Personal Injury Law

Missouri bicyclist hit by car

By Ryan Bradley, Esq.

Kenneth McFarland, 75, was injured and hospitalized after being hit by a car while he was out for a morning bike ride in Clay County, Missouri.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, McFarland was heading northbound towards the intersection of Route W and Route C when the Missouri car accident occurred. As McFarland entered the intersection, so did a 2010 Chevrolet driven by Adam Christiansen, 26. Christiansen's car hit McFarland and knocked him off his bike.

McFarland was taken by ambulance to a local hospital for emergency treatment. Fortunately, he was at least wearing a helmet or his injuries could have been more severe.

The investigating officer said in the initial report that Christiansen failed to yield the right of way to McFarland and that charges are pending. Initial crash reports are just the initial impressions of the responding officer and considered hearsay in court. It is often in an injury victim's best interest to contact a Missouri personal injury attorney to help with a full investigation into any accident and make sure the rights of the victim are protected.

This accident could have been much worse. With little more than a helmet, and sometimes not even that, bicyclists are at great risk when sharing the streets with cars. Most accidents are caused when a drivers fails to see a smaller cyclist until it is too late. Here are some tips for both drivers and cyclists on how to make your travels safer.

Full post as published by Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog on June 22, 2010 (boomark / email).