Anytime a car strikes a bicycle, the person on the bike is likely to suffer much more severe injuries than the person in the car. Likewise, the bike itself usually does not hold up too well, relative to any damage that might result to the car. However, that does not mean that the car won’t show any damage at all.
The damage to a car’s front-end is how police officers in Orange County managed to track down a woman who allegedly hit a bicyclist with her vehicle. The 22-year-old woman supposedly hit the bicyclist at about 11 p.m. on a Tuesday night. According to a police sergeant, the rider suffered cuts and maybe even a broken leg.
Ironically, the woman had apparently gotten her car, a new Mercedes-Benz, on the same day that the accident occurred. Only hours before the crash, she showed off photos of her new vehicle on a social networking account.
The woman fled the scene after the accident, but the victim was able to give police a description of the vehicle that hit him. Officers then searched the area and found the matching Mercedes, which had damage to the front passenger and driver sides of the car, on a nearby street. Officers stopped the driver and arrested her on a felony DUI charge and for felony hit-and-run causing injury.
In addition to the criminal charges that the driver faces, the bicyclist will have the option to pursue a civil lawsuit against her. Although his injuries do not seem to be life-threatening, medical treatment for cuts and a possible broken bone can still result in substantial medical expenses.
In many accidents that involve automobiles and bicycles, the biker suffers much worse injuries that those in this case. In addition to getting compensation for medical bills, bicyclists who are hit by automobiles can pursue legal claims for pain and suffering, lost wages and other damages.
Source: The Orange County Register, “She posted her new Mercedes on Instagram, hours later arrested on suspicion of DUI hit-and-run,” Joshua Sudock, Sep. 28, 2016
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