80-year-old hospitalized after pedestrian accident on bike path
After improvements to the Mill Valley-Sausalito Path had been completed, officials launched a program to promote safety for everyone who uses the pathway. The program is called Share the Path and aims to encourage cyclists and pedestrians to be responsible and courteous while using the pedestrian/bike trail. Despite this campaign, an elderly woman was injured in a pedestrian accident when she was knocked down by a bicycle rider on a recent Tuesday evening.
The California Highway Patrol says it took over the case after Southern Marin firefighters rushed the 80-year-old pedestrian to a hospital. She apparently suffered moderate injuries. The bicycle rider reportedly suffered no injuries. Officials say a child suffered severe injuries in a similar accident in the same area last year.
The organizers of the campaign say Marin County approved a speed limit of 10 mph last year in response to residents reporting cyclists traveling on the path at unsafe speeds. The lower limit will restrict the traveling speeds of cyclists along a particularly dangerous section of the path. Officials say the path is particularly popular in the summer months, and statistics shows the average number of daily visitors to exceed 3,000, of which 2,330 are cyclists.
Pedestrians are vulnerable wherever they choose to walk. Depending on the circumstances of a pedestrian accident, the severity of injuries could range from cuts and bruises to fractured bones, and in severe cases, even brain trauma. If a person suffers injuries in a pedestrian accident that was caused by the negligence of another party, compensation for medical expenses may be pursued by filing a personal injury claim in a California civil court.
Source: marinij.com, “Cyclist collides with 80-year-old pedestrian on Mill Valley path“, Nels Johnson, May 6, 2015
