A 73-year-old man died in a collision with a pickup truck while riding his bicycle on 44th Avenue East in Bradenton on the afternoon of Thursday, July 15.
According to information from the Florida Highway Patrol, the accident occurred close to the intersection of 44th Avenue East with 11th Street East. The bicyclist was riding his bike at approximately 4:30 p.m. heading east on 44th Avenue East approaching Pine Street, as was the 19-year-old driver of a pickup truck. The man on the cycle was riding in the center lane, then turned into the truck’s path, resulting in the accident.
The cyclist died at the scene, and the street had to be shut down some time to allow troopers to conduct their investigation.
Cyclists must also follow rules of the road
When cyclists are on their bikes in the roadway, they are responsible for following all of the same rules of the road as drivers of motor vehicles. This includes stopping at stop signs and traffic lights, following right-of-way rules, signaling their turns and making proper merges in lanes.
Drivers of motor vehicles can still be considered liable for accidents in which a cyclist violates a road rule, but depending on the circumstances, cyclists might have the majority of the fault.
Cyclists who are not on their bikes and are walking them across the street are considered pedestrians, and thus all the rules that apply to pedestrians apply to them in those circumstances. They must cross at crosswalks and wait for the right of way if it is at a controlled intersection or crossing.
To learn more about the issues that govern liability in bicycle accidents, contact an experienced Bradenton, FL personal injury attorney at Goldman, Babboni, Fernandez & Walsh.