Personal Injury Law

Motorist's Disregard for Bicyclists' Safety Reaches a New Low - Speeding Driver Kills Cyclist and Sues Family for Property Damage to Car

By Benjamin J. Sansone, Esq.

A speeding driver hit and killed a 17 year old boy after he crashed into the back of the bicyclist at about 100 mph. The cyclist was killed by the collision. The wrongful death was clearly the driver's fault, however, despite his excessive speed no criminal charges were brought. Even more insulting to the cyclist's family, the driver sued them for the damage to his car.

In reaction to the property damage lawsuit, the parents were quoted as stating, "It's the final straw, a stab in the back ... [b]efore the lawsuit we thought the poor guy would find it hard to live the rest of his life with the thought of having caused our son's death."

As previously discussed in my other bicycle accident and injury related blog entries, I have seen first hand, as a St Louis Missouri injury lawyer representing injured cyclists, the prejudice and disrespect shown by drivers, witnesses ,and even jurors towards cyclists. It is important to work around this aversion many people have against cyclists, primarily from their frustration from a few cyclists they have encountered on the road. This is crucial to successful resolution of a bike injury case.

As an experienced St Louis Missouri and Illinois bicycle accident and bicycle injury lawyer I have successfully dealt with these hurdles in bike accident cases that often find their way to me after the initial injury lawyer drops the case or does not pursue it very diligently for many of the same reasons discussed above.

Full post as published by Missouri Injury Law Blog on January 30, 2008 (boomark / email).