Most California motorcyclists are taught to take extensive safety precautions while riding their bikes, but even the most careful driver is at the mercy of automobile or truck drivers who are not careful or who may be incapacitated by alcohol or drugs. A glaring example of the helplessness of a law-abiding bike rider was demonstrated by a motorcycle accident in Lancaster, California when a 59-year-old motorcyclist was killed by a driver who is suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol.
The motorcycle was stopped at a stop sign and was rear-ended by a Nissan pick-up truck. The motorcycle driver was thrown from his bike onto the shoulder of the road. He was declared dead at the scene. The driver of the pick-up truck was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. He was booked into the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lancaster Station. Both the dead man and the truck driver have been identified by police.
The official police report on the accident is not yet available, but the fact that the motorcycle appeared to be lawfully stopped when the accident occurred casts the suspicion of fault on the truck driver alone. The truck driver was under a legal duty to stop at a safe distance behind the motorcycle, and his failure to do can be used to describe him as the negligent driver and the cause of the accident.
Anyone who has been injured or lost a loved one in a similar accident may wish to obtain an analysis of the case and an estimate of the probability of recovering damages from the negligent driver by contacting an attorney who specializes in motorcycle accident cases. The lawyer will be able to draw on experience from other cases to evaluate the case at hand.
Source: CBS Los Angeles, “Motorcyclist, 59, Fatally Struck By Alleged DUI Driver In Lancaster,” April 19, 2015
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