A tourist from Canada has become the most recent victim of a fatal collision with a car along Shore Drive near the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. The deadly car accident occurred mid-morning on May 12, 2014.
According to a report on WAVY-TV 10, the man who lost his life was struck from behind by a vehicle traveling in the same direction away from the beach. Police quickly determined that neither speed nor alcohol played a role in causing the wreck, but they did not immediately dismiss the possibility of filing charges after they had completed their investigation.
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No specific cause of death was made public, but bike riders often suffer traumatic brain injuries, severe crush injuries and massive blood loss after being struck by a rapidly moving vehicle. The speed limit in the area where the crash happened is 55 mph. Even though the bicyclist was wearing a helmet, no head protection could prevent deadly TBI in that scenario.
A rash of similar fatal collisions a few years earlier led Virginia Beach city officials to approve the addition of bike lanes to Shore Drive, lower speed limits on stretches of the road and remind drivers that they must make room and watch for bike riders. Bicycles, of course, are also vehicles, making bicyclists responsible for staying in designated bike lanes and obeying all traffic signals and laws.
My Virginia personal injury and wrongful death law firm colleagues and I know from firsthand experience that tragedy can result whenever a driver or bike rider fails to share a roadway safely and respectfully. On a beautiful spring morning, someone made a deadly error.
EJL