2 Fatal Newport Beach Bicycle Crashes in 1 September Weekend

October 13, 2012

Newport Beach, Calif., mourned the loss of two female bicyclists in separate motor-vehicle accidents in one September 2012 weekend. First, on Friday morning, a 29-year-old Corona Del Mar nutritionist cycling on Pacific Coast Highway was run over by a stake-bed truck turning right at Bayside Drive. Sadly, she died at the scene.

Second, a well liked and athletic 57-year-old Newport Beach family-practice physician from Irvine was the victim of a hit-and-run accident on Newport Coast Drive. Cycling with her husband, who was not hurt in the accident, she was struck by a black pickup truck on Saturday morning and died soon after in the hospital.

While the tragedies of the September weekend are shocking for the local community, according to the California Highway Patrol, the state had almost 13,000 bicycle collisions that caused death or injury in 2010. Federal statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration place the number of California cyclist fatalities for that year at 99, the most of any state out of a total of 618 deaths nationwide.

How Do Car-Bike Accidents Happen?

Certain factors can contribute to the occurrence of motor-vehicle collisions with bicycles such as:
- Unsafe turning, including failing to signal
- Speeding
- Running red lights or stop signs
- Failing to yield
- Opening car doors when bicyclists are passing
- Biking during heavy traffic
- Cycling in the city
- Bicycling in the late afternoon or evening
- Bicycling from August through October

What Injuries Are Common?

Cyclists in accidents often suffer head trauma, teeth injury, cuts and skin abrasions, and broken bones. While some injuries are not permanent, people have been permanently and severely disabled from catastrophic injuries in bicycle-motor vehicle accidents. Many more males than females are killed and injured in bike accidents across the U.S.

Safety Tips

Although clearly an unprotected biker is no match for a motor vehicle in a collision, it is not always the motorist's fault, and steps can be taken by both parties to protect more vulnerable cyclists.

Bikers should wear reflective clothing and correctly fitted helmets, install safety lights on their cycles for use after dark, keep both hands on the handles, follow the rules of the road, travel at safe speeds and ride in the correct direction. Bicyclists should also remember that biking while drunk or under the influence of drugs is very dangerous. Additionally, bikes should be well maintained with particular attention to brakes and tires.

Motorists need to stay alert for bicycles (and pedestrians); take care not to drive while tired or after consuming alcohol, sedating medication or street drugs; follow common sense traffic rules like maintaining posted speed limits; create a three-foot buffer between the car and bike. If a driver does strike a biker, follow the law: stop, render assistance and call authorities.

While the number of bike accidents has been going down over time in the U.S., we have a long way to go as a society to keep the roads reasonably safe for two-wheeled vehicles.

In the meantime, if you or a loved one is injured or killed while bicycling, discuss the accident with an experienced personal injury attorney to understand your potential legal rights and remedies.

Article provided by Law Office of Daniel W. Dunbar
Visit us at www.dandunbarlaw.com/