After the tragic motorcycle crash in Randolph, New Hampshire, my comments from a June 8, 2017 article I wrote seem to have come back to haunt the individuals and families affected by this horrific event.
In that article, I said:
Most of the motorcycle crash cases that I have handled involve massive and devastating injuries to motorcyclists who were doing the right thing in the operation of their motorcycle, but through no fault of their own, were not seen before another car or truck caused a collision with that motorcycle and sent it flying.
As this crash is still under investigation, it is hard to know if this is yet another situation where the actions of a driver of a truck just was not paying attention, was under the influence of any substances or was distracted by something in the vehicle which took his attention away from what was in front of him.
The stories in the media are slowly bringing forth information as it is released by the enforcement agencies involved. There is no way to wind the clock back for those killed and injured in this crash, and there is little justice for these veterans and families who have given so much for their country, only to have their lives were taken or their bodies injured, leaving the survivors with indelible memories of this horrific event.
At the time I wrote that article in 2017, my focus was on making sure that if you were a motorcycle rider, that you carried adequate uninsured/underinsured coverage so that if you were injured in a serious crash by someone with inadequate insurance limits, that you would at least have some significant protection to pay for your own medical bills, care, lost wages, pain and suffering damages. However, there is no amount of money that can replace the types of losses that have occurred in this crash, but our system of justice only allows us to seek civil justice in the form of monetary damages for the losses that the at-fault defendant and has caused.
The State of New Hampshire will decide the extent of any criminal charges levied against the defendant. With so many deaths and with so many varying types of injuries, causing pain and suffering to the victims, there is likely not going to be adequate insurance coverage to address all of the claims that the injured parties will seek for their loved ones and themselves.
None of us want to be in the position of the defendant in this case, so we must remind ourselves to look an extra time to be sure there is no motorcycle traffic in our path. We must make sure that we pay attention to what is in front of us so that we remain in our lane of travel. We must avoid, at all costs, the use of any device that may distract us from our driving responsibilities.
As a former motorcycle rider, I can say that none of us want to be in the position of the poor souls who suffered the injuries that have caused their devastating deaths, and injuries to the survivors.
This is truly a tragedy for all concerned.