Bicyclist Hit by Car in Scottsdale

For those of you who read this blog you hear me go on and on about watching for pedestrians and motorcyclists while you are driving. However, I should probably add watching for “bicyclists” to my cautions. Being that we live in Arizona, we have more cyclists on the roads and for more time out of the year than most other places.

On Wednesday afternoon, a bicyclist was riding in the crosswalk going east on Indian School Road at Goldwater Boulevard and he/she was hit by a truck making a right-hand turn. The bicyclist suffered serious head injuries and was taken to the hospital.

We all need to take the time to be more aware of our surroundings. Since bicyclists are supposed to travel in the same direction as the traffic, we have to keep a look out for them and not dismiss them when we see them. We need to be aware of how close a bicyclist is to us and if they are traveling fast enough to catch up to us. Therefore, we need to wait if they are traveling at a speed which will put them in our direction of travel.

At the same time, those of us who ride bicycles need to be more aware. Hello?!! As I tell my kids, if a car hits a pedestrian, a bicyclist, a motorcyclist, who wins? The car wins 100% of the time!!!! When you are in an area that you have a right to be, but you know damn well that if another is negligent you will pay for it---be careful!!!! We do not know the details of this case but there are so many things we can address that could have been factors. Above all, Arizona law requires that bicyclist riding on the roadway obey the same rules as motor vehicles, and, Arizona law prohibits riding your bike in a crosswalk.

Oftentimes, the fault for these accidents is shared (we call that “comparative fault”), and the insurance companies and or the court will take care of it appropriately.

Regardless, drivers and cyclists alike, remain aware of your surroundings. Let’s hope that the bicyclist in this accident is going to be OK.


**If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email Chris Zachar directly at Czachar@zacharlaw.com, or visit our website at www.ZacharAssociates.com