Placentia: Bicycle Rider Injured When Car Ran Red Light

Shortly before 1:00 p.m. on Monday, November 1^st, a car struck a bicycle rider at the intersection of Murray Street and Chapman Avenue in Placentia. Witnesses claimed that the driver ran a red light. The bicyclist was transported to a nearby hospital for his injuries, explains an Orange County bicycle accident lawyer. 

Throughout Orange County, there were a total of 10 fatal and 1,087 injury traffic accidents involving a bicyclist in 2008, with none of the fatal and 14 of the injury collisions occurring in Placentia that year, according to the California Highway Patrol. When collecting crash statistics, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration classifies bicyclists and the riders of other two-wheel nonmotorized vehicles, tricycles, and unicycles as pedalcyclists. Nationwide in 2008, 716 pedalcyclists were killed and 52,000 were injured in traffic crashes. 

Among its safety suggestions, the NHTSA recommends that bicyclists wear properly fitted helmets to prevent head injuries in the event of an accident. Cyclists should ride in the same direction as traffic, obeying the same rules of the road as vehicle operators. 

The NHTSA recommends that drivers check for cyclists prior to opening car doors or pulling away from a parking space, as well as yield to cyclists at intersections. Drivers should take extra precautions when turning at intersections, as many accidents occur in these locations. 

Everyone at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to wish the bicycle rider injured when a car ran a red light in Placentia a full recovery. 

The Orange County Register originally reported this accident. 

Additional information, including articles on the causes of bicycle accidents and Orange County projects to improve safety conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians, is available to the public free of charge.

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