Failure to yield a serious problem in motorcycle/vehicle accidents

Many families and individuals in Chicago know the pain of enduring an accident or losing a loved one and the ensuing months or years of recovery. The pain is almost made worse when the accident could have clearly and easily been prevented, as is usually the case when the accident is caused by a car’s failure to yield to a motorcycle.

Several studies have been done to determine what causes these accidents. A Florida Department of Transportation study recently examined the causal factors of car vs. motorcycle accidents and found that a disproportionate number of the crashes can be attributed to mistakes made by the car’s drivers which end with them failing to properly yield to motorcyclists.

Study findngs

 The study analyzed 10 years of motorcycle crashes that occurred in Florida. They found that in 60 percent of cases, the motorists manning other vehicles were at fault and caused the motorcyclist to collide with their cars or trucks. The study also found that most motorcycle crashes involve other vehicles, and in severe accidents that result in fatalities, the blame is usually found to rest with the motorist.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released similar findings when they evaluated fatal two-vehicle motorcycle accidents. They found that in fatal crashes between motorcycles and passenger vehicles, motorcyclists accounted for 98 percent of the fatalities. Additionally, 35 percent of drivers in these crashes failed to yield right-of-way, 9 percent were cited for failure to stay in their lane or leaving the road, and 7 percent were under the influence of drugs, alcohol or medication.

Examples are prevalent

The findings of both studies should sound familiar to Chicago residents. The Chicago Tribune recently reported that a 28-year-old man suffered serious injury when a truck failed to yield to his motorcycle. The crash occurred in the Bucktown neighborhood when the driver of the truck was headed southbound and tried to make a left turn while the motorcyclist had the right of way as it passed straight through the intersection. The man was initially thought to be dead, but was later taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Just a few days prior to that, a motorcycle was passing through the northwest side of Sublette when a van crashed into it, throwing both occupants from the bike and injuring the vans occupants. News Tribune reports that officers investigating the collision indicate that the van allegedly ran a stop sign, causing the motorcycle to collide with the van with such force that it was knocked over, trapping the van’s nine occupants inside. One of the motorcyclists was killed and the other sustained heavy injuries.

These devastating accidents happen every day. Chicago residents who have suffered injuries after a motorcycle accident can contact a personal injury attorney to discuss their claim so they can receive the compensation they need to properly heal.