A woman was severely injured in a motorcycle accident on July 28, 2008 on I-84 in Danbury, Connecticut. The woman was riding as a passenger on the motorcyle when a car rear ended the bike. Both the woman and the driver of the motorcycle were thrown from the motorcycle. The driver of the car left the collision scene. Police later located the driver. It is unknown if the driver has been criminally charged.
Three more people have been critically injured in motorcycle crashes on our Connecticut roads and highways over recent days. These crashes follow a fatal crash earlier in the month where two riders died in a crash in Rocky Hill. These latest crashes have an escalated an ongoing debate as to whether Connecticut should require helmets when riding motorcycles. The Connecticut Motorcycle Riders Association continues to advocate that helmet wearing should remain optional.
We previously blogged about the helmet law in Connecticut along with helmet laws across the country. While it is understandable that many invididuals want to be free to choose whether or not to wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle, the choice that should be made in every instance is to wear it.
Amazingly, the Connecticut Legislature was unable to get House Bill No. 5515 An Act Increasing The Financial Responsibility Limits for Motor Vehicles out of committee. The proposed legislation would have increased the auto libability insurance minimum limits from $20,000 per individual/$40,000 per occurrence to $25,000 per individual/$50,000 per occurrence. What are elected representatives were thinking in killing this bill is beyond me. Connecticut is one of the most expensive states to live in. If you are involved in a car or truck accident and sustain serious injuries, your medical bills alone will exceed $20,000. Yet, Connecticut continues to allow motorists to drive with minimal coverage of 20/40. Furthermore, if you are hit by someone who was at fault for causing the collision and both the tortfeasor and you have a 20/40 policy, there is only $20,000 total to compensate for your injuries. Aynone driving in the State of Connecticut should have at least 100/300 policy limits with conversion underinsured motorist benefits. Conversion underinsured motorist benefits allows for the stacking of your policy on the tortfeasor’s policy. Without conversion, you cannot stack and the available underinsurance will be less or non-extistent. Here is how conversion works. Lets say that the tortfeasor and you have a 100/300 policy and your injury claim is worth $200,000. If you do not have conversion then since the policy limits are the same, there is only $100,000 in insurance for your injuries. If there is conversion, you will get the $100,000 from the tortfeasor and $100,000 from your own policy for a total of $200,000.
With gas prices soaring, more and more people are using alternative modes of transportation to get to work and run daily errands. One of these modes of transportation is the motor scooter. While the scooters are easy to jump on and operate do not let their ease of use lull you in a false sense of security. Safe operation of a scooter is no different from the safe operation of a motorcycle. This is why scooter manufacturers including Vespa a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) RiderCourse to improve knowledge and enjoyment of riding. In most states, the MSF RiderCourse qualifies graduates for lower insurance premiums. To sign up for a Motorcycle Safety Foundation RiderCourse or to request information, please call 1-800-446-9227 or visit their website at www.msf-usa.org.
An 11-year-old girl was killed in a hit and run on Whalley Avenue and Davis Street in New Haven, Connecticut Wednesday night.
Police are looking for a dark colored 1999 to 2005 Volkswagen Jetta with front end damage. If you believe that you have seen such a vehicle, try to get the license plate and call the police. The victim was a fifth-grade student at The Elm City Prep School. This is another tragedy caused by a criminally reckless driver. Hopefully, the driver will be apprehended and brought to justice.