California cyclists advocate for accountability after crashes

By |2022-01-05T19:31:52+00:00January 10th, 2014|

Bicycle safety has been in the news in California a lot lately, as injuries and fatalities for cyclists continue to occur even when cyclists are being safe and obeying traffic laws. A recent fatal bike accident case made the news after witnesses say they saw the driver of the vehicle get out of his car with his cellphone in hand, indicating that he may have been distracted at the time that he crashed into a cyclist who was riding with a group of friends along Highway 1.

There have also been fatal cycling accidents here in Orange County. Late last year a woman was killed while riding in the bike lane, wearing a helmet, obeying traffic laws, when she was hit by a van that was making a left turn.

A recent op-ed in the New York Times looked the consequences for these accidents for the drivers who are involved in them and concluded that there is a lack of enforcement when drivers of cars hit and kill cyclists, with very few of them being arrested or charged with a crime, even if they were distracted or potentially violating traffic laws at the time that they hit the cyclist.

Advocates for cyclists are working to change this situation, pushing for better investigations and more accountability when a motor vehicle driver strikes someone who is riding a bike. Thankfully, some progress has been made on this front. Recently the Governor of California, Jerry Brown, signed a new law that increases penalties for drivers who hit a cyclist while violating traffic laws.

Source: SantaCruz.com, “The Failure of ‘Share the Road’,” Georgia Perry, Jan. 7, 2014

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Doug Easton has practiced law since 1971. After 20 years of practicing with various large litigation firms, he founded the Law Offices of W. Douglas Easton in 1991 as a solo practitioner. In the years that followed, Doug’s sons Brian and Matt joined him in the practice and helped build the firm into a powerful force to help right the wrongs done to their clients. Much of their success over the years has stemmed from the dynamic created by the familial nature of the firm and how harmoniously they all work together, each of their individual strengths complementing and fortifying the group as a whole. Accordingly, the firm changed its name to Easton & Easton, LLP in 2014 to better reflect the true dynamic of the firm and Doug now serves as Managing Partner of Easton & Easton. In 2015, Doug was selected as a Top 100 Litigation Lawyer in California by The American Society of Legal Advocates. In addition, Doug is listed in Strathmore’s Who’s Who, and in 2008 was named its “Professional of the Year” in Medical Malpractice.
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