It takes no more than a mere second to ruin your life ...

[leftyo]

Re: "She should be in her 40's ... etc." Back when the law was the law and ltawbreakers were given real time sentences ... the good ole days ... a woman was driving a convertible downtown shopping. A fire engine hit her car. She was severely injured. It was "an accident." The city came out on top in the law suit. That lady was 32 years old. She never was able to recover her ability to walk, etc. She spent the rest of her life in a bed. It was all perfectly legal. She was legally found to have no claim. Guess the city was not to blame for a fireman who almost killed her b/c he was in a hurry. I knew that lady very well. She lived ... barely. Otherwise, the only thing anyone would have known was that she got severely injured in an accident. Nothing would have been said about the driver of the fire engine. Like it or not, the justice is not about right and wrong. It is about the law. Hopefully this girl will be treated according to the law, the same as that fireman. JMHO. Sincerely. bruce.

100% totally different circumstances!

[barretcreek]

My father told me this one. After WW II a tanker T-boned a bus in Chicago and most/all the people on the bus died in the inferno. Hey, it was Chicago. No negligence, fell into "Act of God" defense.

But back to the OP. There has only been one major study of motorcycle accidents by UCLA prof Harry Hurt. There is a pattern; the offending driver doesn't ride a bike, have a family member or close friend who rides. Cyclists are invisible to the folks who hit them. Bet this one falls in that category.

[dogtag]

Was the fire engine going to a fire ?

[TSimonetti]

The girl was clearly at fault, and I'll admit I have no experience at all with motorcycles, but I sometimes cannot fathom why anyone would want to ride a motorcycle on our roads. No helmet? Are you kidding me? I see people riding alone or in tandem with jeans and t-shirts and cute little bandanas, yikes. I can certainly respect the phrase "Dress for the slide, not for the ride", but so few actually seem to do that. I understand this is a freedom thing so I'm not for banning motorcycles or anything like that, but I guess it takes a certain type of person to decide to spend a lot of money for some fun and adventure but also for a significantly greater chance of getting seriously hurt or of dying.

[togor]

Go to YouTube and search on "ATV fails".

It isn't just motorcycles.

[Major Tom]

Just yesterday, here in my town, a woman caused a wreak that totaled 3 vehicles. She was found unconscious under her steering wheel on the floor with her smart phone clutched tightly in her hand. So, she was driving without a seat belt and texting.

[bruce]

Was the fire engine going to a fire ?

The fire engine was going to a fire. Of course that totally excuses the driver of the fire engine. Understand. Can't have the city having to pay anything for accidents where the driver of a fire engine simply fails to control his vehicle. Guess that means its open season on anyone who gets in the way regardless of anything else involved. No one remembers the name of the man who just about killed that woman. I remember the name of the woman. Sincerely. bruce.

[JB White]

On the other hand (and I'm not saying this is the case here) there are people who cross the path of emergency vehicles every day. Negligent/distracted or selfish the results are the same. From windows up and radio loud, all the way to those in a hurry so they don't have to pull over to the side and yield right of way. Like people who race trains at crossings. It happens all the time.

If a city, village, or district admitted fault....who actually pays?

Then again I know a certain Chicago cop who has wrecked three squad cars in as many years.

[Vern Humphrey]

The fire engine was going to a fire. Of course that totally excuses the driver of the fire engine. Understand. Can't have the city having to pay anything for accidents where the driver of a fire engine simply fails to control his vehicle. Guess that means its open season on anyone who gets in the way regardless of anything else involved. No one remembers the name of the man who just about killed that woman. I remember the name of the woman. Sincerely. bruce.

I was at Camp Ripley Minnesota with a National Guard officer who was a retired Chief of Battalion, Firer Department of New York. There was a wreck, where one fire engine responding to a range fire rear-ended another fire truck -- there were driving in a huge cloud of dust, and the first truck stopped, the second hit him.

We were witnesses, and Colonel Bowie was denouncing the driver of the second truck. The MPs said, "It was an emergency, Colonel."

And old Bowie said, "In an emergency, you should drive so you actually get to the scene of the emergency!"