Washington Injury Law Blog

According to a news report in the Seattle Post Intelligencer the family of Bryce Lewis filed a lawsuit against the dump truck company and driver that was involved in a dump truck versus bicycle accident that took the life of Bryce Lewis in September 2007.  The lawsuit alleges that Bryce who was traveling in the bike path on Eastlake Ave. E. in Seattle when the dump truck turned right onto a side street in front of Bryce causing the bicycle accident. Bryce, only 19 years old, was killed instantly. My prayers and condolences go out to his family and friends.

A tragedy like this is becoming more and more common as the Seattle and surrounding area populations continue to grow by leaps and bounds.  The Seattle area is one of the most bicycle friendly places in the entire U.S. There are miles and miles of bike trials and bike lanes for the public to use. Many people ride bicycles to and from work or for recreation on a daily basis.  Not so long ago I was a very active bicyclist and spent many days riding up and down the Burke-Gilman Trial.  Unfortunately, many motorist are not in the habit of looking for bicyclist or even motorcyclist on a regular basis. 

Bicycles are entitled to the same rights as a car or other vehicle when traveling on a roadway or bike path. Other vehicles must yield to a bicycles right of way, just as a bicyclist must yield right of way to other vehicles.  Bicycles and vehicles must obey the various traffic control devices found through the roadways. Riding defensively and assuming that other vehicles have not seen me has served me well whenever I’m riding my bicycle or my motorcycle. Wearing brightly colored clothing is also a good idea, especially during the grey winters we have in the Seattle where everything seems to meld together on the dark cloudy days. Sometimes these things are not enough and accidents happen. 

So Ride safe, share the road, and keep your eyes peeled for the unexpected!