A motorcyclist suffered major injuries in a Riverside car accident after being hit by a left-turning vehicle.
According to a news report in The Press-Enterprise, the crash occurred on San Sevaine Way west of Wacker Driver the afternoon of June 30, 2014.
The motorcycle was traveling west on San Sevaine Way when it collided with the car, which was making a left turn into a business lot.
The motorcyclist was Continue reading →
Manuel Jimenez Galvan was killed in a Los Angeles motorcycle accident after an MTA bus struck him. According to an NBC news report, the fatal motorcycle collision occurred the night of May 8, 2014 in the 21500 block of Nordhoff Street west of Canoga Avenue. Galvan was traveling west on Nordhoff Street when he collided with the front of an MTA bus that was making a left turn from eastbound Nordhoff Street.
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Paul Tapalla, 22, of Montclair, was killed in an Irvine motorcycle accident after crashing into a tree.
According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the fatal crash occurred the night of March 17, 2014 near Main Street and Paseo Westpark.
Police say the motorcycle seemed to have lost control and hit a sign and a tree. No other vehicles seemed to have been involved, police said.
However, officials are still looking into what caused Tapalla to lose control of his motorcycle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Irvine Police Department’s major accident investigation team is investigating the crash.
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William Jay Kiernan, 47, was killed in a motorcycle accident after a vehicle turned left in front of him at an intersection in Phelan. According to a news report in the Victorville Daily Press, the fatal collision occurred near the intersection of Sheep Creek Road and Daisy Lane. California Highway Patrol officials say 27-year-old Christopher Durbin was driving a 2002 Toyota Tundra pickup north on Sheep Creek at 30- to 35 mph when he attempted to make a turn directly in the path of the motorcyclist.
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A 35-year-old man suffered major head and neck injuries in a Pasadena motorcycle accident after his motorcycle struck a pole. According to a news report in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the major injury collision occurred the night of October 16, 2013 at Del Mar Boulevard and Craig Avenue. Witnesses only said they heard the crash before the motorcyclist was found lying in the street severely injured. He was rushed to a local hospital in serious condition. Pasadena police are investigating the cause of the crash.
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Ryan Turner, 24, of Corona was killed in a Garden Grove motorcycle accident the afternoon of October 3, 2013. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the fatal crash occurred near Orangewood Avenue and Monarch Street. Police say Turner was riding eastbound on Orangewood when he tried to pass a FedEx vehicle on the right.
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A motorcyclist was injured in a Santa Ana car crash that involved six other vehicles, The Orange County Register reports. California Highway Patrol officials say that the incident occurred early morning on May 10, 2013 on the 55 Freeway north of the Dyer Road off-ramp. As cars in the left lane were hit in a rear-end collision, other drivers changed into the middle and carpool lanes to avoid the crash.
A vehicle turning into the carpool lane struck a motorcyclist who was on a Yamaha sports bike. The rider was knocked off the bike and ended up pinned under the silver Toyota Tacoma. Passers by were able to lift the truck off the motorcyclist. The man was injured, but is expected to survive. An investigation is ongoing.
Motorcycle Crashes
A motorcyclist was fatally injured in an Arcadia car accident, which officials say, involved a hit-and-run driver. According to a news report in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the fatal crash occurred the night of May 7, 2013 in the 200 block of West Foothill Boulevard. Police say the motorcycle was struck by a blue Mitsubishi. The motorcyclist was thrown off his bike and suffered internal injuries and head trauma. He was transported to an area hospital where he died. The driver of the Mitsubishi, possibly a Lancer, fled the scene. There is no driver description available, but officials say the electric blue Mitsubishi sustained damage to the passenger side including a missing side mirror. Anyone with information is asked to call Arcadia police at 626-574-5151.
Crash Statistics
There were no fatalities, but eight injuries involving motorcycle collisions in the city of Arcadia, according to California Highway Patrol’s 2010 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS). In Los Angeles County as a whole, 74 people died and 2,637 were injured due to motorcycle accidents in 2010. During the same year, 147 deaths and 19,009 injuries were reported as a result of hit-and-run car accidents statewide.
A 21-year-old motorcyclist was critically injured in an Orange County motorcycle crash after being struck by a pickup truck near an intersection in Stanton. The Orange County Register reports that the major injury collision occurred near the intersection of Katella and Western avenues the evening of April 5, 2013. The Orange County Sheriff Department’s major accident reconstruction team is investigating this collision. The severely injured motorcyclist was transported in critical condition to an area hospital. So far, no arrests or citations have been reported.
Spike in Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle accidents in the United States have been consistently increasing over the last decade or so, according to a report by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). The report showed that motorcycle accidents remained at 4,500 in 2011, the same level as 2010 despite the decline in overall traffic fatalities in 2011. The GHSA notes that motorcycle deaths remain one of the few areas in highway safety where progress has not been made. In Orange County, 19 fatalities and 750 injuries were reported in 2010 as a result of motorcycle accidents.
The California Highway Patrol has taken an unusual step of issuing a set of guidelines that affirm the legality of lane-splitting, a controversial practice among motorcyclists, but point out the circumstances when it is safe to split lanes. According to a news report in The Sacramento Bee, California is the only state in the country where lane-splitting is legal. Lane-splitting is when motorcyclists pass vehicles in adjacent lanes by driving between them. CHP officials are posting the first-ever written guidelines on the website as part of a broader highway safety initiative.
Increase in Motorcycle Collisions
CHP officials say this is a good time to release these guidelines because the number of motorcyclists is on the rise in California as is the number of motorcycle collisions. According to CHP’s statistics, 9,600 people were injured in 2010 motorcycle crashes, up 25 percent since 2000. According to the California’s Office of Traffic Safety 87 percent of California motorcycle riders reported that they split lanes. So far, it has been common knowledge that it is a legal practice, but no guidelines have been issued with regard to its safety.
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