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Bicyclist Hit and Killed by Truck in Sumter, South Carolina

Tommy Tindal was riding his bike along local highway S.C. 441 in Sumter, South Carolina (SC) when a box truck drove by and sideswiped him. Mr. Tindal suffered traumatic head injuries along with other serious injuries leading to his death, according to thesunnews.com. My deepest condolences go out to Mr. Tindal's friends and family.

It's a tenuous relationship between bicyclists and automobile drivers when sharing the road. I've witnessed numerous vehicles come close to swiping bicyclists on busy roads. In 2008, 716 bicyclists were involved in fatal traffic accidents and 52,000 suffered injuries in bicycle-vehicle crashes, a 21 percent increase from 2007. There seems to be this mentality by auto operators that someone riding on a bicycle shouldn't even be near a road occupied by automobiles. 

Regardless, a new set of bicycle safety laws were passed in 2008 in South Carolina which provided more protections to bicyclists. A key statute that may come into play in the tragic accident involving Mr. Tindal is the"Safe Operating Distance" statute in section 56-5-3435  which states:

"A driver of a motor vehicle must at all times maintain a safe operating distance between the motor vehicle and a bicycle."

If the box truck driver violated this statute, this tragic crash could be categorized as a wrongful death. 

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton is a law firm which focuses on injury and accident law and we have achieved numerous successful outcomes for our clients. We serve all areas of North Carolina including the Outer Banks, Nags Head, and all counties. We provide FREE injury case consultations, so call us toll free at 1-800-752-0042.

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included among the "Best Lawyers in America" 2010 Edition and selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum (2009). In addition, our firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill.

Our lawyers proudly edit the Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard, as a public information service. We also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube and a Railroad Accident/FELA Lawyers Blog.  

Labels: attorney auto bicyclist bike car head injuries Lewis SC serious injuries traumatic brain injury