Articles Posted in Bicycle Accidents

A young bicyclist was struck by a chief’s police cruiser in a recent Davie auto accident, just yards away from the city’s police headquarters. According to accident reports, Police Chief Patrick Lynn was driving his unmarked car when he failed to yield the right-of-way of the young cyclist and slammed into him.

The chief was turning right onto Nob Hill Road. The 15-year-old bicyclist was in the crosswalk, heading south, when the collision occurred. Luckily, the young boy was not injured.

The officer was not issued a ticket in the accident, even though accident reports indicate that he was at fault. The officer has failed to comment on the accident, but the department’s captain says that they’re just thankful that no one was hurt.

Our Davie pedestrian accident lawyers understand that the accident will be reviewed by the department’s review board, but there’s no guarantee that anyone will be reprimanded. Usually, a chief would determine disciplinary action against any officer who has been involved in an accident after the case is reviewed by the board. Right now, the officer involved in the accident could face further training or potentially stiffer punishments. While officers, just like any other driver, should be penalized for accidents in which they’re found at fault, it’s often unlikely. When an officer is involved in an accident, it will be their own peers who are reviewing the case. An unbiased conclusion and proposed penalty are often not in the cards.

Although Captain Dale Engle says that they treat their own officers the same, it doesn’t matter if you’re one of the department’s chiefs or if you’re a beginner officer on the street. He says all cases are dealt the same way. He defends the department’s actions by saying that if the accident would have involved a civilian driver, they may not have gotten a ticket either. He says there’s been no special treatment in this case.

The young cyclist’s sister and legal guardian isn’t so sure. She says that she’s upset that the accident reports clearly state that the collision was the fault of the officer and that he wasn’t given a ticket.

This isn’t just a problem we face here in Davie. There have been many of these types of cases elsewhere in Florida and throughout the rest of the country. According to Eugene O’Donnell, a professor with John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, this is a hot topic in the world of law enforcement. There’s a conflict when officers are investigating their own officers. It gets even tougher when the officer involved in the accident is higher up in the department.

Sandy Hardwick, a witness to the accident, wonders why the officer didn’t get a ticket, too. She thinks it’s because he’s a chief. She says that if she was in his shoes, she would have gotten a ticket for sure! The traffic light was red, the young bicycler had the right of way and the officer failed to recognize that.
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If you haven’t already heard, Fort Lauderdale recent launched a new bike-sharing program. Bike riding is a popular trend, an excellent way to get some exercise and an eco-friendly way to get around. According to the Green Fort Lauderdale, Broward Commissioners recently approved a contract with B-cycle to launch these bikes and their kiosks here in the city. You can visit Broward B-cycle for location information. The next step for many is figuring out how to keep all of these cyclists safe and how to avoid potentially fatal bicycle accidents in Fort Lauderdale.

Here’s how it works: Residents and visitors in the city are able to access a public bike by swiping a credit card or swiping their membership card. That’s all you have to do to get a bike. You can ride it around and drop it off to any of the company’s kiosks around town. They’re located throughout Broward County. As of now, there are about 200 blue bikes available for users. Within the first five years of the program, officials expect that to expand to 500 bikes. They can be rented by the day or by the week.

Our Fort Lauderdale bicycle accident lawyers understand that the move to bicycles as a top form of transportation is an excellent way to stay healthy and to reduce the traffic congestion in the area. With the bike-sharing program active on our streets, it’s important for travelers to take note. Motorists are asked to be cautious around areas that are heavily populated with our two-wheeled travelers. Safe roadways start with your defensive driving habits.

“B-cycles are magic bikes that are there when you want one and gone when you don’t. Just swipe your card, grab a bike, and get to where you’re going,” says the company’s website.

The bikes are all cruiser-style bikes that were created by Trek Bicycle Corp. They accommodate riders of all shapes and sizes. Each bike comes with carbon offsets, a device to track calories burned and a device to calculate miles traveled. Talk about handy!

With all of this gear for riders, we need to take the time to equip motorists with the tools to help them to avoid accidents involving these vulnerable travelers. Drivers are asked to keep an eye out for cyclists. Look for them in your mirrors and in your blind spots before moving in traffic. Don’t pass a cyclist before making a right turn! Bicycles move faster than you think. Be extra careful when traveling on driveways and in parking lots. Never open your car door without looking for passing traffic. Make sure that when you pass a cyclist, you have no less than 3 feet of clearance. It’s the law. All of these tips will help motorists and bicyclists to travel in safe unison with one another.
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According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were nearly 650 people killed and another 50,000 injured in bicycle accidents in Fort Lauderdale and elsewhere in 2009. These types of accidents accounted for about 2 percent of all of the people who died in traffic-related accidents during the year.

The NHTSA also reports that there were more than 4,090 pedestrians killed on U.S. roadways in 2009. In addition to these fatalities, another 60,000 pedestrians were injured during this time. This all means that in the U.S., a pedestrian was killed every 2 hours, and one was injured every 9 minutes in 2009.

When it comes to bicycle and pedestrian accidents, our Broward County accident lawyers understand that Florida residents and visitors are at high risks for both injury and death along our roadways. In 2009, Florida was the only state to record more than 100 bicycle deaths. California was the only state in the country to witness more than Florida’s 466 pedestrian deaths in 2009.

Bicycle Accident Statistics, 2009:

-Most accident fatalities (70 percent) occurred in urban areas.

-Most bicycle accidents occurred at non-intersection locations.

-More than 70 percent of bicyclist fatalities happen during the day, between 4 a.m. and 8 p.m. This illustrates a near 10 percent increase in the number of fatalities during this time period from the 2009 statistics.

-Bicyclists who are 12-years-old and younger accounted for nearly 15 percent of everyone who was killed and 20 percent of those who were injured in traffic-related accidents.

-Bicyclists who are 16-years-old and younger accounted for nearly 30 percent of all of everyone who was killed and 40 percent of those who were injured in traffic-related accidents.

-Bicyclists age 45- to 54-years-old experienced the most bicycle accident fatalities (20%).

-Male bicyclists were more often killed in accidents than female bicyclists.

Pedestrian Accident Statistics, 2009:

-Most, more than 90 percent, fatal pedestrian accidents happened in urban areas.

-More than 75 percent of pedestrian fatalities happened at non-intersection areas.

-Roughly 90 percent of pedestrian deaths happened during normal weather conditions, instead of in rain, fog or snow.

-About 70 percent of fatal pedestrian accidents happened during the evening hours.

-Pedestrians who were over the age of 70 accounted for nearly 20 percent of all fatalities and nearly 10 percent of pedestrian injuries.

-Elderly pedestrians had a higher pedestrian fatality rate than any other age group of pedestrians.

-Children between the ages of 5- and 9-years-old accounted for nearly 10 percent of the total number of pedestrian fatalities and a quarter of all pedestrian injuries recorded.

The state of Florida saw nearly 100 bicyclist fatalities in 2009, giving the Sunshine State the most fatalities recorded in any state during this time. Our state also saw 466 pedestrian fatalities in 2009, ranking the Sunshine State in second place for the most pedestrian fatalities for the year.
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