San Francisco police have identified the bicyclist killed near AT&T Park this past Saturday morning. Diane Sullivan, aged 48, was hit by a cement truck driver near the intersection of Third and King Streets at 9:37am, February 9, 2013. First of all my condolences go out to Diane Sullivan’s family. Both Sullivan and the truck driver were travelling west on King Street when the two collided, reported Sgt. Michael Adraycheck of the San Francisco Police Department. Ms. Sullivan was pulled underneath the truck before the truck could come to a complete stop and the reason for the collision is still unknown. The fatal bicycle accident occurred as thousands waited to enter AT&T Park for the San Francisco Giants FanFest.
Sullivan, who suffered life threatening injuries due to the crash, was pronounced dead later that morning. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the deadly bicycle crash, and have so far ruled out alcohol and drugs as a potential contributing factor. The truck driver has been cooperating completely with the police.
Accidents such as these should make everyone step back and take note of their own safety on the road. Even though we do not know what caused the accident between the driver and Diane Sullivan, we can in the very least use it as a lesson in our own lives. Staying alert and aware of all motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians on the roads can help ensure that everyone gets home safe. As a San Francisco bicycle accident attorney I know that it is very difficult to reconstruct a bicycle crash or any crash when the crash is fatal. Diane Sullivan is not able to tell her side of the story, and it will be up to the lawyer her family retains to tell that story. Why was the truck passing closely enough to the cyclist so that she was crushed? Did this truck driver really share the road, as required by the San Francisco Rules of the Road? The rule is that if you are in a motor vehicle and you need to pass a bicycle rider, you must allow enough room to pass safely. If you do not allow enough room to pass a bicyclist safely and the bicyclist is harmed thereby, you are responsible for any harms and losses caused to the bicyclist or their family. And that means all of the harm and all of the losses. Because Diane Sullivan will not be able to tell her side of the story, her family’s lawyer will need to have the accident reconstructed by a professional accident reconstruction expert. Often accident reconstruction is very expensive and the family cannot accomplish this on their own. A bicycle accident attorney will advance the money needed to reconstruct the accident in the hope that the truth will be brought out.
[Image Credit: ABC News, KGO-TV San Francisco, CA]
Hello, I'm Claude Wyle and I have spent three decades representing bicyclists harmed by motorvehicles. Have an idea for a topic you'd like to see covered here? Feel free to contact me: cwyle@ccwlawyers.com or visit www.ccwlawyers.com,
The Avant-Garde Traditionalists.
Claude A. Wyle is a partner of Choulos Choulos, and Wyle, a San Francisco based law firm dedicated to representing clients who have been injured by the wrongful conduct of individuals, corporations, public entities, and businesses. Mr. Wyle also frequently sits as a Judge Pro Tem for the city and county of San Francisco.
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