A motorcyclist is in critical condition after he collided with a motorist on Thursday, April 7, at an intersection in Orange County. The Orlando Sentinel reports that a 61-year-old driver from Orlando was traveling northbound on Jason Street when she stopped at the intersection with Lancaster Road. After she pulled her 2004 Chrysler forward, she was hit on the right side by a motorcycle driven by a 45-year-old Orlando man. He was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment of his injuries. The motorist was not injured in the Florida motorcycle accident. The biker was reportedly not wearing a helmet, according to a report by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Let’s hope the motorcyclist pulls through his injuries. At this time, there is no word on who might be at-fault for this collision, but an investigation by the FHP is underway and charges could be filed.
Intersections attract a high number of accidents of all kinds, but particularly for motorcycles. Red light running can often be blamed and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reports that in 20 percent of fatal intersection crashes, a driver failed to obey the traffic signals. Often the motorist says they did not see the motorcycle. In 2009, Florida officials reported that 376 motorcyclists were killed in accidents, along with 26 passengers. Altogether, there were 8,313 motorcycle crashes in the state that year.
The Florida motorcycle accident lawyers at the law firm of Farah & Farah has been representing people injured in motorcycle accidents since 1979. We understand that often the biker is blamed for an accident that is not their fault. A thorough investigation must be undertaken immediately along with an accident scene reconstruction to determine how the crash happened. A rider seriously injured by a motorist’s carelessness or a distracted motorist has the right to hold that driver responsible for the accident, their injuries, and related damages in a court of law.
