The Utah Department of Public Safety reported that in an average year in Utah, 6 bicyclists are killed and nearly 850 are involved in crashes with motor vehicles. Nearly 60% of bicyclists involved in a bicycle/motor vehicle crash are younger than 20 years of age and more than three-fourths (79%) are male. It looks like there is going to be a recent addition to the statistics mentioned above. KSL.com featured a story about a 15 year old male bicyclist who sustained serious head injuries when he was hit by a trailer-towing truck. The accident happened last Tuesday, May 21 in North Logan. According to the report the boy was crossing Main Street (State route 91) from west to east at 1600 North. A car in the inside lane had stopped to yield to the crossing boy on a bicycle but the driver of an oncoming truck from the outside lane did not see the boy resulting to the collision. Witnesses believed that the truck driver’s view of the boy was blocked by the car in the inner lane. Unfortunately the boy was not wearing a helmet and there is no designated cross walk in the area according to North Park Police Sgt. John Italasano. The area where the accident happened has a strip mall and another shopping center nearby, but the boy was reported alone. An ambulance transported the boy to Logan Regional Medical Center. The boy was later brought to the Primary Children’s Medical Center by a medical helicopter. Police authorities are investigating the collision. The Utah Department of Public Safety identified leading contributing factors of drivers in bicyclist crashes for 2011 as:
- Fail to Yield Right of Way (40%)
- Hit and Run (9%)
- Improper Turn (6%)
- Driver Distraction (4%)
- Vision Obscured by Glare (3%)
On the other hand, the leading contributing factors of bicyclists in crashes for 2011 are:
- Improper Crossing (10%)
- Wrong Side of Road (9%)
- Disregard Traffic Sign/Signal (5%)
The Utah Department of Public Safety added that 53% of bicyclists had no contributing factor in the crash. We at Christensen & Hymas extend our sympathies to this boy and his family. We wish him a speedy recovery.
We urge anyone who has been injured by another person’s negligence to call us at (801) 506-0800 for a free case consultation.
Original article by McKenzie Romero
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