Southern California Accident News

Bicyclists Sue Over Dangerous Pacific Coast Highway Conditions

Four California bicyclists have filed a lawsuit against Caltrans over hazardous road conditions on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH).  The lawsuit alleges that these dangerous road conditions caused four bicyclists to crash and sustain serious injuries. 
 
PCH is popular with bicyclists because of its ocean views.
 
The Orange County bicycle accident occurred when Caltrans hired an outside contractor to re-pave a portion of PCH in Malibu near Zuma Beach. The first Friday after the project began, the hired contractor left the jobsite without posting construction zone warnings.
 
The bicyclists were riding northbound on PCH when they encountered an incline.  As they rode on the incline they found that the road was  "...cut away and strewn with loose gravel, rocks, sudden irregularities in elevation, narrowing of the shoulder, ground-up roadway surfaces, cracks and crevices."  These conditions posed a hazard for the bicyclists who frequented the highway.
 
The cyclists suffered injuries ranging from severe road rash to concussions, broken bones, punctured lungs, and paralysis.
 
The lawsuit claims that the construction area was not marked and the riders were given no warning of the changing road conditions and that the injuries sustained by the cyclists could have been prevented if sufficient warning was posted. 
 
The hazardous highway conditions throughout the entire weekend despite messages left on the Caltrans hotline and e-mails sent informing them of the conditions. However, Caltrans was closed that Friday due to the state-mandated furlough, and did not know of the problem until Monday.

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