Personal Injury Law

Washington Motorcycle Collision Caused by Bear in the Road

By Kirk Bernard, Esq.

An article from yakima-herald.com reported that a motorcycle accident in Washington occurred after a 46-year-old Yakima-area man lost control of his bike. On Sunday morning, August 2, 2009, around 10:30 a.m., the motorcyclist was riding on the North Fork Road outside Tampico when it came to his attention that a bear was in his lane up ahead after he rounded a curve. He tried to avoid hitting the bear when he lost control and crashed. The man suffered a rib injury and was treated at a local hospital. A sergeant at the scene said the bear did not appear to have been hurt and wandered from the scene of the accident.

Although we hear about auto accidents and motorcycle accidents caused by animals in the road less often than accidents caused by negligent drivers, drivers and cyclists must prepare for anything they might encounter on the highway. As was the case in the aforementioned incident, when rounding a curve in the road, it is especially important to proceed with reduced speed and caution. Fortunately in this accident, no one was killed. Based on a 2008 NHTSA report, in 2005, motor vehicle traffic crashes were the leading cause of death amongst persons ages 3 through 6 and 8 through 34, an astounding figure that needs to be shrunk sooner rather than later.

Full post as published by Seattle Injury Blog on August 27, 2009 (boomark / email).