With summer in full swing, it is also the season for increased motorcycle riding – and increased motorcycle fatalities. With summer comes more motorcycle commuters, more weekend warriors, and more vacationers on their motorcycles. But the increased presence of motorcycles on our roads seldom leads to increased awareness by automobile drivers of their presence.
This state of affairs means that summer is a time of increased motorcycle accidents and, sadly, motorcycle fatalities. Although it is often the riders who are killed or left with serious injuries, disabilities, and brain injuries, these accidents follow familiar patterns, and it is usually the automobile driver who is to blame.
This was sadly the case last week when a man from the western Chicago suburb of St. Charles was killed in a motorcycle accident in Wisconsin.
The crash occurred in Shawano, and resulted in two fatalities: the motorcyclist, a 56-year-old man, and the passenger in the automobile, a 79-year-old woman. The driver of the car, an 83-year-old man, was injured but survived.
The crash followed one of the most common motorcycle accident patterns – the left-turn collision. The automobile driver failed to notice the oncoming cyclist and made a left turn directly into the path of the motorcycle, leaving the rider with no chance to stop, turn, or otherwise avoid the collision.
The fact that these accidents are so common is a source of continued distress for motorcyclists and the attorneys of Passen & Powell. There is simply no excuse for automobile drivers’ continued failure to look for and respect motorcycles on our roadways.
If you or someone you love has been seriously injured or killed in a motorcycle accident, chances are that the driver of an automobile was at fault. An experienced motorcycle accident attorney can help you to overcome the anti-motorcycle bias often present in our society and our legal system, and to get the justice you deserve.
For a free consultation with an experienced Chicago car accident lawyer at Passen & Powell, call us at (312) 527-4500.