Unlike much of the country, California’s mild year-round temperatures allow motorcycle enthusiasts to ride 12 months out of the year. While motorists in the Los Angeles area are accustomed to sharing the roads and highways with motorcycles, every year too many motorcyclists are involved in accidents or near accidents.
Los Angeles area residents were saddened to learn of a recent fatal motorcycle accident that claimed the life of an off-duty law enforcement official. According to an initial accident report, the off-duty officer was riding a motorcycle in the carpool lane along the Southern California freeway when the accident occurred.
While traveling in the carpool lane, a car reportedly veered too close and sideswiped the motorcycle. As a result of the collision, the driver was thrown from the motorcycle and the driver’s body landed on the opposite side of the freeway divider.
The fatal crash remains under investigation. It’s not clear from initial reports whether the driver of the motor vehicle responsible for causing the accident has or will be arrested. It’s also not clear what factors may have contributed to the accident.
Motorcycle accidents often occur because drivers fail to see a motorcyclist. It’s possible, therefore, that the driver responsible for causing the accident wasn’t aware of the whereabouts of the motorcycle when he or she veered into the carpool lane. It’s also possible that the driver was distracted by a cellphone or something else inside or outside the vehicle when the fatal accident occurred.
Regardless of the circumstances that lead to the accident, an individual is dead and he or she will be greatly missed by grieving family members, friends and colleagues. In this case, the family members of the victim may choose to take legal action and file a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver who struck their loved one. While nothing can bring a loved one back, compensation recovered via a wrongful death lawsuit can be used to pay for medical expenses, funeral costs and lost wages. Additionally, information discovered through legal action can bring about change and help ensure other families are spared from suffering this type of tragic loss.
Source: NBC Los Angeles, “Off-Duty Officer Killed in Motorcycle Crash on 91 Freeway,” Jonathan Llyod and Nyree Arabian, May 1, 2014
