$2.4 Million Settlement in Wrongful Death Lawsuit over Fatal Bicycle Accident
A $2.4 million dollar settlement has been reached in a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Menlo Park1:
Deborah Johnson, 54, was riding her bike with a friend on Sand Hill Road on a Sunday afternoon in July 2007 when she fell and struck her head. She was taken to Stanford University Medical Center, and pronounced dead two days later.
Her husband, John Gerrity, told The Daily News that Johnson’s friend saw her fall from her bike after hitting an object in the bike lane — the flat black octagonal rubber base of a “candlestick” delineator that had become separated from its plastic orange pole. The lane divider should never have been there in the first place, he said.
Mr. Gerrity is now advocating for safer bike lanes and strict adherence to state and federal regulations:
According to the federal Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices, used by road managers nationwide, “posts or raised pavement markers should not be used to separate bicycle lanes from adjacent travel lanes.” The same notation is made in the state’s adaptation of the manual.
The underlying problem with this and hundreds of other accidents is inadequate and poorly enforced safety regulations for construction zones, particularly temporary work zones.
1. http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_15280180?nclick_check=1
Rosemount Teenager Killed in MN Bicycle Accident
A 15-year-old boy was hit and killed by an SUV on May 30, 2009. The young man was from Rosemount, Minnesota. The accident happened on County Road 27 north of Eagle Lake in Blue Earth County.
This was the second fatal bicycle accident in Minnesota in May. On May 20, a bicyclist was killed when a semi-trailer turned and struck him at an intersection.
“I bike to work every day,” stated attorney Fred Pritzker of Pritzker Olsen, a Minnesota law firm that represents victims of bicycle accidents and their families. “I am personally aware of the dangers on the road, and that drivers just don’t look for bicyclists.”
Two of the major contributing factors in bicycle-motorist crashes are:
• Failure to yield the right of way
• Failure to see bicyclists due to inattentive driving
Pritzker Olsen urges all motorists to watch for bicyclists, especially children. We stand with Transportation Commissioner Tom Sorel, who stated. “We want motorists to recognize bicyclists as people, not obstructions. . .”
If you would like a free consultation with an attorney at Pritzker Olsen, please call 1-888-377-8900 or submit our form for a free consultation with an attorney.
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