October 25, 2013 | By Greene Broillet & Wheeler
An unsettling text message on Oct. 16 was the first indication that a California man had suffered a severe spinal cord injury after crashing his motorcycle near Beale Air Force Base. The man, age 51, was able to text his live-in girlfriend with information about his location and injuries, asking her to call 911 for help. That woman quickly notified first responders and then headed out to search for her partner, whom she found along the side of Hammonton-Smartville Road. The man was paralyzed from the waist down when she found him after 45 minutes of searching.
The victim remains in critical condition at this time, having suffered a broken back and neck in the single-vehicle crash. He also suffered a broken pelvis, along with fractured ribs and a broken sternum.
Initial reports show the man may have been run off the road by an oncoming gravel truck, although there are no witnesses to corroborate this version of the events. He is hoping that a bystander may have seen the wreck, and he has spoken out to encourage potential witnesses to come forward. The man told investigators that he turned the corner on his motorcycle only to come face-to-face with the large commercial vehicle, which had drifted into the oncoming lanes of traffic. The motorcycle rider said he had to swerve to avoid striking that vehicle. The subsequent plunge off the road left him with life-changing wounds.
The victim, a mechanic for Holt Industries, was so severely injured that he had to have metal rods inserted along his backbone so he could sit up. He is paralyzed from the waist down and will likely never walk again, according to his partner.
Victims of commercial truck accidents deserve financial compensation for their injuries. In such cases, the drivers and companies responsible for these serious injuries could be held liable for medical costs and other expenses. These financial resources can be life-changing for victims, who may even approach bankruptcy because of their medical fees.