A person crossing the northbound 5 Freeway off-ramp suffered from a Irvine bicycle accident the morning of June 11, 2009, The Orange County Register reports. California Highway Patrol officials say the accident occurred at the 5 Freeway off-ramp on southbound Jeffrey Road at Roosevelt. The injured victim was taken to an area hospital with injuries. Orange County Sheriff's Department's officials say the person may have been walking across the off-ramp.
I hope this injured Orange County bicycle accident victim was not seriously injured. I wish this victim the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.
According to California Highway Patrol's 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were two fatalities and 43 injuries involving bicycle accidents in Irvine. In Orange County as a whole, 16 deaths and 1,020 injuries were reported as a result of bicycle accidents in 2007.
According to this newspaper report, it is not clear how or why this bicycle accident occurred. In fact, official reports state that the person may have either been on a bicycle or may have been a pedestrian when the collision occurred. There are many bicycle accident cases that occur where the bicyclist is walking and rolling his or her bike as they cross the street. In this case, it is not yet known what exactly this injured victim was doing at the time of the accident.
In such types of serious bicycle or pedestrian accident cases it is important for the victims to consult experienced Orange County bicycle accident attorneys, who can carefully examine and analyze the facts and determine whether there was any negligence or wrongdoing involved. I trust CHP officials are looking into the motorist's actions and how or why he or she collided with the bicyclist. Who had the right-of-way there? Was the motorist driving recklessly or under the influence? Was he or she distracted at the time of the car accident? All these are questions that need to be answered.
A knowledgeable personal injury lawyer will also look into any dangerous conditions that may have existed on this Irvine roadway and caused or contributed to this collision and to the bicyclist's injuries. If this should be the case, then the governmental agency responsible for maintaining that road could be held liable. Claims against California governmental agencies must be properly filed within 180 days of the injury accident.
SLS Consulting