California Injury Blog
Jaime Juarez, 56, of Salinas, died in a Aug. 25 rear-end Monterey County motorcycle accident after his vehicle was hit by a delivery truck when he was stopped at a red light, the Monterey County Herald reports. The driver of the truck, Luciano Acevedo, 26, of Watsonville, was arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run. Acevedo allegedly fled the scene of the accident, but officers later caught up with him and Acevedo admitted that he was driving the delivery truck at the time of the accident.
Juarez suffered critical injuries when he was thrown from his Harley-Davidson. The impact threw Juarez about 25 feet into the intersection of North Sanborn Road and Acosta Plaza. Acevedo will likely face more charges because Juarez died.
I offer my deepest condolences to Jaime Juarez’s family. I find it despicable that Acevedo hit this motorcyclist, saw him get thrown off his vehicle and get seriously injured and didn’t even stay to get help or wait for officials to arrive.
I hope officials prosecute the negligent driver of the delivery truck to the fullest extent of the law. There is no information in news reports whether Acevedo was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. That may enhance his criminal charges. But whether he was intoxicated or not at the time of the fatal motorcycle accident, Acevedo should still be held criminally and civilly responsible for this horrible motorcycle accident and the death of Jaime Juarez.
I’d urge the family of Jaime Juarez to consider retaining the services of a reputed California personal injury lawyer, who will go after Acevedo and his employer and get the family the compensation they rightfully deserve. If I were representing the Juarez family, I’d be looking into how many hours Acevedo had been on the job, who he’s working for and his prior driving record. An experienced personal injury lawyer would also look into whether any other factors such as another vehicle or a dangerous roadway or intersection contributed to the collision.