California Injury Blog
Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy, Tim Africano, suffered major injuries in a Lake Forest motorcycle accident after his cycle hit a patch of wet road and crashed. According to a news report in The Lake Forest Patch, the injury crash occurred as Africano was headed south on Santiago Canyon Road near Ridgeline Road on his police motorcycle, early morning on September 6, 2012. Officials say Africano’s Honda lost traction with the pavement and he was thrown from the motorcycle. He was transported to an area hospital with major injuries. He is expected to survive. The California Highway Patrol is investigating this incident.
My thoughts and prayers are with Deputy Tim Africano as he recovers from his injuries. I wish him the very best for a speedy and complete recovery. Africano was recently honored by his department for the dramatic rescue of a suicidal teen from a ledge of the Banderas Bridge in Rancho Santa Margarita. He held onto the boy until two other deputies helped him pull the boy up.
Motorcycle Accident Statistics
According to CHP’s 2010 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were no fatalities, but 15 injuries involving motorcycle accidents in Lake Forest. During the same year, 19 people died and 750 were injured as a result of Orange County motorcycle accidents.
Cause of the Crash
Based on this news report, it is unclear as to why Africano lost control of his motorcycle. Officials say the motorcycle skidded on a wet patch on the roadway. There are still several unanswered questions here. What caused the wet patch on the roadway? Was there an issue with the motorcycle’s tires? Was there some type of vehicle defect or mechanical malfunction in the motorcycle? Were any other vehicles involved in this incident? I trust officials are looking into these and other issues in order to determine precisely what occurred here and why.
Compensation for Injured Victims
In this case, Deputy Africano will be able to seek workers’ compensation benefits to cover medical expenses and a portion of the lost wages as he recovers. In addition, if the wet patch on the roadway was caused by someone’s negligence, that individual or entity can also be held liable. Injured victims in such cases can seek compensation to cover medical expenses, lost wages, cost of hospitalization, rehabilitation and other related damages. Motorcycle accident victims would be well advised to contact a Lake Forest personal injury lawyer, who will stay abreast of the official investigation and ensure that the negligent parties are held liable.