Fatal Napa County Motorcycle Accident

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Fatal Napa County Motorcycle Accident

I’m Ed Smith, a Napa personal injury lawyer. On Sunday, April 23, 2017, a motorcycle collision caused the death of a resident of nearby Fairfield.

Accident Details

According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the accident occurred at about 12:20 p.m. on Highway 128, only a few miles east of the intersection at Berryessa Knoxville Road. The motorcyclist, a 31-year-old male, had been driving his motorcycle, a 2000 Aprilia RSV 60 Bicilindrico, westbound on the highway when he veered into the eastbound lane, crossing the double-yellow line in the median of the highway.

CHP reported that, after the motorcycle entered the eastbound lane, it struck a 2008 Honda Ridgeline that was being driven by a resident of Napa City. The accident damaged both vehicles and threw the motorcyclist off of his motorcycle.

Response and Injuries

When CHP arrived at the scene of the collision, they found the motorcyclist in critical condition. The severely injured man was taken by helicopter to the Queen of the Valley Medical Center for emergency treatment of life-threatening injuries. However, despite the best efforts of emergency medical personnel, the man’s condition did not improve and he lost his life in the trauma center of the hospital not long after arriving.

There were no injuries reported by any of the occupants of the Honda.

Possible Causes

CHP has not commented on what they believe to be the cause of this tragic accident. However, possible reasons that the motorcyclist entered the incorrect side of the roadway are numerous and include; the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, driving at dangerous speeds, defects in the roadway, and defects in the motorcycle itself.

Motorcycle Injuries and Statistics

Motorcycle accidents often result in very serious injuries and, in the worst cases, death. Those who survive serious motorcycle accidents are liable to suffer severe and/or life-altering injuries. Such injuries can include; spinal cord paralysis, broken, fractured, or dislocated bones, nerve damage, cervical sprain, burns on the head or neck, and even the loss of a limb.

Driving a motorcycle comes with an increased risk of a fatal accident. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that, per mile traveled, motorcycle riders were involved in fatal crashes 26 times more often than those in passenger vehicles. NHTSA has also reported that, in 2013 alone, motorcycle accidents caused the deaths of 4,668 motorcyclists. Additionally, although motorcycles only account for about 3 percent of all registered vehicles in the country, NHTSA reports that they are involved in 14 percent of all traffic accident fatalities.

Napa Personal Injury Lawyer

I’m Ed Smith, a Napa personal injury lawyer. Auto accidents can happen when you least expect it. If a car accident has left you, or a person you love, with a serious or fatal injury, please contact me at my local number, (707) 564-1900, for friendly advice. It costs nothing to call for your phone consultation. In other area codes, call me toll-free at (800) 404-5400.

Families and individuals in the Napa area have been trusting me and my legal team to assist them in recovering fair compensation in their cases involving wrongful death and personal injury for more than 35 years.

Before you pick up the phone, take a little while to look through the many positive reviews that our clients have left on: Avvo, Google, and Yelp.

I am pleased to be a California attorney in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. This group, made up of top injury lawyers in the nation, have obtained case verdicts or settlements worth more than $1 Million Dollars for past clients.

See some of my Verdicts and Settlements here.

I am proud to say that I’m the founder of AutoAccident.com, Northern California’s leading website for finding information on personal injury and auto accidents.

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