July 7, 2017 (Carmel Valley, CA) – A motorcyclist was struck and killed by a motorist driving west on Carmel Valley Road at Self ridge lane on Thursday, July 6, 2017, around 12:00 pm.
July 7, 2017 (San Pablo, CA) – A motorcyclist was struck and killed by a big rig truck driving on westbound Interstate Highway 80 on the morning of July 3, 2017, in the area of El Portal Drive in San Pablo, California.
Sonoma, CA, (June 7, 2017) – Fifty-year old Pleasant Hill resident Armando Fabila died on Sunday afternoon, June 4, 2017, when his motorcycle collided with a 2106 Chevy Malibu that had turn into his path on the Highway 121 portion south of Sonoma, California. Fabila was traveling south on the Highway 121 portion Arnold Drive toward Wagner Road, the access road to the Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards.
Jacob from San Francisco writes: “My Dad was killed in a motorcycle crash on a country road in the North Bay. It happened at night when it was dark outside. He was heading southbound and as he rounded a curve he collided with a pickup truck that was making a right turn from a side road into the same lane of traffic my Dad was riding. The driver claimed that he didn’t see my dad and that my dad must have been speeding.
The police did not charge the driver with any offense. I don’t understand: my Dad was a safe driver. On the night he died, my Dad was wearing his reflective motorcycle jacket and reflective motorcycle helmet. My Mom is struggling with my Dad’s death and does not know what to do. I have told her she should talk to a lawyer about suing the pickup truck driver. What do you advise?”
Gilroy CA, (April 20, 2017) – David Flores, a 62 year old resident of Los Baños, was killed Wednesday night, April 19, 2017, when he collided with an oncoming car near the Gilroy Outlets.
Gilroy, CA (April 17, 2017) – Motorcyclist Richard Martinez was killed in the late afternoon on Saturday, April 15th 2017, after colliding with another vehicle on Leavesley Road in Gilroy, California.
Vallejo, CA (September 29, 2016) – A motorcyclist riding a 2001 Harley Davidson motorcycle was struck and killed by a Freightliner heavy truck on Interstate Highway 80 just before 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 29, 2016.
This week’s question comes from Valentino in Sausalito, who asks, “I recently read that Gov. Brown signed a bill legalizing the practice of lane-splitting for motorcyclists. Hasn’t this always been legal?”
Yes and no. Lane-splitting refers to the practice in which a motorcyclist passes other vehicles by riding between them along the lane line. Typically, this maneuver is undertaken so that motorcycles can overtake slow-moving or stopped vehicles, but the maneuver is also frequently performed when traffic is moving at higher rates of speed.
This week’s question comes from Rob in Foster City, who writes: “I was in SoMa last weekend, and got in a motorcycle crash. Coming home late at night on my motorcycle, when a van in the left lane beside me swerved into my lane nearly hitting me. I jammed on my brakes and hit the back of the van. The driver said he had no insurance. The van he was driving belonged to the company he worked for. I broke my wrist, and my bike is a wreck. What can I do?”
