This blog frequently reports on people who were hurt or killed while riding their bicycle, which is an all-too-frequent occurrence in San Francisco. Most of the time, our posts are about cyclists getting hit by cars, trucks and other motor vehicles.
However, sometimes two or more bicycles collide with each other. While the force of impact is unlikely to be nearly as strong as when a car crashes into a bike, any bicycle accident has the potential to be serious.
In an example from outside of California, a 69-year-old man was killed recently when his bicycle crashed into another bike. According to a news report on the sad incident, the man was riding westbound, while another rider was headed east, apparently on the same side of the street. It is not clear which side of the street the two were riding on.
A police officer later said that the younger rider stopped when he saw the older man approaching, but that the older man apparently became confused and was unable to avoid a collision. He was thrown over his handlebars and onto the roadway. Severely injured, he was taken to the hospital in critical condition. His family took him off life support two days later.
While it may not be that anyone else negligently contributed to this man’s unfortunate death, negligence can come in many forms. Most riders are considerate and safety-conscious, but occasionally, someone might disregard the safety of a fellow rider and allow a crash to happen, leading to serious injuries.
