This was no bicycle accident! This was an attack on bicycle riders! As an avid bicyclist myself and a San Francisco bike injury lawyer, I think I speak for all bicyclists when I report with outrage the story that developed late Wednesday night in the Mission and Potrero Districts. Three San Francisco cyclists suffered serious personal injuries including broken bones, lacerations and internal injuries after a driver went on a road rage rampage in the City, intentionally hitting them as they rode on the public street. There were four bicyclists hit in all, in four separate incidents. Only one received treatment at the scene; the others remain hospitalized, one in critical condition.
Police are on an “all out” manhunt as they search for the person who drove through the Mission and Potrero Hill neighborhoods on Wednesday night. They are looking for the driver of a blue Nissan Rogue that hit the four bicyclists in a matter of just six minutes. San Francisco police are saying this was a targeted attack; they are therefore treating it as a case of aggravated assault, as opposed to mere negligence.
According to police spokesperson Lt. Lyn Tomioka, the driver changed lanes in traffic and went on the wrong side of the street. “Witnesses said he was driving to try and hit the bicyclists,” according to Tomioka.
All of the victims are expected to survive, but their lives have been seriously and wrongfully disrupted.
I also want to note if you are a bicyclist or a pedestrian hit by a car, even if it is a hit and run driver as in this case, I recommend you see a personal injury lawyer. There will be liability on the part of the driver, or there could be other avenues of recovery, such as your own uninsured motorists’ insurance coverage.
If you are covered by an automobile insurance policy, on your own car, or on a car in your household, you are also then covered for hit and run under the uninsured motorist provisions in the policy. That is right! Car insurance covers bicycle accident injuries and pedestrian accident injuries. If a car goes out of control and careens into your home while you are in bed, you are covered for medical payment coverage and uninsured motorist coverage and underinsured motorist coverage. Call a bicycle accident attorney or a pedestrian accident lawyer right away to make sure that you are made financially whole. And, if the accident is not your fault, your insurance rates will not go up.
Police are asking witnesses to come forward with any information that would help the investigation.
We are not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call a reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided here. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free confidential consultation to “not at fault” persons like those named in this article and their family members.
