San Jose Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers
Car vs. Bicycle DUI Accidents
When a bicyclist is involved in an accident with a motorist, the results often overwhelmingly affect the bicyclist. With little more than a helmet to protect against impact, bicyclists are extremely vulnerable when traveling Northern California roads. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), every year sees more than half of a million people injured and treated in emergency rooms for injuries. Though the number of bicyclists injured may make up a small percentage of the total number injured, more than 700 of those injured eventually succumb to injuries sustained during car versus bicycle accidents.
Statistics show that the number of bicyclists killed on U.S. roads in 2009 actually decreased by a little more than 12% from numbers tallied in 2008. However, bicyclist deaths still made up nearly 2% of all traffic fatalities in 2009. Furthermore, while the number of deaths may have decreased, the total number of bicyclists injured actually increased to 51,000 in 2009, up from 43,000 just two years prior in 2007. Sadly, many bicyclist injuries and deaths are entirely preventable, many having been caused by driver negligence of some kind, including operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or some other illicit substance.
It is often difficult enough to see bicyclists on the road, particularly at night. However, if a motorist is under the influence of alcohol at the time of an accident, that motorist's ability to avoid obstacles, including other drivers and bicyclists, is greatly diminished. In fact, studies show that motorists who are under the influence of alcohol while operating a motor vehicle are often unable to perform more than one task at a single time. Therefore, if a drunken motorist chooses to divert his or her attention away from the road for even a split second, the likelihood that he or she will be able to successfully divert their attention back to the road before potentially causing an accident of some kind is very low.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, alcohol was involved in 37% of bicyclist deaths in 2008. Bicyclists are already at extreme risk of being seriously injured when traveling Northern California roads, but alcohol exasperates the issue that much more. In car accident cases where it has been determined that one motorist was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident, the negligent motorist not only faces stiff criminal penalties, but civil penalties as well.
At Van Der Walde & Associates, our experienced San Jose bicycle accident attorneys will fight to ensure that your rights as an injury victim are not trampled upon in a court of law. Our skilled San Jose personal injury attorneys will hold reckless drivers guilty of DUI accountable for their actions that led to your or your loved one's injury, and will seek compensatory damages on your behalf. Compensatory damages can be used to help cover the costs associated with your accident, such as hospital bills and physical therapy fees. For a free consultation, please call us today at (877) 862-6288.
