California bicycle accident kills 1

A collision involving two bicycles and an automobile close to the intersection of Adelaida Road and Nacimiento Lake Drive left one cyclist dead and another seriously injured. The accident occurred at around 3 p.m. on Nov. 28.

An 18-year-old Paso Robles man was driving a GMC Yukon when he swerved to miss a stopped vehicle and crashed into the two cyclists. He reportedly told investigators that he was reaching to pick up his cell phone that had fallen from his lap to the floorboard just before he swerved to miss the vehicle in front of him.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the two cyclists were a 59-year-old Seal Beach man and an unidentified woman. The man was severely injured and was later hospitalized and the woman died on the scene.

Driving while distracted by a cell phone, such as in this case, or other devices can lead to an accident. If a victim of a motor vehicle accident dies and the accident happened because another driver was distracted, then the distracted driver may be held liable for the financial damage the family of the deceased may experience due to the death of their family member. This financial damage can be from lost income the deceased may have contributed to the family, burial and funeral expenses, car repairs and medical costs.

The family may find benefit from contacting a personal injury attorney. A lawyer could help the family recover monetary compensation from the negligent driver in order to cover costs and damage that resulted from the accident. Evidence provided by investigators such as witness testimonies, police reports and accident reconstruction could be used by the family’s attorney to show fault on the part of the defendant.

Source: KSBY, “Cyclist and driver identified in fatal crash near Paso Robles”, Olivia DeGennaro, November 29, 2014