Motorcyclist Hit and Killed while Trying to Avoid Crash, At-Fault Driver Flees Scene

People in Phoenix and the surrounding Valley love to ride motorcycles. Riding is so popular that bikers can be seen 12 months a year, in the cool winter months or the blazing heat of summer. Bikers are out and on the roads to commute to work, to run errands, or simply for pleasure riding. Regardless of why a motorcyclist is in the streets, his or her legal rights remain the same. Bikers are permitted users of Phoenix roads and they possess all the same rights as drivers of cars, trucks, and vans.

Yet despite the fact that bikers are entitled to ride, some other motorists fail to recognize these rights and fail to act in a safe and careful manner when a motorcycle is near their vehicle. Too often, this negligent behavior leads to a dangerous situation for the biker and potentially even an accident that can leave one or more people involved with serious, sometimes fatal injuries. A crash of this type may lead a victim to retain an injury lawyer to help seek financial justice against the responsible driver.

Early facts released by local police suggestion that a fatal motorcycle accident may have been the result of one driver failing to respect a motorcyclist’s rights in Glendale on Monday afternoon. It appears that the driver of a car turned left in front of an oncoming motorcycle in the area of Peoria Avenue and North 51st Avenue around 3:00 p.m., which in turn forced the motorcycle to swerve to avoid an imminent impact. When the biker swerved, he missed the turning vehicle but instead was struck by another car, causing a serious accident that left the biker injured. He was transported to a local hospital but his injuries were too severe and the biker was pronounced dead.

The driver of the car that turned left in front of the motorcycle fled the scene of the crash and has not yet been located. Local police are asking anyone with any information to contact the Glendale Police Department immediately.

Drivers flee the scene of accidents for a number of reasons but except in very limited circumstances, none are legally valid and can lead to additional charges asserted against the driver. That is because Phoenix law requires all motorists involved in a crash or incident leading to death like this one to remain at the scene until cleared by police. If early allegations are proven correct, the driver that fled the scene in this incident may be charged with a criminal violation of the law in addition to traffic offenses.

 

 

Charges leveled by the State of Arizona are not the only punishment that may face a negligent driver. When the actions of one driver leaves others injured or killed, the law provides the victims of those accidents with the ability to seek a financial settlement against the responsible driver to provide compensation for all damages incurred. Depending on the accident, this may include medical bills already incurred, medical bills believed to be incurred in the future, pain and suffering, or wages lost while a victim was unable to work. If a victim is killed in the accident, the victim’s surviving family members may be able to bring a claim for their losses.

After an accident, make sure your legal rights are protected. Call the legal team at Abels & Annes, P.C. and let us provide you with a free case consultation. We have a lawyer standing by 24 hours a day, seven days a week to take your call at (855) PHX-LAWYER and there is no obligation on your part for receiving the consultation.

Prior Blog Entry:

Elderly Couple Killed in Glendale when Driver Runs Red Light, Phoenix Injury Lawyer Blog, published December 16, 2013.

Resource:

Motorcyclist killed trying to avoid Glendale collision, CBS 5 AZ, published December 17, 2013.