Vince was struck by a car while riding his motorcycle in October of 2014. The circumstances that led to his motorcycle accident are far too common. A driver was waiting to make a left turn into traffic. She saw the pickup truck that Vince was following as it approached her, but she did not see Vince on his bike behind it. His bike was too small and the truck was too large, obstructing her view. Assuming that there were no vehicles behind the pickup truck, the at-fault driver directed her attention to traffic coming from the other direction and entered into the road. She crashed into Vince, violently throwing him from his bike.
When all was said and done, Vince had to receive 13 pints of blood to save his life and his leg was amputated below the knee during emergency surgery. Vince's injuries were life changing. He will never be the same again. Fortunately he survived the accident and has taken everything in stride. He has a great support network and an even better outlook on life. We are proud to have helped such a good person recover from such a horrific accident. Due to the limited recovery and the life changing nature of Vince's injuries, Gary Burger decided to represent Vince pro bono in this case. He did not charge a fee and helped Vince for free.
Missouri's Rules of the Road as outlined in the Driver's Guide dictates that "drivers entering a road from a driveway, alley, or roadside must yield to vehicles already in the main road" and "drivers turning left must yield to oncoming vehicles going straight." Considering that nearly 42% of all two-vehicle fatal motorcycle crashes involve a vehicle turning left while the motorcycle is going straight, it is important that we all take extra time to ensure that the road is clear of oncoming traffic before proceeding with our turn. We need to pause long enough to determine there are no smaller vehicles following behind the ones we can immediately see. Someone's life may depend on it.
More than 4,000 people die in motorcycle accidents every year. If we all use more caution while driving, we could help make our roadways safer for motorcycles, bicycles and smaller cars.