14-year-Old Bicyclist Struck and Pinned by Truck in Phoenix

Thursday afternoon, a truck hit a teenage boy on his bike near 43rd avenue. The boy ended up pinned beneath the truck. The victim was flown to the hospital afterward.

No further information as to the boy’s condition has been released. We all hope he has a full recovery.

Considering this accident happened about 4:00 pm, I assume the boy was either going home from school or from an after school activity. As I previously mentioned in another post, now that school is back in session we all have to make adjustments when driving to allow for the increase in not only automobile traffic, but school bus traffic, bicycle traffic, and pedestrian traffic as well.

I don’t believe this boy was in a school zone however, now is as good a time as any to go over this, especially considering this accident occurred at a time when a lot of school children are still out on the roads.

Everyone knows this is important--whether they actually have children or not—to be on the lookout for children in or near the roads. Police departments throughout Arizona are taking special precautions to help. In some school districts, they are even putting officers on the buses who can then radio ahead to a waiting officer when they witness a violation. Trust me--you do NOT want to get a ticket in a school zone, in which the fines can run as high as $560.

Here is a list of school zone guidelines established by the Arizona MVD:

• Permanent five-sided school zone signs on the side of roadways warn drivers that children may be crossing at any time.
• Portable signs placed in the center of the roadway must be obeyed.
• The maximum speed from the first sign to the last sign in a school zone is 15 mph.
• Passing another vehicle while in a school crossing zone is prohibited.
• There often will be a crossing guard to assist schoolchildren in getting from one side of the road to the other. You must follow this individual’s instructions and you must come to a complete stop when any person is in the crosswalk.

There are a couple things I do not think everyone understands about these guidelines. No passing in school zone does not mean going around another vehicle, it means that your bumper can't pass any other car's bumper going in your same direction. No matter how slow another vehicle is going, you cannot pass it! I would say that every single day I drive in a school zone, and every single day I see someone violate this law. Also, if a person is in a school zone crosswalk, they must be completely out of the crosswalk before any vehicle in either direction may proceed.

For reasons which should be clear, there is zero tolerance for violations of Arizona in school zones. Compliance with the law may delay you by what—15 seconds or so? My suggestion is to obey these laws. The interference into your day will be minimal. The results, however, will be immeasurable.

**If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email Chris Zachar directly at CZachar@zacharlaw.com, or visit our website at http://www.ZacharLawFirm.com .