Phoenix’s NBC TV affiliate recently had on its website the story of a motorcycle hit by a car on the city’s west side. According to the station, the motorcycle rider was in “extremely critical condition” after being hit by the Nissan Altima on Buckeye Road at 79th Avenue.
By the time the station’s news report aired, the story had been updated. The motorcycle rider had died from his injuries. A video shot from the station’s helicopter showed a mangled motorcycle lying in pieces on the road next to the car. A witness to the collision apparently called police and told them that the driver of the car was at fault for the crash.
Because the motorcycle rider was not identified by name in the article or on-air report, we know little about him, except that he was apparently in his 50s. A man of that age can reasonably be expected to have a family and a career, but again, we don’t know those things about this victim.
What we do know is that the story of his death is all too familiar: someone is out on a warm afternoon for a ride, and suddenly their world ends when a motor vehicle slams into them. In similar cases, the accidents are caused by inattentive drivers or distracted drivers. In some situations, it involves a driver who should not be behind the wheel at all because they have been drinking alcohol.
When a family is trying to come to grips with the devastating emotional loss of a loved one, they are often forced to try to deal with financial losses as well. In some situations they have lost the family breadwinner on whom they depend for income and benefits such as health insurance. In these situations, an experienced Peoria wrongful death attorney who can litigate and negotiate with insurance companies can be crucial to seeing that justice is done.