California Injury Blog
A 55-year-old male bicyclist suffered life threatening head injuries in a car collision in Los Angeles, which officials say involved a hit-and-run driver. According to a CBS news report, the bicyclist was traveling on Outpost Drive near Mulholland Drive the afternoon of June 29, 2012 in the Hollywood Hills area, when a rust-colored late-model Jeep Cherokee struck him. The Jeep left the scene. The bicyclist was transported to a local hospital with major head trauma. Anyone with more information about this crash is asked to call the LAPD’s West Traffic Division (213) 473-0234.
My thoughts and prayers are with the bicyclist, who has suffered severe head injuries in this hit-and-run crash. I wish him the very best for a complete recovery.
Bicycle Accident Statistics
According to California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), five fatalities and 1,845 injuries occurred involving bicycle accidents in the city of Los Angeles in 2009. In Los Angeles County as a whole, 22 people died and 3,725 were injured due to vehicle versus bicycle collisions, during the same year.
Hit-and-Run Laws
Based on this news account, the circumstances of this major injury bicycle accident are not clear. However, officials say that the driver of the Jeep that struck the victim drove away leaving the critically injured bicyclist lying on the roadway without care or medical attention, exposed to further danger. Appalling!
Not only is it inhumane and irresponsible to leave the scene of an injury crash, but it is also against the law. California Vehicle Code Section 20001 (a) states: “The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to a person, other than himself or herself, or in the death of a person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident.”
Justice and Compensation for Injured Victims
I trust police will soon apprehend the driver of the Jeep.
Injured victims of hit-and-run collisions would be well advised to contact an experienced hit and run injury lawyer in Los Angeles, who will stay abreast of the official investigation and ensure that the negligent parties are held liable. If the hit-and-run driver is not found, a knowledgeable accident attorney will be able to advise victims about how the uninsured motorist clause of their own auto insurance policy might help compensate them.