Santa Clara County must pay a $2.3 million wrongful death settlement to the family of a bicyclist that was killed when a sheriff’s deputry carelessly ran over a group of bicyclists in a fatal bicycle accident.
Matt Peterson, 29, suffered a wrongful death when former deputy James Council fell asleep at the wheel and caused the fatal bicycle accident. Because of drowsy driving, Council crossed the double yellow line and caused an auto accident with several bikers after wrong-way driving.
As bicycle accident attorneys, we know that bike riders are prone to severe injury after a bike crash. Since they do not have the protection of air bags, seat belts and the metal body of an automobile, bicycle accident injuries might result in traumatic brain injuries, paralysis or even wrongful death.
The sheriff deputy’s negligent driving also caused the wrongful death of 30-year-old Kristy Gough and injured 21-year-old Christopher Knapp. Gough’s wrongful death lawsuit and Knapp’s personal injury claim — he suffered two broken bones and needed medical treatment — are unsettled at this time.
This is not the first time Council has had legal trouble for his reckless driving – he was convicted in 2001 for speeding his car in what appears to be a case of street racing. Council pled guilty to a pair of misdemeanor counts of vehicular manslaughter and was sentenced to four months of house arrest and 20 weeks of community service. He has been demoted to a civilian job but can apparently reapply for a law enforcement job elsewhere.
As wrongful death lawyers, we must ask the tough question: do we really want police officers that repeatedly break the law, especially when their actions can kill people?
Please contact us for a FREE CONSULTATION with an experienced bike accident lawyer — in either English or Spanish — at (800) 655-6585 or click here to submit your case for a Free Review.
About Michael PinesMichael Pines is a former insurance company attorney who specializes in car accident injury. While he was an insurance attorney, he learned from behind the scenes on how insurance companies work and how they decided to pay injured people. Now that he works against insurance companies, Michael's inside knowledge has resulted in significant benefits to his clients injured in car accidents.
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Tags: bicycle accidents, fatal bike crash, Santa Clara County Sheriff, wrongful death settlement
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