatment.Many of the posts on this blog have covered stories that may involve the negligence of drivers on the road causing a car accident. In other posts, this blog has discussed issues related to dangerous roadways or intersections that can be a factor in causing a serious California motorcycle accident. Defective products can be a significant factor in causing personal injury. At times, an accident can be just an accident.
Motorcyclists face a wide variety of unique hazards on the roadway, from inattentive drivers who fail to see an oncoming motorcycle to road hazards to occasional product defects. Accident victims and their families should consider speaking with an experienced San Francisco motorcycle accident attorney for an assessment of an individual situation.
Source: Tracy Press, "Police Log: Woman killed in motorcycle accident," Jan. 30, 2012
]]>The Rhino reportedly flipped over, landing on the San Rafael woman, causing severe head and neck injuries. Authorities say that the woman was taken to an area hospital after the crash, where doctors pronounced her dead,
The woman was riding with her boyfriend on a wet and muddy road. The ATV is believed to have struck a tire rut in the road, causing the front wheels to abruptly turn to the left. The abrupt and violent change of direction caused the Rhino to overturn.
]]> The woman's boyfriend, who suffered minor personal injuries in the ATV rollover accident, was joined by one neighbor in lifting the ATV off the severely injured driver.Authorities say neither rider was wearing a helmet during the Saturday morning ride. The CHP says that the ATV riders were not wearing seatbelts, which were available on the four-wheeler.
The accident was reported around 9:40 a.m. Saturday. Law enforcement does not believe that alcohol or drugs played any role in the fatal accident.
San Francisco motorcycle accident and personal injury lawyers are aware that ATVs can come in a wide variety of configurations. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says that 317 people died and 115,000 people required treatment in emergency rooms across the country in 2010, the latest data available.
The statistics recorded in 2010 involved ATVs designed with three, four or more wheels. The 2010 data was a significant improvement from the number of ATV related fatalities and injuries reported just one year earlier. The CPSC reports that 2009 saw 649 fatalities and 131,900 emergency room visits resulting from ATV accidents across the nation.
Source: Marin Independent Journal, "Woman, 29, former Terra Linda High basketball standout, dies in ATV accident," Mark Prado, Jan. 24, 2012
]]>Three cars reportedly slammed into one another around 3:00 p.m. on Highway 101 Monday afternoon. All three vehicles ran off the highway and crashed onto the rocks near the water after the initial multi-vehicle car accident. Authorities characterize the initial Highway 101 crash as a major injury accident. At least one person was taken to San Francisco General Hospital after the crash.
]]> The U.S. Coast Guard reportedly deployed helicopters to the car accident scene to investigate whether any of the vehicles made it into the water and to check for potential environmental issues. Tow trucks were dispatched to pull the vehicles from the rocks and back onto the pavement.Stop and go traffic clogged the highway after the initial crash. Authorities say that in that jam, four other vehicles were involved in a separate accident. The second crash occurred just to the south of the initial crash.
The second multi-vehicle crash included a motorcyclist who authorities say was forced to drop his bike. Authorities say the second incident involved minor injuries. The second crash occurred more than an hour after the initial collision. Authorities say the second crash occurred around 4:15 p.m.
Details regarding any of the injuries and concerning the number of accident victims injured in the two Highway 101 accidents remain sketchy.
Source: San Francisco Examiner, "Collision sends cars off Highway 101 near Candlestick Park," Andrea Koskey, Jan. 23, 2012
]]>The helmets at issue were put on the market by Triple Eight Distribution. The CPSC says the helmets, known on the market as Little Tricky bicycle helmets for kids, fail to meet safety standards and pose a risk for head trauma and brain injury in a bike accident. The helmets are considered multipurpose helmets, but are also sold for use as bicycle helmets for children and teens in the United States.
]]> While a cyclist can obviously experience in a bicycle accident involving a motor vehicle, the bike helmet recall highlights the serious risks our youth face in merely falling from a bike. If the safety gear has a design flaw, it may not provide the proper protection that it was intended to perform.The CPSC says that the Little Tricky helmets fall short of the safety standards set for impact resistance. A child wearing one of the reportedly faulty helmets could suffer a traumatic brain injury in a simple fall.
The helmets have been on the market for a number of years and consumers are urged to stop using the products immediately. The helmets subject to the recall are identified as Triple Eight and Sector 9 size "S/M" EPS Liner helmets. They originally were introduced in August 2006 and have been sold in bicycle and sports stores, as well as online.
Source: WTAE, "Bike Helmets Recalled Due To Head Injury Risk," Jan. 11, 2012
]]>The van reportedly made a left turn in front of the Harley without checking for traffic. The Navy officer on his Harley and the van collided, launching the rider forward onto the bike's handlebars. The 23-year-old rider suffered a fracture of his pubic ramus bone. He also suffered nerve and artery damage and a crushing injury in his groin, according to the lawsuit.
]]> Doctors performed reconstructive surgery after the motorcycle accident. Doctors still do not know if the victim of the crash will be able to have children as a result of his injuries.The driver of the van reportedly was never trained to drive a shuttle van. The van driver is believed to be a non-citizen who was driving on an expired license.
The motorcycle accident victim sued the California auto dealer and its parent company that owned the van for negligence. The motorcycle accident evidence was presented to a jury, which found in favor of the accident victim last month in awarding several million dollars in damages.
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune, "Jury awards man with penis injury $7.5 million," Greg Moran, Jan. 13, 2012
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