Newport Beach: Suspected Drunk Driver Struck and Killed Bicyclist

At around 6 p.m. last night, a suspected drunk driver struck and killed a bicyclist in Newport Beach. The bicycle accident occurred on San Joaquin Hills Road near Spyglass Road when 22-year-old Danae Marie Miller, of Newport Coast, collided with the bicycle rider. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police arrested her on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and are investigating the accident, explains an Orange County injury attorney. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, classifies bicyclists and other cyclists, including the riders of two-wheel nonmotorized vehicles, tricycles, and unicycles powered solely by pedals as pedalcyclists. In 2009, the year for which the most recent accident statistics are available, pedalcyclists accounted for 630 of the 33,808 fatalities and 51,000 of the 2,217,000 injuries suffered in traffic accidents. Alcohol, drugs, or medication were a factor 10.6% of the fatal accidents involving pedalcyclists. 

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to offer our condolences to the family of the bicyclist who was struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver in Newport Beach last night.

The Orange County Register originally reported this bicycle accident.

Resources for accident victims, such as books and articles on the process of pursuing an injury or wrongful death claim, are available to the public free of charge. 

If you would like to request one of these free resources, or to discuss a specific legal matter with an Orange County injury attorney, feel free to call 866-981-5596.