Intoxicated, Unlicensed Motorcyclist Kills Passenger in Wayne Township Crash
Jennifer Collins, the director of a homeless shelter, was recently killed when the motorcycle on which she was riding crashed into a concrete barrier on Route 46. The driver of the motorcycle, Dalton Lee Garr, 22, was also injured in the crash, but appears likely to recover from his injuries. Garr has been charged with 2nd degree death by auto and 3rd degree causing death while unlicensed, as well as driving while intoxicated. At the time of this writing, Garr remains in police custody on $150,000 bail. Aside from being drunk at the time of the accident, Garr did not have a valid license to operate a motorcycle.
Motorcycle fatalities, while declining in the majority of states, have risen slightly between 2013 and 2014 (the most recent available data) in the state of New Jersey. According to a report recently published by the Governors Highway Safety Association, the three factors most closely associated with motorcycle fatalities are alcohol use, speeding, and failure to wear a helmet. However, even when wearing helmets, motorcycles are dangerous to their riders. 60% of fatally-injured motorcycle drivers were wearing a helmet, and 50% of fatally-injured passengers were doing so. During a 16-year time period where passenger vehicle fatalities declined 66%, motorcycle fatalities have remained steady, comprising about 14% of all motor vehicle-related fatalities while comprising only 3% of all vehicles on the roads. Motorcyclists are 26 times more likely to be fatally injured in an accident than passenger vehicle occupants.
In the case described above, the family of Jennifer Collins would likely have a civil wrongful death claim against Garr, as he was breaking several laws at the time of the crash and appeared to be the responsible party. However, motorcyclists are frequently not at fault for accidents with passenger vehicles. Due to the fact that motorcycles present a smaller visual target to other drivers, fatal motorcycle collisions are often caused by the other, larger vehicles that are involved in the crash. The most common type of collision occurs when a motorcycle that is driving straight collides with a passenger vehicle that turns left in the path of the motorcycle.
Motorcyclists are simply more vulnerable on the road than larger vehicles. If you’ve been injured in a motorcycle accident, you need legal help that will fight hard to ensure you’re fully compensated for your injuries. Contact the New Jersey personal injury attorneys at Massood Law Group today for a free consultation on your motorcycle accident claim, at 1-844-4MB-HURT.
