Agoura Hills Hit-And-Run Leaves One Cyclist Dead

On Saturday, October 23^rd, a hit-and-run accident in Agoura Hills left one cyclist dead. 44-year-old S.D. Whitmansegal was heading eastbound on Agoura Road when she struck 46-year-old cyclist James Laing, who was also traveling eastbound. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Whitmansegal fled but was followed by witnesses who informed authorities of her location; police arrested her on suspicion of driving under the influence, hit-and-run, and gross vehicular manslaughter, explains a California bicycle accident lawyer. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) classifies bicyclists and other cyclists—riders of two-wheel nonmotorized vehicles, tricycles, and unicycles powered solely by pedals—collectively as pedalcyclists when summarizing accident statistics. In 2008, 716 pedalcyclists were killed and 52,000 injured in traffic crashes. The highest incidence of fatal accidents occurred in urban areas (69%), at non-intersection locations (64%), between the hours of 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. (28%), and during the months of June (9%) and September (12%). 

Everyone at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to offer their condolences to the family of James Laing, the cyclist who died last Saturday. 

The Los Angeles Times originally reported this Agoura Hills hit-and-run. 

Information and resources, including articles on bicycle safety and links to bicyclist advocacy groups, are available to the public free of charge. 

To request an article or a book, or to speak with a California bicycle accident lawyer, feel free to call 866-981-5596.