A 19-year-old motorcyclist suffered serious injuries when he crashed into a parked motor home in Thousand Oaks. According to this news report in the Ventura County Star, the teenager was riding his motorcycle eastbound in the 800 block of Calle Tulipan the afternoon of January 26, 2009 when he hit the motor home. The man was not wearing a helmet, Ventura County Sheriff’s officials said. The teen motorcyclist, whose name was not released, was taken to an area hospital for treatment.
I’m relieved that this young motorcyclist did not suffer a fatal injury in this Thousand Oaks motorcycle accident. I wish him the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.
According to the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, in 2006, there was one fatality and 31 injuries relating to motorcycle accidents. In Ventura County as a whole, there were reportedly 11 deaths and 224 injuries relating to motorcycle accidents during the same year.
Based on this newspaper report, it is not clear why this Ventura motorcycle accident occurred. There are a number of unanswered questions. Where was the motor home parked? Was the teenager speeding on his motorcycle? Why and how did he lose control of the motorcycle? Were there other dangerous conditions on the roadway that may have caused him to lose control and crash?
These are questions that need to be answered. The injured victim would be well-advised to consult with a reputed Southern California motorcycle accident attorney to find out how to protect his legal rights. If this accident occurred because the motor home was illegally parked at a location where it was not supposed to have been, then the owner of the motor home could be held liable for the accident and resulting injuries.
If the motorcycle accident occurred because of a dangerous condition on the roadway, then the city or governmental agency responsible for maintaining that roadway could be held liable. Any claim against a governmental agency in California must be properly filed within six months of an accident. If the motorcyclist lost control because of a mechanical malfunction or product defect then the manufacturer could be held liable. It is always critical to preserve the motorcycle in its crashed condition until it can be examined for product defects, mechanical problems and other evidence.