A 53-year-old man was fatally injured in a Los Angeles car accident after the bicycle he was riding was struck by an SUV whose driver fled the scene. According to a City News Service report, the hit-and-run crash occurred during the early morning hours of June 8, 2012 near the intersection of Nordhoff Street and Gaviota Avenue. Both the bicyclist and the SUV were eastbound on Nordhoff. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision. Witnesses told police that the victim was thrown onto the windshield of the SUV, which was described as a dark Ford or Chevrolet. The bicyclist then fell into a planter in front of an auto parts store. Officials are still looking for the hit-and-run driver.
I offer my deepest sympathies to the family members and friends of this deceased hit-and-run car accident victim. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Bicycle Accident Statistics
According to California Highway Patrol’s 2009 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were five fatalities and 1,845 injuries involving bicycle accidents in the city of Los Angeles. Also, countywide,bicycle accidents claimed 22 lives and injured 3,725 people, during the same year.
Leaving the Scene of a Crash
Based on this news article, it appears that the driver of the SUV not only struck and fatally injured the bicyclist, but also left him lying on the roadway without care or medical attention. The bicyclist bounced off the SUV’s windshield and onto the street and still, the driver did not stop. Unconscionable!
Leaving the scene of an injury accident is not only inhumane and irresponsible, but it is also illegal. 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.”
Holding Wrongdoers Accountable
I sincerely hope officials are able to apprehend this driver and hold him or her responsible.
In such cases, families of deceased victims would be well advised to contact an experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, who will stay abreast of the official investigation and ensure that their legal rights and best interests are protected. A knowledgeable car accident attorney will also advise a victim’s family about how their own car insurance policy might apply to a hit-and-run collision or to an incident where the at-fault motorist is uninsured or underinsured.