An anonymous donor has apparently offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a hit-and-run driver who struck and killed 55-year-old Patrick Shannon in a Anaheim car-bicycle accident the afternoon of April 24, 2009. Shannon was a 10-year employee of the Anaheim Marriott and had been riding north on South West Street when he was struck from behind by a Chevrolet El Camino. The driver left the scene of the car accident leaving Shannon unconscious and on the street with severe head injuries.
Shannon was taken to an area hospital where he died of his personal injuries two days after the Anaheim bicycle accident. Minutes after that fatal bicycle accident, Anaheim police found the El Camino with a shattered front windshield abandoned in bushes not far from the scene of the car-bike accident. Like many Orange County residents Shannon had just started commuting to work by bicycle because his doctor had told him to get more exercise. If you have any information about the hit-and-run driver or this accident, please call Anaheim police investigators at 714-765-1900.
I offer my deepest sympathies to everybody who knew and loved Patrick Shannon. I can only imagine the grief they must be going through not only because they have lost a loved one but because the hit-and-run driver who struck him is still at large. It’s hard to understand how someone could seriously injure a person and then leave him or her for dead on the street. I hope this hit-and-run suspect is apprehended and brought to justice.
In California, leaving the scene of an accident is a crime. California Vehicle Code section 20001 (a) states: “The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to a person, other than himself or herself, or in the death of a person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident.” The driver is also required to show identification, exchange car insurance information and render aid to the injured party.
Shannon’s family would be well advised to contact a reputed California bicycle accident attorney who is knowledgeable about how uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance coverage applies to hit-and-run car accidents. Shannon’s family may be eligible to receive compensation through the uninsured/underinsured motorist clause of Shannon’s car insurance policy or any other insurance policy that he has benefits under. Skilled Orange County personal injury attorneys will make sure that the Shannon family’s legal rights are protected.