Paul Cornish had been an avid cyclist for most of his 70 years, in fact, he had once held the record for biking from Los Angeles to New York in the least amount of time. It was 1973 when Paul undertook that arduous, coast-to-coast ride; arriving in the Big Apple after only 13 days and five hours.
Unfortunately, it was his love of cycling that put Mr. Cornish in danger. And ultimately, a distracted driver cost him his life.
Paul was killed last month while riding on State Route 76 near East Vista Way. He was in the bike lane when a 25-year-old driver with a suspended license drifted into the bicycle lane and hit him. A week later, 200 members of the local bicycling community got together for a memorial ride to honor their friend, Paul Cornish. They rode to the spot where his 70-year story ended and said prayers.
Participants hoped that it would not only honor Cornish, but also remind everyone on the road that being distracted, for even a second, can have deadly consequences.
The San Diego area has tens of thousands of miles of roadway and the perfect weather for cycling. Unfortunately, those roads are also filled with thousands of cars and drivers, many of them distracted, intoxicated, fatigued, or simply incompetent. Bicycles don’t have the protective steel exoskeleton that cars do, leaving their riders precariously exposed. One slight miscalculation or second of inattention by the driver of a motor vehicle can be fatal to a cyclist.
If you’ve lost a loved one due to the negligence of a distracted driver, you may have grounds for a wrongful death claim. In your time of grief, insurance companies may try to get you to agree to a wrongful death settlement that is much less than you deserve. Don’t let this happen. We at San Diego’s Jurewitz Law Group Injury & Accident Lawyers have been fighting for the families of deceased cyclists for almost 20 years. Before you speak with any insurance company, call us at (888) 233-5020 for a free consultation.
