Antelope Valley Personal Injury Lawyer - Motorcycle Accidents

Off-duty L.A. firefighter dies in off-road crash

Rick Patterson — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:19:00 GMT

An offduty Los Angeles firefighter was killed Tuesday in an off-road motorcycle crash, California Highway Patrol officials said.

Andrew J. Sauceda, 28, was riding his 2005 Honda XR 650 while wearing full protective gear on a private road near Black Quarry Mountain Road east of Dale Evans Parkway. He lost control, overturned and was ejected over a 30-foot embankment.

Sauceda was killed at impact because of major head trauma and internal bleeding, CHP authorities said.

According to authorities, other off-duty Los Angeles City Fire Department firemen were with him and called for help.

The LACFD Boyle Heights Station battalion chief also arrived at the scene once told about the deadly crash.

The CHP and the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner's Department is investigating the incident.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Patterson

Three Motorcycle Riders Die in Three Seperate Accidents in Oklahoma

Rick Patterson — Fri, 30 May 2008 21:39:31 GMT

Three motorcycle riders lost their lives in Oklahoma this week. The motorcycle crasheswere unrelated. In fact they were in separate Oklahoma counties.

The first involved Jackie Sams, 69 of Ardmore, Oklahoma, the second involved Brett Hughes, 24 of Tishomingo, Oklahoma and the third fatality involved John Holland, 57, of Love County, Oklahoma. Local authorities said it was unusual to have three consecutive motorcycle incidents on three consecutive days. All of the motorcycle riders were riding without helmets.

Additional Information Pertaining to Motorcycle Accidents

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Patterson

Sikh Fights for Right to Ride Bike with Turban

Rick Patterson — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 18:24:44 GMT

Should a Sikh be permitted to lawfully ride a motorcycle without a helmet due to the fact that it won't fit over a turban. Consider the fact that the turban is a tenant of his religion.

That is a questions before the Canadian courts. Baljinder Badesha, 39, of Brampton is the first to challenge Ontario's motorcycle helmet. Although, it is certainly not the first time the law has been challenged in general. Badesha is a devout Sikh and wears a turban at all time when he is outside of his home. He feels he is being excluded from a favorite pastime due to his religion.

In 2005 he was given a ticket for riding his Yamaha motorcycle on Queen Street near Highway 10 without a helmet. " There are exceptions to motorcycle helmet laws for devout Sikhs in British Columbia, Manitoba, the UK and Northern Ireland, the court was heard."

He shrugs off concerns about safety, and says his wife does not worry about him, either. (I'd look into that in depth!!) Although, one can certainly understand the state's lack of enthusiasm for subsidizing the health care costs of people without adequate protection and without adequate insurance to pay for medical bills arising from preventable injuries.

Additional Information Pertaining to Motorcycle Injuries

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Patterson

ATV's and Kids

Rick Patterson — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:50:11 GMT

The holidays are upon us once again. Some parents may see ATVs on the wish list. Before you make a decision you should know that researchers at the University of Arkansas said "based on 500 case histories of young people treated after ATV accidents, youngsters under 16 should be barred from riding the vehicles." The University of Arkansas' finding were that the ATVs are generally unstable, and accordingly not suitable children under 16 given their small size. In 2005 40,000 children were treated in ER's across the country as a result of ATV accidents. One in four deaths on ATV are that of children, although one could argue the last statistic is in favor of children riding.

Other the other hand, it was also noted in the study that most ATV accidents involving children occur when they ride ATV's which are sized and powered for adults, which is something the organization strongly advises against. As Tom Riker, treasurer of the Long Island Off-Road Vehicle Association, an ATV-rider group, put it "In most cases in a controlled environment where direction and trail maintenance is taken care of and safety is taught, there is a very low injury rate." Only you can decide what is right for you and yours. Just do your research before making your purchase and be careful out there.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Patterson

Protect Yourself from Staged Accident

Rick Patterson — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 11:23:12 GMT

It has recently been noted by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) that almost one-fourth of all motor vehicle accident claims may contain fraudulent information. As a result of the amount of fraud, the cost may add approximately $4.5 billion to auto injury settlements each year. Obviously, at the end of the day, we all pay the price for fraud.

So, what do you do to protect yourself and your family. To find out, go to the link to watch a segment that was aired on Thursday on "FOX & Friends." The segment covers how to protect yourself from staged accidents. The segment also give other helpful tips and airs dramatic videos.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Patterson

Motorcycle Accident Study - A Wealth of Information

Rick Patterson — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 17:29:54 GMT

A motorcycle accident study, specifically, The Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures, was conducted by the University of Southern California (USC) and funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

It is said to be a great resource for information regarding how to avoid accidents. Some 900 motorcycle accidents were investigated as part of this report, which is hundreds of pages long. If you would like to have the full report you can obtain information by going on the link. Safe driving.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Patterson

Motorcycle Accidents - Who's to Blame?

Rick Patterson — Fri, 04 May 2007 11:55:36 GMT

If you have ever been on a motorcycle or have watched as they pass you by in traffic, it has probably crossed your mind just how vulnerable the motorcycle riders are.

According to Ron Shepard, who is the director of Idaho Skills Training Advantage for Riders, "research shows that more then 70 percent of accidents involving motorcycles are caused by other drivers violating the motorcyclists' right of way." Those statistics do not surprise me in the least.

In an effort to make the public more aware of this issue, and as part of Motorcycle Awareness Month, Idaho is running spots on radio and television. It may not be a bad idea for other states to follow Idaho's lead. The injuries from motorcycle accidents are usually quite extensive, and if radio and/or television spots reduce the number of motorcycle accidents, it is a good thing.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Patterson

Motorcycle Deaths Increase in Utah

Rick Patterson — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 14:15:09 GMT

In Utah, fatalities involving motorcycle riders, bicyclists and pedestrians, have increased by a third. Motorcycle fatalities rose from 23 in 2005 to 25 last year. "I wish I knew [even more] about bike safety and how to change these statistics," said Utah Bicycle Coalition President, Malcolm Campbell.

It is believed that a contributing factor is the increase in the number of drivers on the road. According to the Utah Department of Health, another reason for the increase may be the increasing number of young male adults on the roads. That is probably a good bet, since accidents involving youths, particularly males youths, are higher than with other drivers.

It appears that most of the deaths could have been avoided. According to Utah Highway Patrol, the leading cause of fatal motorcycle crashes involved riders driving too fast and too close to the vehicle in front of them. Utah Department of Health data shows that an average of six bicyclists died each year in Utah from 1998 to 2006. On a brighter side, perhaps the only bright side in the story, pedestrian deaths have decreased in seven of the last nine years, despite the spike in 2006.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Patterson