San Diego Injury Lawyer Blog

San Diego's East County saw a hit-and-run motorcycle accident that left the driver of a street bike hospitalized on the evening of Friday, May 22, 2009. The man had not yet been identified.

California Highway Patrol officers reported that the motorcycle had struck a motor vehicle around 1:40 a.m. on Friday, and also hit the center divider while driving northbound on the connector from State Route 125 to eastbound State Route 94, after which he took off and ultimately fled the scene. CHP officers found the motorcyclist in San Diego's Spring Valley area about half an hour after the accident was reported, around 2:15 a.m. at the Kenwood Gardens Apartments. You can read more about this San Diego motorcycle accident in this SanDiego6.com story.

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An Encinitas boy who was struck by a motor vehicle while riding his bicycle more than two weeks ago is now dead, as reported by the Medical Examiner's Office. The 11-year-old boy, Robert Franklin Thompson, had been on life support since his May 6 accident at Rady's Children's Hospital, and passed away Friday at 3:30 p.m.

The boy had been on a motorized "pocket bike", which resembles a small scooter but can go up to 15 mph. He had been crossing the 1000 block of Double LL Ranch Road, a private, gated road in Olivenhain, when this fatal San Diego area accident took place. Witnesses reported to San Diego police that the boy was coming out of a driveway and went directly into the path on the oncoming car. The sheriff's report had no indication of excessive speed or alcohol being involved with the accident. You can read more about this Encinitas bicycle accident in this 10news.com story.

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North San Diego County recently saw the unveiling of a pedestrian bridge, to help walkers and bikers traverse Lake Hodges, usually traveled by those going between destinations in Escondido and San Diego.

Many who took this route have long been waiting for an alternate to having to take the busy Interstate 15, which has experienced many accidents and deaths in San Diego. Frank Lary, a cyclist who frequently was forced to take this highway over the lake noted that it was "very uncomfortable. I was always looking back at the cars, seeing people on their cell phones and not paying attention."

The San Dieguito River Park officially opened the highly anticipated pedestrian path on May 15, 2009, just in time for San Diego's Bike to Work Day. Having been in the works for about a decade, the 990-foot-long span is not only a slim stress-ribbon bridge, but it is the longest stress-ribbon bridge in the world. The $10.5 million bridge is designed to safely guide cyclists and pedestrians over Lake Hodges and out of the way of automobiles. It is constructed of steel, tensioned steel cable, concrete, and precast concrete panels.

The David Kreitzer Lake Hodges Bcycle Pedestrian Bridge, as it has been named, will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. It has benches on two points of its' long span. Horses and fishing are both banned along the bridge. You can read more about this Escondido pedestrian bridge opening in this SignOnSanDiego.com story.

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A recent rash of bicycle thefts has made the San Diego City Courthouse begin to rethink the way it treats bicycles, including where to lock them. As a high-profile cycling city, San Diego bike riders have ample opportunity and plenty of good weather to commute via bicycle rather than car. However, due to the volume of, and demand for, bicycles, it is no surprise that thiefs target them.

Brienne Thompson was one such victim when she locked up her $1,000 Fuji Roubaix in front of the Hall of Justice while serving jury duty. She even locked her bike with two very secure U-Lock locks, only to emerge from the courthouse to find that both had been cut off. San Diego Sheriff's Department notes than the problem has "become an epidemic" and are even considering moving those specific bike racks to an area more clearly visible to law enforcement from the Hall of Justice.

The owner of the San Diego Bike shop in Downtown San Diego, Mohammad Karimi, was quoted "Bike theft is very bad in San Diego... with the situation with the economy, it's more organize -- seems to be more happening." Karimi recommends Kryptonite locks which are great deterrents, and the company also now insures bikes that use the locks up to $4,500. You can read more about these San Diego bicycle thefts in this SanDiego6.com story.

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On Friday, May 15th, 2009, 5,200 cyclists participated in San Diego's designated Bike to Work day. This is a great way to reduce the use our gasoline and greenhouse gas emissions, but the event had a rough onset when a 43-year-old man was struck by a car on Wednesday while riding his bicycle in Valley Center. Later identified as Jose Mejia, the bicyclist was fatally injured on Valley Center Road near Cole Grade Road after he swerved into the path of the vehicle.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office did not come to any conclusions on the reasons why the bicyclist lose control. Paramedics who arrived on the scene took Mejia to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, but he died at 8:45 p.m. while there on Thursday from brain injuries suffered according to the medical examiner's office.

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An 11 year-old boy in Encinitas was hospitilized with serious injuries after being hit by a car while riding an electric pocket bike, according to authorities.

According to witnesses, the child rode into the path of a car from a driveway, onto the 1000 block of Double LL Ranch Road on Wednesday afternoon, shortly after 4:30 p.m., as informed by Sgt. Randy Webb of San Diego County Sheriff's Department. While the child's name and medical condition have not been released, it is known that he was flown to Rady's Children's Hospital. There is no evidence supporting the idea that drugs or alcohol played a role in the San Diego bicycle accident. You can read more about this Encinitas bicycle accident in this 10news.com story.

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May is National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and just in time too, considering the nice weather and conditions that draw out more motorcycle and chopper riders across the nation than in other times of the year.

The California Highway Patrol's is taking this opportunity to encourage all motorcycle riders, new and old, to be more vigilant and safe on California's roads. California has long since been known for its great weather and scenery and is a more popular state in which to motorcycle than others, so the risk of motorcycle injuries is higher than the national average. California has 1.2 million licensed motorcycle riders and every year thousands of motorcyclists are involved in fatal collisions. Rider fatalities are consistently on the rise with each passing year, including San Diego, which has seen its' own rise in the number of fatal motorcycle accidents.

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Marcos Garcia Jeronimo, 23, an illegal immigrant from Oaxaca, Mexico had already been convicted of gross vehicular manslaughter in connection with a San Diego hit-and-run car accident resulting in the death of bicycle rider Marcelo Bolom, 23, of San Diego. On Wednesday, Jeronimo pleaded guilty to having run over Bloom last August in Mira Mesa and dragging his body more than 500 feet. Jeronimo was placed on three years' probation.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Melinda Lasater ordered that Jeronimo spend a year in county jail for the charge, although she acknowledged that he has credit for more than 380 days and is expected to be released immediately.

Jeronimo now faces deportation, although if he crosses the international border into the United States again, he could be sent to prison.

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A teenaged boy crashed his bike into Scripps Gorge yesterday in San Diego around 4:30 p.m. The teenager was riding his bicycle near the 10100 block of Scripps Ranch Boulevard when he lost control of his bike and pummeled 25 feet down the gorge.

San Diego firefighters say that he was able to call for help from his cell phone. A San Diego police helicopter flew over the area several times before being able to find the teenaged bicyclist. San Diego paramedics brought him to the top and took him to the hospital. His injuries are not life threatening. You can read more about this San Diego bike accident and watch the video of the TV news report in this SanDiego6.com story.

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A Carlsbad pedestrian accident occurred Sunday, May 3, at the intersection of El Camino Real and Kelly Drive in Carlsbad when a pedestrian was struck by car just before 8:30 p.m. Carlsbad police Sgt. Paul Mendes reported that the Carlsbad pedestrian was taken to Scripps La Jolla Hospital with numerous critical injuries.

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You have likely heard about the recent deadly tour bus carrying tourists, mostly from France, from the San Francisco area down to Los Angeles, where they were due to depart back to France. The Orion Pacific tour bus had overturned on a highway overpass in Central California where four passengers were ejected from the bus as it lay in a wreck around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. There were five confirmed deaths from the bus accident.

Photo Gallery with 8 total images from KTLA News

A new detail reveals that the American driver, John Egnew, 69, of Corona in Riverside County, had been involved in another accident about three years ago. The Associated Press found evidence that in 2005, Egnew struck a 71-year-old woman in Las Vegas as she was crossing the street with her husband, leaving the woman with serious injuries. Egnew claimed that he didn't see the pedestrian on the road. You can read more about this Central California bus accident in this KTLA news story.

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