Two motorcycle riders are left with severe brain injuries following a car-motorcycle accident this afternoon, February 3, 2009, in Salt Lake City, Utah. According to KSL News, a motorcycle with two riders was heading west on 1300 South in Salt Lake when the driver of a van ran a stop sign at 800 East and into the intersection. The driver of the motorcycle then crashed into the side of this van. Unfortunately, neither the male or female on the motorcycle were wearing helmets. The van driver was cited for running a stop sign.
It is sad that the motorcyclists were not wearing helmets – their injuries likely would be less severe if they had been wearing one. It’s even more sad, however, that the driver of this van failed to follow basic rules of the road and ran the stop sign. It makes you wonder what exactly it was that distracted the driver to the point that he ran the red light. Was the driver on a cell phone or text messaging? We see the red light violation, but see no violation for driving while distracted. While the motorcycle riders certainly have a claim against the driver of the van, they may also have a claim against the employer of the van driver – if the van driver was “on the clock” at the time of this Utah motorcycle accident.
Finally, brain injuries can be devastating to those who receive them, as well as to their family and friends. Unfortunately, medical science has not discovered a way to repair the brain once it has been injured. Brain injury victims will usually recover up to a year, year and a half following their injury and will level off after this, at which point, the residual effects are said to usually be permanent. The Utah Brain Injury Association will be a good resource to these victims and their families as they seek to deal with the effects of this crash. I wish them the very best.
Published by: Ron Kramer
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