Florida Highway Patrol is in the midst of investigating the cause of a van and motorcycle accident that has left two people dead in Volusia County. The deadly collision took place not far from New Smyrna Beach in the early evening hours.
What is known about the collision is that a 78-year-old man from Titusville was driving a van on State Road 415, directly north of State Road 44. A 69-year-old woman, also from Titusville, was a passenger in the van.
At the same time, a 69-year-old man was driving in the same direction on the roadway. The motorcyclist listed Edgewater as his home.
For reasons yet to be determined, the van slammed into the back of the motorcycle, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The force of the impact caused the biker to fly from his motorcycle. He suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene of this Florida motorcycle accident. An official from the Florida Highway Patrol noted that the biker was not wearing a helmet at the time of the motorcycle accident.
The motorcyclist was not the only individual who lost his life at the scene of the accident. The driver of the van also died at the scene. The death of the van driver is still under investigation.
In the direct aftermath of the collision, the van driver was alert and walking around the scene of the accident. Not long after the deadly impact, and after emergency personnel has reached the location of the crash, the man suffered what has only been described as a “medical episode,” The so-called medical episode resulted in the van driver also dying at the scene of the motorcycle accident.
As of a couple of days following the Florida motorcycle accident, investigators evidently had yet to pinpoint who or what was responsible for the collision. Oftentimes, the drivers of vehicles that collide with the rear of cars and motorcycles in front of them are determined to be responsible for such a collision. This many times ends up being the case because the driver to collides with the rear end of a vehicle may be deemed to have been driving too closely or was inappropriately distracted at the time of the accident.
With that said, the possibility also exists that a motorist or biker traveling in front of another vehicle could be held responsible for a collision. For example, if a motorcyclist swerved into the lane of traffic in which another vehicle traveled without due warning, that maneuver could be deemed the cause of a resulting accident.
The fact that the van driver died from what is labeled as a “medical episode” following this Florida motorcycle accident raises an interesting issue regarding legal responsibility for injuries (or, in this case, death) arising from a car or motorcycle accident. If for some reason the motorcyclist is determined to be primarily responsible for causing the accident, is that biker in turn legal responsible for the death of the van driver who died as the result of some sort of medical condition at the scene of but after the collision.
Such a legal issue boils down to determining whether or not a motorist or biker who is deemed responsible for causing a collision could reasonably foresee that a roadway accident might cause a deadly medical condition for another individual involved in the accident. For example, if the motorcyclist is determined to have caused the accident in question, and the van driver had a heart attack directory following the collision, could the biker reasonably have foreseen that this scenario could play out.
The complications commonly associated with car and motorcycle accidents underscore the need for experienced legal representation following these types of collisions. A motorcycle accident lawyer from The Doan Law Firm is available to discuss your case any time that is convenient for you.
You can schedule an initial consultation with a motorcycle accident lawyer any time by calling (800) 349-0000. The Doan Law Firm is a nationwide law firm with 40 offices across the country and about a half dozen in Florida. There is no charge for an initial consultation and case evaluation.
The Doan Law Firm makes an attorney fee promise to you. We will never charge an attorney fee unless we win your case.