It is no secret that motorcycle accidents can lead to serious injuries and even death. The safety equipment that can be installed in motor vehicles to reduce injury and death may not translate well to a bike. Often, motorcycle accidents occur at intersections, just because a driver does not see the motorcycle.
A recent tragic accident in the Sonoma Valley shows how quickly a motorcycle accident can occur. Police say the driver of a Ford Explorer broadsided a 2006 Honda Shadow early Tuesday morning in the Sonoma Valley. The biker sustained serious injuries in the California motorcycle accident. Emergency crews responding to the scene placed the accident victim on a helicopter. The motorcyclist was flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. Authorities say the motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The 31-year-old American Valley resident reportedly was traveling north on Arnold Drive early Tuesday morning. Police believe the motorcyclist was traveling at about the posted speed limit just before the crash. The California Highway Patrol says a 66-year-old man stopped at a stop sign at Walnut Avenue, planning to make a left hand turn onto Arnold Drive.
Authorities believe the man, driving a 1994 Ford Explorer, turned in front of the motorcycle and the two vehicles collided almost head-on. The California Highway Patrol believes the driver of the Ford Explorer failed to yield before the fatal head-on motorcycle accident. The accident, however, remains under investigation. The impact of the collision propelled the motorcycle onto the shoulder of the road. The motorcycle rider and the Honda eventually landed in a gully alongside the road.
The crash occurred just before 6 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Source: The Press Democrat, “Motorcycle rider, 31, dies of injuries suffered in Sonoma Valley crash,” Randi Rossmann 26 Jul 2011
