NC College Student Killed in Bicycle Accident

12/18/2011
Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton
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NC College Student Killed in Bicycle Accident

A Lees-McRae College freshman was killed after being hit by a pickup truck in Avery County, North Carolina (NC). The 19-year-old was training for her school's cycling team, riding on U.S. 221 near Ginger Lane in Altamont. A Ford Ranger crossed the center line and hit her bicycle.

The driver has been charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle, and our thoughts are with the victim's family. To see a young woman in the prime of her life doing something she loved lose her life due to someone else's carelessness is heart-wrenching.

This is the second fatality for the Lees-McRae cycling team in 2011. A senior cyclist died in January after an accident in her home in South Africa. One can only imagine how difficult this second loss must be for the women's teammates. Nearly all athletes suffer injuries during their playing careers, but worrying about fatal accidents should never be a concern for young athletes.

Accidents between bicycles and vehicles almost always end tragically. Studies show that bicycle deaths in 2009 accounted for approximately 2 percent of all traffic fatalities. Even more injuries occurred as a result of bicycle accidents -- approximately 500,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Bicycling can be dangerous, but student athletes and amateur cyclists alike should not have to pay for other people's mistakes on the road. Another innocent life has been taken at the fault of a careless driver.

As a personal injury attorney, I've done the research and know how to handle bicycle accidents with injuries. First, seek medical attention as quickly as possible. Call the police and have an officer complete an official accident report. Try to get digital pictures with a cell phone if not a camera. If you need legal assistance, we provide confidential free initial consultations.

CID

Category: Wrongful Death

Labels: bicycle accident crash death injury NC North Carolina Shapiro vehicle wreck

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law. We maintain office in Elizabeth City, North Carolina (NC), on East Elizabeth Street, and we have handled thousands of cases in which victims got hurt or killed in car, truck, train and motorcycle crashes caused by others' negligence or carelessness.

We serve every area of North Carolina, including Elizabeth City, Edenton, Raleigh, Durham, Rocky Mount, Roanoke Rapids, Greensboro, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Halifax, Northampton, Greenville, Goldsboro, Havelock, Kinston, New Bern, Tarboro, Wilson, Ahoskie, Currituck, Camden and the Outer Banks towns of Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Manteo, Corolla, Currituck and Dare. In South Carolina, we cover the state from Myrtle Beach and Charleston to Orangeburg, Columbia, Florence, Rock Hill, Darlington, Aiken, Anderson, Greenville and Spartanburg.

Firm attorneys Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been listed among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008 and the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. In addition, our firm has been named a North Carolina "Best Law Firm" for personal injury law since 2010 by U.S. News & World Report.

We also offer free special reports on distracted driving and the Best Guide to Car Accident Injuries in North Carolina.

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential injury case consultations. Call us toll-free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail so we can get back to you.

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NC College Student Killed in Bicycle Accident

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