Accident investigators indicated that on Tuesday in El Paso, Suzette Urista, 28, failed to yield to an oncoming motorcycle on Artcraft Road. She turned left in front of the bike without leaving enough space between the vehicles. The motorcyclist did not have time to evade the Dodge Avenger and crashed. He was ejected from his motorcycle and suffered life-threatening injuries in the wreck. After colliding, the two vehicles struck a Canutillo I.S.D. school bus that had been stopped at a light. (Jamel Valencia, Jesse Martinez and Elena Arteaga, kfoxtv.com, 5/7/14) The hearts and prayers of the Harris County motorcycle accident lawyers at Denena Points, PC are with Cesar Campbell, his family and his friends as they cope with the devastating crash.
Failure to Yield by Drivers of Larger Vehicles Continues to be one of the Top Causes of Motorcyclist Injuries and Deaths
TxDOT just launched a “Look Twice for Motorcycles” awareness campaign this month to enhance safety for bikers. But apparently, it will take more than the occasional safety campaign to change the habits and behavior of some drivers of traditional passenger vehicles.
Study after study has shown that during the complex activity of driving, drivers of enclosed vehicles are so busy trying to stay alert for dangers from vehicles as large or larger than their own that they routinely fail to notice smaller traffic like motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians. Our Harris County motorcycle accident lawyers caution that the consequences of that behavior are often deadly.
Motorcyclist accident fatalities increased by more than 40% in the 10 years from 2001 through 2010. And over 98% of motorcycle accidents with another vehicle result in injuries to the rider of the bike. Nearly half of those injuries are severe or life threatening. As the El Paso accident demonstrates, the biker is often ejected from the motorcycle at high speed during the crash. And even when he was wearing a helmet, as Mr. Campbell was, the very nature of the crash and the disproportionate impact forces exerted on a fragile human body could still result in serious injuries or death.
Around 75% of motorcycle accidents involve another vehicle. And in two thirds of those crashes, the cause is the driver of the larger vehicle failing to yield the right-of-way to the motorcyclist. Data from 2011 showed that other vehicles failing to yield and suddenly turning left in front of oncoming motorcycles, just like in the El Paso accident, caused 39% of all fatal two-vehicle motorcycle accidents.
The Harris County motorcycle accident lawyers at Denena Points, PC urge you to take note of the TxDOT safety campaign this month and Look Twice for Motorcycles. Click the link to learn more about what to do after a motorcycle accident to build a successful injury claim.