On a sunny Saturday afternoon a father and son took a short motorcycle ride in Orange, Virginia (VA). The pair was enjoying the unseasonably warm October weather when suddenly a pick up truck turned into their path. The devastating crash caused the death of the boy and injured his father, says the Virginian Pilot.
As a parent I can think of nothing more terrible than the death of my child. My heart goes out to his father and all the other family members. It is an unthinkable loss for any family.
The tragedy could have been avoided if only the driver of the pick up truck had been more aware of his surroundings. It is true that motorcycles are smaller vehicles but they are certainly not invisible.
Unfortunately it is always the motorcycle operator that pays the price for other driver’s inattention. Even with helmets and other safety equipment on motorcycle accidents can be catastrophic.
Now not only does this grieving father have to bury his son, but he has to recover from injuries he received from the wreck. Deaths on motorcycles are a growing trend and in 2006, nearly 5,000 motorcyclists died in accidents which is five percent higher than 2005, according to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Unfortunately, Virginia (VA) is on track to set a record for motorcycle deaths in 2009. The Hampton Roads area has seen more than double than number of motorcycle accidents in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Newport News, etc. than in all of 2008.
One of the major problems that we see as the lawyers for injured motorcyclists is the lack of sufficient insurance when there has been a serious injury.
Typically in Virginia (VA), you are limited to the amount of insurance coverage that is available from the at-fault driver who hit you on your bike and any insurance that you may be carrying on your motorcycle or other family auto policy. In situations such as this it may not be sufficient enough to cover all medical bills and lost wages.
CA