Vacaville man dies after motorcycle crashes into semi-truck
A 36-year-old Vacaville motorcyclist was killed in a recent big-rig accident. CBS San Francisco reports that the accident happened at the intersection of Nut Tree Road and Fairview Drive.
The motorcyclist was attempting to make a left turn into a driveway when he collided with a big rig. The motorcyclist was rushed to Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. Authorities to not believe that drugs or alcohol were a factor in this motorcycle accident.
Doctors say that the driver suffered severe head trauma in the crash. Head trauma is a common occurrence in motorcycle accidents and typically results in lifelong disabilities for survivors. The likelihood that a motorcyclist will suffer head trauma or a traumatic brain injury greatly increases when motorcyclists do not use helmets.
Although helmet use can greatly increase the survival rates for motorcyclists, accidents involving high speeds or large vehicles such as trucks make catastrophic or fatal injuries even more probable, even with helmet use.
It is unclear what factors lead to this particular accident. Even when a motorcyclist violates the standard right-of-way rules, there are cases when a speeding driver with the right-of-way is still held responsible for a crash. Authorities say that the truck driver stayed at the scene of the crash. It is unclear whether the trucker involved will face fines or wrongful death litigation.
Source: CBS, "Vacaville Motorcyclist Dies After Crash With Big-Rig," Feb. 19, 2013
