California Injury Blog
A Riverside motorcycle intersection accident near Jurupa Avenue and Van Buren Boulevard killed its rider, according to a report posted on instantRiverside.com.
Rialto resident, Michael Martinez, 57, was in a 1999 Dodge Ram 2500 pick-up truck when he collided with Mira Loma motorcyclist Jeremy Sadach, 26. Sadach died shortly after at the Riverside Community Hospital. Martinez an employee of the City of Riverside’s Public Works Department was uninjured.
My heartfelt condolences to the Sadach family for their tragic loss.
Motorcycle accidents in Riverside County have caused 29 fatalities and 487 injuries in 2006. The 25-34 years-old age group represented the third largest age group for California motorcycle accident fatalities in 2006. This data is available at the California Highway Patrol’s Web site.
If I were a member of the Sadach family I’d be extremely interested to understand what happened. How could there have been such an impact at a surface street in broad daylight? Many factors cause or contribute to fatal collisions such as a dangerous intersection, non-functioning lights, mechanical problems with vehicles, product defects and failures or hazardous conditions on the road. If an investigation holds Martinez responsible for the accident, then Sadach’s family could make a wrongful death claim against the City of Riverside.
Official accident investigations many times lack the resource to cover every probable cause of the accident. The Sadach family may be well served consulting with a seasoned personal injury attorney. The attorney should be well versed in motorcycle accident cases and in holding government entities responsible for their negligence. Remember in any claim against a governmental agency, a properly made claim must be presented within six months of the accident and denied prior to filing a lawsuit.