South Florida Injury Attorney Blog

A police officer was airlifted to the hospital after a serious motorcycle accident Jan. 9, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported. The newspaper said that Officer Kevin Jones was on a motorcycle patrol in Deland, Florida, near Daytona, when a truck coming from the opposite direction turned in front of the motorbikes. Jones swerved to avoid the truck and crashed; he is now hospitalized in stable condition. The motorcycle officer who was with him was not seriously injured.

It's hard to draw conclusions about fault from such a bare-bones article, of course. But as an experienced motorcycle accident attorney in Fort Lauderdale, I noticed that the pattern of this accident fits right in with statistical information on typical motorcycle crash patterns. The definitive study on motorcycle crash patterns, the Hurt Report (PDF), said that the most frequent motorcycle accident configuration is another vehicle turning left in front of an oncoming motorcyclist -- the most likely scenario here.

That report also spelled out a fact that experienced motorcyclists already know: "The failure of motorists to detect and recognize motorcycles in traffic is the predominating cause of motorcycle accidents." Drivers don't usually take deliberate hostile action against bikers, the report says, but they fail to see motorcycles until it's too late to stop. Almost half of the time, the responsible party's view is actually blocked, the report said. It did not say what happens in the other accidents, but as a South Florida motorcyclist and a Pembroke Pines motorcycle accident attorney, I have some guesses. In multi-vehicle accidents, some drivers "don't see" bikes simply because they aren't expecting to see bikes.

In legal terms, failing to see what's right in front of you is known as negligence -- extreme carelessness. Of course, motorcycle accidents can also be caused by many other forms of negligence -- daydreaming, distractions and violations of traffic laws -- by either motorist. If you've been hurt by someone who was engaging in this sort of careless activity while driving, you are a victim of negligence and you have the right to pursue compensation with a Florida motorcycle accident lawsuit. To learn more about your rights and your options under Florida law at a free consultation, please contact our firm, Cohn, Smith & Cohn, today.