A man from Santa Rosa, California (near San Francisco) was killed in Marin County last week while driving his motorcycle to Petaluma to visit his mother. He made the trip on his motorcycle every week and had never before experienced any problems. The man was a 59-year old aerospace engineer that used to work in Sebastopol for O’Reilly Media. He had recently lost his job earlier in the year, but was excited about finding a new one just weeks before the accident occurred. The man left behind a wife and a number of other relatives. The accident occurred when a van drifted from the southbound lane of traffic into the northbound lane in which the motorcyclist was driving. The van hit the motorcycle head-on with such great impact that both vehicles burst into flame. The man was thrown off his motorcycle only to land in a ditch on the side of the road. Before rescuers could get him to the hospital to treat his injuries, he was declared dead at the scene. The man driving the van sustained minimal injuries, mostly to his arm.
It is unclear why the driver of the van drifted to the wrong side of the road. There are a number of possibilities, which include fatigue, distraction, or the effects of drugs or alcohol. It has not been reported whether or not any of these prospects had a hand in the accident, but all may remain a possibility. It has also not yet been determined whether or not the driver of the van will be charged in the accident.
The only thing that is clear at this point in the investigation is that the number of motorcycle accidents which are occurring in California each year continues to steadily rise. In fact, while the amount of all other types of car accidents steadily decreases, including drunk driving accidents, and speeding accidents, motorcycle accidents are the only type that has seen an increase this year. Those numbers have steadily grown each year for approximately eleven years now.
This is an incredibly dangerous trend because of the devastating results that motorcycle accidents typically have. Because motorcyclists do not have the body of a car to protect them in an accident, their chances of dying in a vehicular accident are much more likely than those driving traditional vehicles. These deaths are usually a result of serious spinal injuries or massive trauma to the head and brain.
If you have a loved one who has been killed in a motorcycle accident, you should contact a San Francisco motorcycle accident lawyer immediately. Motorcycle accident lawyers specialize in accident injuries of all types and can help your family receive compensation for both injuries and loss. Oftentimes motorcycle accidents occur because of negligence, distraction, or fatigue on the part of drivers of other vehicles, leaving motorcyclists either dead or suffering from massive injuries. If this has happened to you or a member of your family, a motorcycle injury attorney can help.
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