Colorado residents who choose another type of transportation other than a passenger vehicle face numerous risks. The low profile of motorcycles means that those in other, larger vehicles could fail to see them on a good day. When one of those drivers is impaired by alcohol, the potential for motorcycle accidents increases dramatically.
On a recent Monday, police took a 55-year-old man into custody on suspicion of drunk driving. Preliminary reports indicate that the driver, who was heading south at the time, initiated a left turn right into the path of two motorcycles heading in the opposite direction. One of the riders was fortunate enough to escape injury even though the motorcycle hit the pickup truck, but the other was not.
The 29-year-old man riding the second motorcycle died at the scene from the injuries he suffered in the impact. Police in Colorado Springs arrested the southbound driver on suspicion of vehicular homicide. It could be some time before the family of the deceased motorcycle rider knows the outcome of the criminal proceedings since the investigation is not yet complete.
If it turns out that the driver was intoxicated at the time of the crash, the family could use that fact as evidence in a wrongful death claim filed in a civil court. If prosecutors secure a conviction for vehicular homicide or another charge directly related to the accident, that may also provide the evidence needed to prove negligence and/or recklessness on the part of the pickup truck driver. As if the case in other motorcycle accidents, if the family prevails in its claim, the court may award damages to help with the financial losses incurred as a result of the loss of the victim.