A 93-year-old man struck and killed in a Long Beach hit-and-run bicycle accident on October 9, 2008 has been identified as Bernard Nelson. He was riding his bicycle west across the northbound lanes of Santa Fe Avenue at Canton Street when 81-year-old Lloyd Hills hit him and then fled the scene, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reports. Long Beach Police caught up with Hills and arrested him on suspicion of hit-and-run.
Bernard Nelson suffered severe head and chest trauma and was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Long Beach Police are still looking for more information about this 10/09/2008 auto versus bicycle collision. If you have any information, please call Long Beach Accident Investigations Detective David Lauro at 562-570-7355.
I offer my condolences to the family of Bernard Nelson, who lost his life in this tragic accident.
I find it appalling that Lloyd Hills struck Nelson and then left him to die on the street without offering any assistance and calling for help. California’s Vehicle Code Section 20001 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 an accident.” California law also makes it a crime to leave the scene of an auto accident without providing the other party your identification and in some cases, providing assistance to the other party. This obligation exists regardless of whether or not an individual is at fault for the accident.
Families of deceased auto accident victims are entitled to wrongful death claims in cases where the other driver is determined to have been negligent. Wrongful death claims compensate victims’ families for the loss of a family member who has been killed because of someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing. Bernard Nelson’s family would be well-advised to seek the counsel of a reputed California bicycle accident attorney. They need an attorney on their side who will fight for their legal rights.
If Hills did not have auto insurance or adequate insurance coverage, then Nelson’s family may be compensated through Nelson’s own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.