When motorcycles and other motor vehicles collide, the results can be quite devastating. Because the riders are so vulnerable, motorcycle accidents often lead to serious injuries that require ongoing care and extensive rehabilitation. Riders can also be killed as the result of a motorcycle accident.
Our Lehigh Valley readers may have been following this story about an accident involving a vehicle and a group of motorcyclists. In December 2012, a retired Pennsylvania police officer who crashed his pickup into a motorcycle cavalcade, killing two of the men, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. On January 14, the man was sentenced to three to nine years in prison.
The accident happened in Bangor, Pennsylvania, when the driver was returning home from fly-fishing and after allegedly having a few drinks. According to his legal team, he had a hypoglycemic attack and crashed into the motorcycle cavalcade as a result.
The judge stated that this verdict was a balancing act between the fact that the driver had no criminal record, yet appeared to show no remorse for his actions. The driver’s lawyer argued that the conviction, which he and his client plan to appeal, was too stiff. His argument stated that the accident was not due to his client’s irresponsibility, but rather a medical event.
Motorcycle crashes can happen for a variety of reasons, but the results are often devastating. Regardless of the reason, when a crash kills a motorcyclist, it leaves behind people who suffer as a result. Those victims have the right to seek compensation for their loss.
Source: NorthJersey.com, “Tears for deceased Passaic County bikers as judge sentences driver in crash,” Jeff Green, Jan. 14, 2013