Des Moines Bicyclist In Critical Condition After Being Hit By Car

Police in Des Moines say that a local bicyclist is in critical condition after being hit by a car while out for a weekday morning ride. According to authorities, 26-year-old Luke Sudbrock was riding his bicycle early Friday morning when he was rear-ended by another vehicle.

Police say that the accident took place on Scott Avenue near 36^th Street. They were able to locate the driver of the vehicle, a 68-year-old who they say was not impaired at the time. According to a police report, the driver says he did not notice the bicycle until it was too late to avoid hitting him.

Police say the accident occurred in low light and the bicyclist in question did not have any flashing lights attached to his bike, making him more difficult to see. Additionally, the accident took place in an area without bike lanes, something that makes it much more difficult for cyclists to safely maneuver. The police were clear that even though there are no bike lanes in the area, the cyclist has a right to be on the roadway. Police say they are continuing to investigate the accident and have not decided whether charges will be filed against the driver.

Though the victim in this case thankfully survived the accident this is sadly not always the case. According to data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 618 bicyclists died in similar collisions involving passenger vehicles in 2010. The recent Des Moines accident is one of the tens of thousands of crashes that occur each year between bicycles and passenger vehicles that often leave cyclists seriously wounded. Government statistics show that 52,000 bicycle injuries occur each year due to accidents involving cars.

Though bicycling can be treacherous, it does not have to be. If other drivers would pay better attention and watch for cyclists then many of these accidents could be avoided entirely. Bicyclists are allowed to be on Iowa roadways and should be given room to maneuver safely. This means that cars should never pass too closely to a bicycle, as a small shift could prove fatal. Drivers should stay alert and avoid other distractions, keeping an eye out for bicyclists who might approach from the sides. Bicyclists can do their part to increase safety by making sure to wear a helmet that properly fits your head. Helmets are the last line of defense for bicyclists and can often be what prevents cyclists from sustaining a debilitating or deadly injury.

Deadly Iowa Car Accident Highlights Dangers Of Failing To Yield

Officials with the Iowa State patrol say that a recent car accident in Afton, Iowa left two people dead and two others seriously injured. The wreck happened just after 5 p.m. last Thursday near the intersection of Highways 169 and 34. Police say that the accident occurred because of one driver’s failure to yield at a stop sign.

According to authorities, the crash happened when a Chrysler Sebring driven by 19-year-old Sierra Peddycoart pulled away from a stop sign on Highway 169 directly into the path of an oncoming Chevy Tahoe. Witnesses say that Peddycoart was unable to see the Tahoe when she pulled away from the stop sign into the other vehicle’s lane of traffic. The driver of the Tahoe, 30-year-old Beth Kulow, saw Peddycoart’s vehicle but was unable to come to a stop before hitting the Sebring.

Police say that the force of the accident was intense and it resulted in the death of both Peddycoart and her passenger. Kulow and an infant passenger were both injured in the crash, but authorities say that the injuries were not life threatening.

So what is a failure to yield accident? A failure to yield accidents refers to those that occur when one driver fails to yield (or give) the road to an oncoming vehicle. This other vehicle is said to have the “right of way” which means the driver has the legal right to be on that stretch of road at that time and other drivers must wait for the driver to pass by before continuing on. Some common examples of failure to yield accidents in Iowa include those, like this one, that happen when a driver fails to remain stopped at a stop sign until the driver with the right of way has cleared the intersection. Accidents involving failure to yield also happen when drivers make left turns into traffic without yielding to oncoming vehicles.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, accidents caused by one driver’s failure to yield are quite common. Of these failure to yield accidents, stop signs are often where the collisions take place, with DOT figures calculating that accidents are 2.6 times more likely to happen at stop signs than at traffic signals. Another instance where failure to yield accidents are especially likely to occur is when one driver must make a left hand turn.

Failure to yield accidents are frequently deadly and represent a leading cause of automotive death. This is because they often involve one fast moving vehicle colliding with another much slower moving vehicle, exerting tremendous force on the occupants of both vehicles. Statistics indicate that every year there are between 800 to 1,000 fatal multi-vehicle failure to yield crashes across the country.

 

Source: “Two killed, two injured in southern Iowa crash,” by Regina Zilbermints, published at DesMoinesRegister.com.

Iowa Bus Accident Raises Questions About Student Safety

Police in Iowa say that a two-vehicle accident left at least six people injured when a truck collided with a Clinton school bus. Authorities say the accident, which happened just after 7 a.m., occurred when the driver of a pickup truck who failed to stop at a stop sign broadsided the oncoming school bus.

Clinton police officers say the bus was traveling north when a westbound pickup ran through an intersection and into the side of the school bus. The accident involved enough force that the bus was flipped over on its side. At the time of the crash the bus was carrying four special education high school students in addition to the driver. School officials say all four children were taken to a nearby hospital where they were treated for their injuries. Police have since cited the driver of the bus of failing to obey a traffic control device.

School bus accidents like this one (and another in Des Moines that we discussed only last week) raise alarming questions about why so many school buses lack even the most basic safety features standard in passenger cars. It’s disturbing to think that while most parents would never dream of letting their young children ride around without seat belts on, the vast majority do so every time they hop on a bus heading to school.

According to statistics compiled by the National Transportation Safety Board, less than 20 percent of the country’s 500,000 school buses come equipped with seat belts. Astoundingly, given the attention devoted to vehicle safety, legislatures in only six states have passed laws requiring installation of seat belts in school buses. The reason for the lack of legislation is that bus manufacturers have actively campaigned against seat belt requirements, claiming that the cost is prohibitive and the belts are unnecessary.

Bus manufacturers argue that seat belts on school buses are unnecessary because of the compartmentalized design of the buses. This means that buses have been designed in such a way as to protect passengers with padded seats in front and behind, shielding them from the force of a front or rear impact accident. Manufacturers go so far as to say that seat belts could actually endanger lives by trapping children in buses.

One major flaw in this argument, which was clearly evident in the recent Iowa bus accident, is that the compartmentalized design does nothing to cushion the blow of side impact or rollover accidents. This is a serious problem given that federal safety statistics show that nearly 75 percent of all deadly bus accidents were attributed to rollover collisions when passengers were ejected from the bus, exactly the kind of thing that seat belts are designed to prevent.

Source: “Bus Accident In Clinton, Iowa,” by Jeff Whitten, published at KWQC.com.

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Look Twice for Bikes - Recent Des Moines Fatality Highlights Vulnerability of Motorcyclists

Look Twice for Bikes - Recent Des Moines Fatality Highlights Vulnerability of Motorcyclists

Police have announced that the school bus driver who hit and killed a Des Moines motorcyclist while transporting a bus load of children to school late last month has been issued a citation in connection with the accident.

Authorities say the accident occurred just before 7 a.m. at the intersection of East 29^th Street and East Douglas Avenue. The school bus driven by Marylin Pottorff was heading west on East Douglas Avenue while the motorcycle was heading south on East 29^th. Police say that the school bus had a stop sign at the intersection while the motorcyclist did not. As a result, the motorcycle rider, 34-year-old Nicholas Neal, continued on through the intersection where he was struck by the oncoming bus.

The bus had 20 students on board at the time who were heading to North High School. Thankfully none of the students were physically injured in the crash, though counselors have been called in to speak to students who witnessed the tragic motorcycle accident.

Law enforcement officials say that Pottorff has been placed on administrative leave and was issued a citation for failing to yield. An investigation revealed that Pottorff failed to stop at the stop sign and drove directly into Neal’s path. Neal was unable to stop in time and was ejected from his motorcycle, ultimately dying at the scene of the crash. Iowa safety officials say the accident represents the third such motorcycle fatality in Des Moines in the past 30 days, an alarmingly high number that should serve as a reminder to those driving passenger vehicles to watch out for their fellow motorcyclists.

Though many people understand that motorcycle riding can be dangerous, few realize just how vulnerable bikers actually are. According to data gathered by the National Transportation Safety Board, if a motorcycle rider is involved in an accident, the chance that he or she will suffer an injury is unbelievably high: 98 percent for those involved in multiple vehicle crashes.

One reason for such a high risk of serious injury is that motorcyclists face the ever-present danger of being thrown from their bike. While it is true that occupants of passenger vehicles can also be ejected, the risk is dramatically lower given the effectiveness of seat belts in ensuring that passengers remain inside the car or truck. Motorcycles obviously lack such restraints and, as a result, riders can find themselves easily thrown from their bikes into oncoming traffic or onto hard pavement, something that dramatically increases the severity of any injuries.

Given the clear vulnerability of motorcyclists, it is essential that other Iowa motorists remain alert while behind the wheel. In this tragic case out of Des Moines it appears clear that inattention led to a deadly accident for Nicholas Neal and tragedy for his family. Other drivers should take this tragedy as a reminder of how important it is to direct all your attention on the road in front of you. Doing so might save someone’s life.  Look twice for bikes and you will save a life.

Source: “Police cite Des Moines bus driver in fatal crash,” by Regina Zilbermints, published at Press-Citizen.com.

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Compounding a Tragedy - Iowa Hit-And-Run Accident Fataly Injures Road Construction Worker

A recent hit-and-run accident involving a tractor-trailer and a construction worker ended in tragedy for the family of the deceased worker and criminal charges for the trucker. Authorities say that the accident occurred in Warren County in the northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 65.

According to a spokesperson with the Iowa State Patrol, the fatal accident occurred when Rubin Ward, a 46-year-old trucker from Illinois, failed to stop for Christopher Wheeler, the flagger stationed at the beginning of the construction zone. Witnesses say Ward swerved to avoid crashing into stopped vehicles and part of his trailer struck Wheeler. Police say Wheeler had no opportunity to avoid the collision and died at the scene.

Rather than stay and face the consequences of his actions, Ward instead chose to flee. Authorities say after the accident, Ward steered into a ditch and drove away from the stopped traffic. Police ended up stopping Ward several miles down Highway 65 after eyewitnesses followed his tractor-trailer in their own vehicles.

Ward is currently being held in a Warren County jail, charged with felony hit-and-run. Police say that the trucker has so far denied seeing Wheeler, something that investigators appear not to believe. According to a State Patrol spokesperson, the accident scene revealed that Ward abruptly slammed on his brakes, creating 340 feet of skid marks, something which clearly indicates that he saw Wheeler, but may have been traveling too fast to come to a complete stop.

Ward’s decision to flee the scene of the deadly Iowa construction zone accident was not only heartless, but illegal. Iowa Code Section 321.261 says that anyone involved in a car wreck has a legal obligation to remain at the scene of the accident. A refusal to stop can result in serious criminal charges. In deadly accidents, like this one, a person who leaves the scene can face Class D felony charges, resulting in license revocation, fines of up to $7,500 and five years behind bars. Beyond criminal sanctions, these drivers often face substantial civil wrongful death claims brought by loved ones of the deceased.

Experts say that deadly accidents like this one are not as rare as many people might hope. According to data collected by the Iowa Department of Transportation, there are an average five deaths and 143 serious injuries every year in accidents that take place along roadway work zones. Though those figures are already too high, nationwide an astounding 578 people died in work zone accidents last year while tens of thousands more were injured.

Roadway safety advocates say that work zone collisions are typically caused by inattentiveness or speeding. When approaching a work zone, drivers need to direct all their attention on the road in front of them. Distractions like cellphones, the radio or even other passengers can prove deadly and can place yourself, other drivers and innocent workers in the area like Christopher Wheeler in grave danger. Flaggers, construction workers and others are simply trying to do their jobs safely, it’s up to motorists to pay attention and ensure their lives are not lost.

If you or someone you know has been injured in an Iowa car, truck or motorcycle accident and you would like to discuss your case with an attorney, please contact the Iowa car accident lawyers at the Gourley, Rehkemper & Lindholm PLC today at (888) 278-1027 to schedule a free consultation.

Source: “Semi driver arrested for leaving scene of fatal Warren County crash,” by Katherine Klingseis, published at DesMoinesRegister.com.

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