The California Highway Patrol reports that two motorcyclists have suffered severe personal injuries after being hit by a distracted driver near Redwood City on Sunday morning. The motorcycle crash was caused by a 19-year-old San Jose man driving a Prius who was distracted by his cellphone. The use of smartphones in cars is a growing problem in California and teens are the most likely group of drivers to be in a cellphone-related accident.
The teen in this case was using his smartphone to record a pack of 20 motorcyclists Sunday morning on Highway 101 in Belmont. The distracted teen was unable to respond to slowing traffic near the Ralston Avenue exit, and then swerved into the bikers to avoid hitting the car in front of him.
The teen smacked into one motorcyclist while swerving, hit the median divider, and then bounced back to hit a second motorcyclist. Two additional motorcyclists lost control of their bikes to avoid the accident.
The Belmont Patch reports that one 43-year-old San Bruno biker was taken to San Francisco General Hospital with a collapsed lung and a broken rib. Another 46-year-old San Carlos biker also suffered a broken leg.
About 20 motorcyclists remained on the scene and several reportedly assaulted the distracted driver. The details of the assault and crash remain under investigation.
Source: Belmont Patch, “Update: Prius Driver Beaten After Crashing into Pack of Motorcyclists,” May 21, 2012
