A motorcycle accident may have become significantly more severe when a driver failed to heed the warnings of Good Samaritans Tuesday. The motorcyclist essentially was involved in two accidents that occurred roughly eight minutes apart. The tragedy reportedly began when the driver of a 2003 Saturn blew through a stop sign. The California Highway Patrol says that a 21-year-old motorcyclist from Escondido was approaching the intersection where the Saturn was required to stop.
The rider apparently was unable to avoid the Saturn and ran into the side of the car. The rider was elected from his bike in the motorcycle accident. The driver of the Saturn apparently lost control of the car after the bike accident and spun out in the intersection, where the Saturn was struck by a second car.
Good Samaritans reportedly rushed to the aide of the motorcyclist who landed in the traffic lanes after being ejected from his bike. The CHP says the bystanders saw a Dodge Dakota approaching the scene of the accident. The bystanders, who were lending assistance to the biker, tried to get the attention of the driver of the Dakota. They waved to alert the driver that the biker was still in the roadway.
The driver of the Dakota apparently did not see the commotion or the Good Samaritans in the unlit intersection until it was too late. The CHP says the Dakota struck the biker in the roadway roughly eight minutes after the original California motorcycle accident. The biker suffered critical injuries and was taken to Palomar Medical Center.
The original accident occurred at roughly 5:50 a.m. Tuesday morning in unincorporated Escondido.
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune, “Motorcyclist critically injured in North County crash,” Debbi Baker, Dec. 13, 2011
