San Diego Motorcyclist Killed in Accident Identified

A Wednesday evening motorcycle crash in San Diego County’s El Cajon last week had left one man dead who had been traveling on his motorcycle. The rider was recently identified by the San Diego Union-Tribune as 37-year-old Lance Michael Hagerty. Hagerty had been killed when his motorcycle rear-ended a pickup truck as it was attempting to turn into a driveway about 5 p.m. in El Cajon on West Bradley Avenue near Wing Avenue, according to the county Medical Examiner’s Officer. Hagerty had lived and worked in El Cajon.

Hagerty was wearing a helmet at the time of the collision and was riding a newer-model sports bike, according to El Cajon police. He was taken to a hospital after the wreck, where he died. The westbound traffic on Bradley Avenue had been diverted for about five hours as investigators examiner the scene, police said. The driver of the pickup truck had not been hurt.

If you or anyone you know has ever been injured or killed in a San Diego motorcycle accident, please contact San Diego motorcycle wreck attorney and the San Diego personal injury lawyers.…

Traumatic Brain Injuries Increase Harm, Cost of Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcycle accidents can cause serious injuries of many kinds, including broken bones, severe skin and soft tissue damage, and injuries to the brain and spinal cord. Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are among the most expensive types of motorcycle injuries to treat, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). They also cause the most deaths due to motorcycle accidents.

According to one study of motorcycle crashes nationwide, the average costs of medical care for motorcycle riders who suffered TBIs was 13 times higher than the average costs of medical care for motorcycle riders who did not suffer a TBI. The study found that the average motorcycle crash victim spent $2,461 on hospital care if there was no TBI. When the patients had TBIs, however, the average cost for hospital care jumped to $31,979. If the injured person needed a lengthy stay in intensive care, the costs were even higher.

In addition, the more severe a San Diego traumatic brain injury is, the more care is required after a person leaves the hospital, which means even more costs. Follow-up doctor visits, medications, equipment, and therapy to help an injured person recover from the injury all increase the final cost of a severe motorcycle accident.

Our knowledgeable San Diego motorcycle accident attorneys strive to offer outstanding representation to every one of our clients. If you’ve been injured in a motorcycle accident, contact our office today for a free, confidential case evaluation.…

San Diego Bike Shop Employee Seriously Injured in Julian Motorcycle Accident

Yesterday evening, our employee took his bicycle to a San Diego bike shop on Adams Avenue to get it tuned up and ready for the upcoming summer.

Here is the story he told us this morning:

One of the bike shop employees at the store was wearing a black, leather, motorcycle jacket. He came up to us, greeted us, and proceeded to help me with my bike. I noticed that he was not moving his right arm very much as my friend was looking at bicycle helmets. A yellow bicycle helmet caught her attention and she decided to try it on. Once she was content with the color scheme and shape of the helmet, she asked the employee if this particular helmet was good for recreational bicycle riding. He took the helmet from her with his left arm, examined it, and agreed it would be a great recreational bicycle helmet.

The employee continued on to say that it would work great if she were to ever get into a crash, but that it would only work for one crash and that’s it. She would have to replace if she ever did crash. The employee said that comment as if he expected her to crash, which caught us a bit off guard. He continued on to the story about his arm and said that a helmet had just saved his life the previous week.

Fatal Motorcycle Accidents by Marines Reduced by Nearly Half in 2009

The Marine Corps announced that it significantly reduced the number of fatal motorcycle accidents involving Marines in 2009. In 2008, the Marines reported a record high of 25 deadly motorcycle crashes. They year before, the Marine Corps 19 Marines were killed in motorcycle wrecks. However, in 2009, the total number of Marines who lost their life was reduced to only 14–a reduction of more than 40%.

San Diego has three Marine bases–Camp Pandleton, Miramar Air Station, and the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot. Camp Pendleton and MCAS Miramar accounted for 4 deaths each during 2009. In 2008, 9 Camp Pendleton Marines and 2 MCAS Miramar Marines were killed due to motorcycle accidents. No data was released for MCRD San Diego.

In the wake of the rising Marine casualties from motorcycle crashes, the USMC hired contractor Cape Fox Professional Services to provide suitable training programs to Marines in motorcycle riding and safety. In the past five years, the number of Marine motorcycle fatalities has constantly increased from 13 in 2005, to 16 in 2006, 19 in 2007, 25 in 2008, before significantly reducing to 14 in 2009. Citing the significant drop as a success of Cape Fox Professional Services, Washington has renewed their contract for the 2010 fiscal year. The Marine Corps will soon also launch an interactive website, SemperRide.com, where professionals featured in $500,000 safety movie, Semper Ride, can be contacted by Marine motorcyclists.

Our office celebrates and appreciates the effort of our local San Diego Marine community to be safe motorcyclists and hope that the new safety program will continue to reduce the number of motorcycle accident fatalities. However, two issues are still concerning. First, 14 Marines were killed due to motorcycle accidents–which is still far too many to have lost their lives. Second, 8 out of the 14 fatal motorcycle wrecks involved San Diego based Marines–that is nearly 60% of all Marine motorcycle deaths occurring in San Diego! Our office supports the Marines and their mission and recognizes the risk and sacrifice they make when they put themselves in harms’ way defending our country. It is therefore tragic when Marines unnecessarily lose their lives in motorcycle accidents that can be avoided.…

San Diego County Motorcycle Accident Seriously Injures Two

A man and woman were seriously injured in a San Diego County motorcycle accident on February 14, 2009, as the motorcycle they were riding was struck by a car at a Carlsbad Village intersection in North San Diego County.

The victims were traveling on Carlsbad Boulevard around 11:20 a.m. when a car driven by a teenage girl, a resident of Upland, CA, pulled out from the intersection of Christiansen Way and collided with their motorcycle. The woman, who was riding pillion, was flown to a hospital, and the male driver was transported by ground ambulance. The teenage car driver was not arrested.

Our office wishes a speedy recovery to the people who were injured in this serious motorcycle crash. We urge all drivers to drive a little more carefully and responsibly so as to ensure that no one faces any harm while traveling on the road.…