The family of 29-year-old physician’s assistant Alexander Chun described him to The Sun-Sentinel as “happy, “kind” and “smiling.”
Now, his family will never again see his smile again after Chun was struck and killed by a motorist in Pembroke Pines. According to police, the other motorist – a 78-year-old who as of yet has not been charged in connection with the accident – was driving eastbound on Pines Boulevard shortly before 1 p.m. when he cut Chun off while making a left turn onto Northwest 98th Avenue.
Chun’s mother said the Mount Sinai Medical Center employee was riding his motorcycle on the way to meet a friend for lunch.
Chun, who grew up in Northeast Ohio and was an accomplished flutist, was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead about four hours after the crash.
The driver of the car was not injured.
Motorcyclists in Florida face many perils on the road. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that in 2013, there were nearly 4,700 motorcyclists killed nationally. Another 88,000 were injured. Nowhere in the country did more people die in motorcycle accidents than in Florida, where authorities report 467 people lost their lives in such crashes.
One of the most common causes of serious and fatal motorcycle accidents is other vehicles making left-hand turns. In fact, more than 40 percent of all accidents involving a motorcycle and a car involve an erroneous left-hand turn. Usually, the car that is turning strikes when the motorcyclist is:
–Traveling straight through the intersection;
–Passing the car;
–Trying to overtake the car.
In most cases, when any vehicle strikes another while making a left hand turn, the driver making the turn will be found at-fault.
Part of the problem is that motorcycles have a smaller visual profile than other types of vehicles. But too many drivers fail to look out for motorcyclists the way they should.
If a driver is found at-fault for a collision with a motorcycle, the motorcycle rider and/or surviving family members may be able to pursue legal action against the driver if damages exceed $10,000 (which is the Personal Injury Protection limit under Florida’s No Fault auto insurance law).
It is possible the amount of damages could be reduced if the motorcyclist is found to hold comparative fault, as defined in F.S. 768.81. Some examples would be if the rider was speeding or impaired by alcohol or drugs. (To be clear, neither of those is alleged to have been a factor in the Chun crash.) But even in those situations, injured parties could still collect compensation, though their overall damage award would be reduced by their percentage of fault, as determined by a jury or judge.
Because motorcycle accidents tend to result in more serious injuries to riders, it’s imperative those affected contact an experienced injury attorney.
Call Fort Lauderdale Injury Attorney Richard Ansara at (954) 761-4011. Serving Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.
Additional Resources:
Motorcyclist, 29, killed in Pines crash was physician assistant, accomplished musician, Nov. 10, 2015, By Mike Clary, Sun-Sentinel
More Blog Entries:
Dangerous Driving Simulator Shows Hazards of Distraction, Impairment, Nov. 6, 2015, Fort Lauderdale Injury Lawyer Blog