Riding a Bicycle in Los Angeles Can Kill You (Here’s Why)

Los Angeles Police Department is looking for three suspects whose van fatally struck a cyclist in Los Angeles and fled the scene of the car accident.

In a brutal hit-and-run collision, the man riding a bicycle was pinned beneath the van for hours before medics arrived at the scene and pulled him out from under the gigantic vehicle… only to pronounce him dead at a hospital.

The victim, identified as 58-year-old Thomas Demetrius Adams, was left under the van by a hit-and-run driver and two other suspects who were seen exiting the vehicle after the collision.

The crash took place at about 5 p.m. along 49th Street near the intersection with Compton Avenue in Los Angeles.

A witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the hit-and-run driver, a black woman aged between 20 and 30, attempted to rescue the cyclist after the collision, but failed to render aid, panicked and got in another vehicle with the other two suspects to flee the scene of the bicycle accident.

The witness said that the Ford Econoline van ran the cyclist over after he fell off his bike. The LAPD believes that both the victim and the suspects lived in the same neighborhood.

Investigation is underway to find the suspects.

Common causes of bicycle-car accidents

Our Los Angeles car accident attorney at JML Law says that it’s not uncommon for cyclists to become victims of fatal motor vehicle collisions in Los Angeles.

In fact, an estimated over 800 bicyclists are killed every year in collisions with cars and trucks all across the U.S. Like pedestrians, bicyclists have an extremely low chance of surviving a collision with a car traveling at medium to high speeds.

Our car accident attorneys in Los Angeles also note that motorists are more likely to flee the scene of a car crash if it involves a pedestrian or bicyclists as opposed to striking another vehicle.

Here at JML Law, a reputable Los Angeles-based law firm that has represented hundreds of Californian bicyclists in cases against motorists, we outline the most common causes of bicycle-car accidents:

1. Drunk driving (DUI of alcohol or drugs/marijuana)
2. Distracted driving
3. Speeding
4. Aggressive driving
5. Poor visibility (especially at nighttime)
6. Drowsy driving
7. Failure to yield
8. Improper turns
9. Failure to notice cyclists in blind spots
10. Violating other traffic rules and disregarding traffic signage.

What to do if you were hit by a car as a bicyclist?

Although motorists are at fault in the vast majority of car accidents involving bicyclists, many cyclists in Los Angeles fail to prove the motorist’s fault by having insufficient evidence.

If you’re trying to obtain compensation for your injuries and damages sustained in a motor vehicle accident involving a car, our Los Angeles car accident attorney at JML Law advises you to be legally represented by a lawyer to maximize your chances of establishing liability.

In order to obtain economic and non-economic compensation on your behalf, our skilled lawyers at JML Law will:

1. Order a police report
2. Assign a qualified physician to document your injuries and oversee your treatment
3. Collect recorded statements from witnesses
4. Take photos at the scene of the motor vehicle collision
5. Obtain driving records from the other driver(s)
6. Order a report from experts in the fields of accident reconstruction and engineering to prove the driver’s liability
7. Review your medical records and assess the full value of your injuries and damages.

These and many other steps were taken by our car accident attorney in Los Angeles will help you prove the other party’s fault and seek maximum compensation for a bicycle accident.

Contact our Los Angeles offices today to get a free consultation. Call at 818-610-8800 or send an email.