A La Habra police officer suffered leg injuries in an a Orange County motorcycle accident, The Orange County Register reports. The motorcycle accident occurred the afternoon of June 12, 2009 on La Habra Boulevard near Harbor Boulevard. La Habra police said the collision occurred when the motorcycle officer was traveling west on La Habra Boulevard and a black Honda Accord that was pulling out of a driveway struck him. The officer apparently sustained minor injuries. No one in the Accord was injured.
It is indeed fortunate that the La Habra police officer did not suffer serious injuries in this Orange County motorcycle accident. I wish him the very best for a quick and complete recovery.
According to California Highway Patrol’s 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there was one fatal motorcycle accident and 13 motorcycle accidents involving injuries in La Habra. In Orange County as a whole, 24 deaths and 752 injuries were reported in 2007 as a result of motorcycle accidents.
In this particular case, it appears that the driver of the Honda Accord did not see the police officer riding his motorcycle on La Habra Boulevard. This is not at all uncommon. Car versus motorcycle accidents often occur as drivers are pulling out of driveways or when they are making a right, left or U-turn. Motorists often look for larger vehicles such as other cars, trucks or SUVs, but they fail to look for motorcycles, bicycles or pedestrians on roadways.
There is also the question of whether the driver of the Honda Accord was negligent in this case. Was the driver simply not paying attention to the road or his or her surroundings? Was the driver distracted? In such cases, if the driver is found to be negligent or reckless, the injured victim could be entitled to receive compensation to cover personal injuries, medical expenses, loss of wages and other related damages. Usually, it is in the accident victim’s best interest to contact experienced Orange County motorcycle accident attorneys who will make sure the victims’ legal rights are protected and that they receive fair compensation for their injuries, damages and loss.