Motorcycle Rider Misses Turn and Dies After Striking a Guardrail
A motorcycle rider fatality occurred recently in the southern part of Sacramento County after his bike missed a turn, went off the road, and struck a guardrail. The accident happened along the Sacramento River Delta, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP) along Highway 160, near Walnut Grove at around 7:10 in the evening. The deceased rider, described as age 47, was on a Yamaha heading north when he died in the crash.
Authorities Investigating Fatal Motorcycle Rider Accident
The rider was ejected from his motorcycle after striking the guardrail. He was declared dead at the accident scene. The name of the deceased rider has not yet been released pending notification of his family. The fatal accident is being investigated by the CHP to discover how the accident occurred.
Guardrails in Motorcycle Accidents
Guardrails are intended to keep motor vehicles from leaving the road and pitch into rough terrain or water. They are built to stop cars and trucks with steel enclosures, crumple zones, and safety devices, not motorcycles. When a motorcycle hits a guardrail of this type, the impact may hurt the motorcyclist more than help him. However, modifying barriers may not be undertaken due to fiscal constraints.
Ejection as a Cause of a Motorcycle Rider Fatality
The problem is a motorcyclist often is thrown from the bike, and this action frequently results in critical injuries or motorcycle rider fatality. In some guardrail collisions, the motorcyclist moves along the rail after being ejected. The top edge can be sharp and result in serious lacerations or severed extremities. Cable barriers have a similar effect.
Why Some Guardrails Are More Likely to Cause a Fatality
It’s true that some guardrails are more likely to cause a motorcycle rider fatality. In some cases, poorly thought out design, improper installation and faulty maintenance can all cause accidents. If guardrails are not designed properly they will not telescope upon impact, and instead of protecting occupants, the guardrail can injure them.
Improper Installation Can Increase the Danger
Road crews may not install guardrails properly, and some types of barriers are more worrisome than others. This failure to install the guardrails properly can be seen as negligence on the part of the company or agency that does the job. This means that a liability lawsuit can be filed by the family of a deceased loved one or the injured party.
Height miscalculations are another reason why guardrails cause injury. If this happens, a lawsuit against the company and the governmental agency in charge can be filed. In a claim against a governmental agency, it is vital that it be filed in a timely manner since the statute of limitation is shorter than other personal injury lawsuits.
Losing a Loved One in a Motorcycle Rider Fatality
No one is prepared for losing a loved one. However, if it happens due to the negligence of another, the hardship the family shares is much greater. Aside from anger, grief, and a sense of helplessness, the family wants to find justice for their loved one. One way to do this is to file a wrongful death lawsuit.
Is a Wrongful Death Lawsuit Different From Other Legal Claims?
In some ways, it is. However, it is a form of a personal injury lawsuit handled by an injury lawyer. The family files the claim to recover the financial loss they sustained brought about by the demise of their loved one. While recovering from financial loss helps the family survive the lack of support the loved one provided, it does not alleviate their grief.
Learn more about wrongful death claims in the following video presented by attorney Ed Smith:
Sacramento Wrongful Death Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, and I am a Sacramento wrongful death lawyer. When you lose a loved one, you suffer not only grief but financial difficulties as well. Nothing but time can help the pain we feel when a loved one dies. However, a wrongful death lawsuit can help the family survive the financial loss the decedent’s demise causes.
Call us at (916) 921-6400 or at (800) 404-5400 to learn more about filing a wrongful death claim or contact us online. Filing a wrongful death lawsuit helps the family pay for funeral and burial expenses as well as with a myriad of other monetary losses they face.
AutoAccident.com has helped families find their way after the loss of a loved one and with car accident injuries and other forms of trauma.
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Photo attribution: Image by Andreas Lischka from Pixabay; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9-lg0clbRM
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