Two serious San Francisco motorcycle crashes occurred this weekend

CBS San Francisco reports that a motorcyclist suffered life-threatening head trauma Friday evening after a Castro District traffic accident. The crash happened shortly before 8 p.m. when the motorcyclist unsuccessfully attempted to pass a vehicle and collided head-on with an oncoming car.

Head-on crashes are the most severe types of motorcycle accidents and often result in fatal injuries. Passing attempts are just one way that a motorcyclist can be involved in a head-on collision. Other causes of head-on crashes include wrong-way driving and distracted driving.

Authorities say that the 27-year-old motorcyclist was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, and there has not been an update on his condition.

Another man was killed the next day in a severe accident in the Golden Gate Park. The crash happened shortly before 10 p.m. on Saturday at the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and Kezar drive. The motorcyclist hit a light pole and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The cause of that particular crash is unknown. Single-bike crashes are often the result of speed or motorcyclist distraction, although there are many instances in which a city can be held liable for contributing to a crash. Loose gravel, potholes, poor lighting, foliage, and poor street design have been known to contribute to sole-vehicle motorcycle crashes.

Source: CBS San Francisco, "Motorcyclist Critically Hurt In Head-On Crash In San Francisco," Sept. 4, 2012