Negligent driver causes accident with motorcycle

A 61-year-old motorcyclist was flown to Boston Medical Center after he was in a collision with a car that failed to yield. The accident took place in the intersection of Route 121A and Pillsbury Road in Sandown.

Among serious bikers, there is a saying that it is not “if” you will get in an accident, it is “when” you will be in an accident. A serious biker will tell you that there is a well-deserved lack of trust for the behavior of motorists who often miss motorcycles in their blind spots or make driving errors that cause the motorcyclist to crash. That is apparently what happened in the Sandown motorcycle accident.

According to news reports, the 61-year-old was traveling south on Route 121A when he ran into a car that was traveling north, and turning left. The car should have yielded to the motorcycle, but did not do so.

The 61-year-old was wearing a helmet, and was conscious prior to being transported to Boston Medical Center, although his injuries were described as being life threatening. He apparently suffered a broken collarbone, seven broken ribs and had to have his spleen removed. “It was terrible,” he said. “They just pulled right in front of me.”

As we have mentioned in previous posts, it is possible for a single incident to result in both criminal charges and civil litigation. In this particular case, the 68-year-old driver of the car was given a traffic citation, and she could also be sued in civil court for the personal injury suffered by the 61-year-old man.

Source: Eagle-Tribune, “Motorcyclist recovering from Sandown crash,” Doug Ireland, Aug. 8, 2012

At our Boston law firm, we represent individuals, similar to the 61-year-old man described in this posting, who suffer personal injuries in a car or motorcycle accident.