Motorcycle Accident Lawyer In Salt Lake City
On Sunday, August 11th, 2024, a man died in a tragic motorcycle accident in Salt Lake City. According to the Salt Lake City Police Department, he thought the TRAX line was a roadway and drove down the middle. The TRAX line he was riding down was in the Capitol Hills neighborhood of Salt Lake City. Near the Guadalupe TRAX station, the motorcyclist crashed into the support rails at a high rate of speed. None of the UTA TRAX trains were involved in the accident, even though the motorcyclist was driving on the TRAX line.
Dispatch received news of the motorcycle crash at about 3:30 in the morning. Shortly after, they arrived at the scene. The 28-year-old motorcyclist was found pinned beneath his bike. He had critical injuries from the accident and, unfortunately, was pronounced dead at the scene by authorities. The identity of the victim has not yet been released to the public so that police have time to notify the individual’s family about his death. Technicians from the SLCPD’s Collision Analysis & Reconstruction Team and Crime Lab responded to the accident scene so that they could conduct an investigation. No further information has been released at this time.
It is unknown if the motorcyclist was driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol when the crash happened, although it is possible. Drunk or intoxicated driving is one of the biggest causes of fatal accidents that happen at night. Many of those accidents are also head-on collisions, like in this case. That could also explain why the motorcyclist confused the TRAX line for a road. However, it’s possible that TRAX could be to blame for not putting up proper signage and lights to keep drivers safe. If the area was poorly lit or had signs that weren’t obvious, it makes sense that a person could confuse the line for a road and drive down it.
Another possibility is that the motorcyclist could have been fatigued. Driving while tired is very dangerous and affects a person in a similar way that being intoxicated does. It lowers response time, inhibits reason and logic, and can cause accidents if a person falls asleep behind the wheel. Whatever the factors were behind the accident, SLCPD will probably release more information about it soon. It’s possible that multiple of the factors mentioned could have been involved, but at this point, it’s just speculation.
This accident isn’t the first TRAX-related accident in Utah this year, and unfortunately probably won’t be the last. A person in a wheelchair got too close to one of the trains and was struck by it. Thankfully, he survived the incident. Another person was hit by a TRAX train south of the Ballpark TRAX station and ended up dying. There may be some safety measures that TRAX could take to keep people safer and prevent accidents.
Although there have been a few train accidents this year, a bigger problem is the number of motorcycle accidents in the state. Motorcycles are smaller than most other vehicles on the road, which means they can easily be crushed by the force of an accident. Motorcycles don’t have the outer protection that cars provide, which makes victims of motorcycle accidents more likely to be seriously injured or perish. Motorcycle accidents don’t happen more often than car accidents, but they do carry a higher risk of resulting in death or severe injury.
Personal Injury Law Firm In Salt Lake City
The US Department of Transportation released information about motorcycle crash statistics in 2017. For about every 100,000 registered cars and light trucks, there were 31 fatal crashes. On the other hand, for every 100,000 registered motorcycles, there were about 61 fatal crashes. That means motorcycle accidents are twice as likely to result in fatalities than car accidents. Remember that that data was from seven years ago, and statistics for this year may be different.
Because of the dangers of motorcycle accidents, riders need to be educated about what causes motorcycle crashes so that they can stay safer. In this article, we will review some common causes of motorcycle accidents.
Head-On Collisions- Many motorcycle accidents are caused by another vehicle striking a motorcycle head-on. Because of the opposite forces involved in this type of accident, they often cause death.
Motorcycle Lane Filtering- Lane filtering is when a motorcycle goes between two lanes of cars that are either slowly moving or stopped. It’s legal in Utah, but only when the speed limit is over 45 miles per hour, there are two or more lanes next to each other that are traveling in the same direction, and the road is not a freeway. Motorcyclists are only allowed to do this when the other vehicles are stopped, and they aren’t allowed to go faster than 15 miles per hour. However, lane filtering can be dangerous and increases the chance of a motorcycle crashing four times. Over a third of lane filtering accidents happen from a motorcyclist hitting a car’s side rearview mirror.
Risky Behaviors- Motorcyclists can engage in a variety of risky behaviors. Risky behaviors are irresponsible and can endanger other drivers on the road. Some examples include speeding or driving while under the influence. Both can cause the motorcyclist to lose control of their bike and crash.
Cars Turning Left- Around 42 percent of motorcycle accidents involving a car happened because the car was making a lefthand turn. People in cars may not notice that a motorcyclist is even there because they’re not expecting it. A turning car can hit a motorcycle when the motorcyclist is going straight through an intersection, attempting to pass the car, or in other situations. In most cases, where a car turns and hits a motorcyclist, the car’s driver will be found at fault for the accident.
Motorcycle Striking Fixed Object- About a quarter of motorcycle accident fatalities happen in accidents where the motorcyclist crashes into a fixed object, such as the case mentioned above, where the man crashed into a support rail. Fixed object refers to anything fixed to the ground and not meant to move. Some examples include curbs, fire hydrants, telephone poles, fences, mailboxes, trees, tunnel walls, and more.
Salt Lake Injury Law is prepared to win your case no matter what type of accident you or a loved one was injured in, whether a train accident, car accident, motorcycle accident, or something else. We have experience in handling a variety of types of personal injury cases. Reach out to us to receive a no-obligation-free evaluation of your potential claim.
