CALIFORNIA BICYCLE NEWS AND CYCLING SAFETY TIPS BLOG

Hit-and-Run Claims Life of Cyclist, Beloved Professor

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Dudek Law Firm

Steve Norwick, a popular Sonoma State University professor, lost his life in a tragic bicycle accident on June 8, according to JWeekly.com. Norwick was riding along a road when he was apparently hit by a motorist who fled the scene. Driver Robert Cowart plead not guilty to a felony hit-and-run charge. Norwick was in a coma for 10 days following the collision before he died at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. “It’s as if the fabric of our community has been torn apart,” said friend and colleague, Barbara Lesch McCaffry. “He touched hundreds of faculty and thousands of students.” Cowart, 68, has three previous convictions for drinking and driving. According to the prosecution, Cowart left the scene and proceeded on with his day as if nothing had happened before police caught him. Norwick taught courses on soil science, water technology and environmental literature. “He was a scientist by training, but taught…
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San Francisco Embraces Cycling Community

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Dudek Law Firm

Last March, a cyclist traveling at high speeds through San Francisco crashed into a 71-year old pedestrian and killed him. Ever since the tragic accident, the city of San Francisco has been trying to find ways to increase safety for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists as the local cycling community continues to grow. Much debate sparked following the accident; many were angry at the cyclist, who was trying to beat his personal speed record when he lost his brakes. Regardless, the larger debate became how to prevent all bicycle accidents in the future in San Francisco. The number of cyclists in San Francisco has increased 71 percent over the last five years, according to the Los Angeles Times. San Francisco city officials embrace the cycling community and are attempting to reduce the number of motorists over the next several years. Officials plan to make 50 percent of all travel within the…
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Victim and Victim’s Family File Wrongful Death Suit Following Fatal Bike Accident

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Dudek Law Firm

A lawsuit was filed in June stemming from a fatal bicycle accident that occurred on May 31, 2011 near San Diego, according to Fox News in San Diego. A sport utility vehicle lost control and veered off State Route 56 in Rancho Peñasquitos and onto a bike path, killing 40-year-old cyclist Nick Ventuo, and injuring a second, Baron Herdelin-Doherty. Accident investigators determined the crash to be an accident and did not cite the driver. Ventuo’s family and Herdelin-Doherty have filed wrongful death lawsuits against the city, San Diego County, the State of California and the driver of the SUV, claiming both the road and bike path are unsafe for cyclists and motorists. Only a chain link fence provided a barrier between the car and the path, and the suit claims a more substantial barrier was necessary. The distance between the path and the street (40 feet) met the legal requirement,…
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