Bill Johnson, columnist with the Denver Post, told the story today of two people, Jeffery Clayburn and Rana Morrison-Classen, who were killed while riding their motorcycle on August 22, 2010.  According to Johnson’s article, the friends were struck by a car making a left hand turn into an alley.  This summer has seen too many needless deaths caused by the carelessness and recklessness of Denver drivers.  From the tragic deaths of the couple struck by the RTD bus to the deaths of Jeffery and Rana it has been a summer filled with pain and loss for too many Colorado families.

Maybe I’m too close to this because I deal with the victims of these types of accidents every day.  But Jeffery and Rana’s story is unfortunately not a rare occurrence.  The majority of motorcycle accident cases that I work on occur when a driver of a car makes a left hand turn across traffic and they fail to yield the right of way to an oncoming motorcycle.  In many of these types of cases the Police fail to give the driver of the car a ticket because of some overt or subconscious bias towards motorcycle riders.  Fortunately, in Jeffery and Rana’s case it appears as though the driver was cited for careless driving.

So if you get a chance today take a moment and say a little prayer for Dana and her five surviving sons.  And please if you are driving a car look for motorcycle riders before making that left hand turn.

This article written by Mario Vittone teaches us that drowning doesn’t look like what see on tv or in the movies.  In real life it is silent and desperate.  This is a must read for parents who are going to spend time by the water this summer.  Please forward Mr. Vittone’s article to all your friends and family.

Some Colorado motorcycle riders think that they have “full coverage” with their motorcycle insurance.  Only to learn after an accident that they did not have they right kind insurance coverage and/or not enough of it.  In order for you to have the best motorcycle insurance coverage I would suggest, at a minimum, getting the following types motorcycle insurance at the highest amount of coverage that you can afford.

Liability. This type of insurance coverage requires your insurance company to pay for the damages done by you to another party (up to your policy limits) and protects you if you get sued.

Comprehensive, Collision and Theft. Regardless of who’s fault it was or if your motorcycle gets stolen your insurance company is required to pay to replace or repair your bike.

Safety Equipment Coverage. This type of insurance coverage will pay to replace any damaged safety equipment like helmets, leathers, boots, gloves, etc…

Underinsured/Uninsured Motorist Coverage. This is the most important insurance coverage you can have.  This coverage protects you if the other driver didn’t have any insurance or not enough of it to pay for your injuries.  In Colorado approximately 1/3 of all drivers have no automobile insurance.  Of the Colorado motorists who do have insurance, at least a 1/3 or more have the state minimum of only $25,000.00.  So there is a good chance that if you get in a motorcycle accident in Colorado the person who hit you will have little or no automobile insurance.

Some insurance companies are advising motorcycle riders that they do not need underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage if they have health insurance.  This is absolutely terrible advice.  Not only can underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage pay for your medical bills it can also pay for your lost wages, out of pocket expenses, pain and suffering and more.  Except for one rare case, every motorcycle accident case that I have worked on needed to make a claim for underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage.  This is because injuries from motorcycle accidents are usually very serious and an injured motorcycle rider can be out of work for weeks or even months.  Without, good underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage you could be left with nothing.

Medical Payments Coverage. If you already have health insurance you still may want to consider this type of coverage.

Motorcycle Passenger Insurance. This covers your friends or family members that ride with you on your motorcycle.

Bottom Line. Get as much motorcycle insurance as you can afford.  I have handled Colorado motorcycle accident cases since 1998 and I can tell you that having the right kind of insurance at the maximum amount is crucial.  Chances are that you will never have to use your insurance.  However, god-forbid that you do get into an motorcycle accident you will be thankful that you had the right kind of insurance.

If you ride your bike in Denver, you need to be alert.  The Denver Police have been giving tickets to bicyclists who are breaking traffic laws.  I’ve noticed that over the past few weeks they have been ticketing riders who are hit by cars, even when the cyclists were not at fault for the accidents.  Obviously, it is important for all riders to follow local traffic laws.  But, it seems like Denver police have decided to issue tickets to bicycle riders for the most minor infractions.  According to a Denver Post article , a police officer was ticketing cyclists on East 14th Avenue between Broadway and Lincoln Street for riding on the sidewalk, even though there is no bike lane on this busy, one-way street.

For the record, it’s OK to ride your bike on a sidewalk in Denver if you are within a block of parking your bike and are traveling 6 mph or less.

Like many of you, I have multiple bikes – one for mountain biking, one for road rides, and a fun cruiser for commuting to work and riding around the park with my kids.  I try to ride my bike to work whenever I can, and I can feel tension rising between bike riders and cars.  As more and more people take to the streets on their bikes, it is clear that we need more biking lanes.  Call your local city council person and ask that he or she make more bike lanes a priority.

On Sunday June 6, 2010 a 76 year old bicycle rider was run down by an RTD bus on the 16th Street Mall.  Bicycles are normally not allowed on the mall except on Sundays and only in the bus lanes.  According to recent reports the bus driver was cited for careless driving resulting in serious bodily injury because he failed to use his brakes to avoid the cyclist.  Our thoughts are with gentleman who was hit by the bus and we hope for his speedy recovery.

This is now at least the fourth serious RTD accident in the past few months and there are almost no consequences for RTD because it is protected by the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act.  This law protects RTD from the real damages that they cause when they hurt someone.  For example, if you are hit by a bus the most that RTD has to pay is $150,000.00.  If two or more people are hurt in an accident with an RTD bus the most RTD has to pay is $600,000.oo.  That total is not per person, it is per accident.  This means that if a bus driver rolls a bus full of passengers all of the injured passengers must some how divide the $60o,000.00.

This law essentially allows RTD to hire and retain employees who are not qualified or who are reckless because the consequences are capped.  Enough is enough.  The Colorado legislature must act now to make the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act more equitable.  Visit the Colorado Legislature’s website to find and contact your local representative ask that they change the law now.

As some of you may know I am the Vice President of the Board of Directors for The First Tee of Denver.  I would like to invite you to play in The First Tee of Denver’s Eighth Annual “Triple Play” Golf Tournament on Monday June 7, 2010 at 8:00 A.M. We have a fun and unique golf tournament because we incorporate 3 different types of play:  Holes 1-6 are a scramble, holes 7-12 are best ball and holes 13-18 are scotch play (alternate shot).  It is a great tournament to play with your friends and/or clients.  Because the course is donated to us your $125.00 entry fee is tax deductible and more than 90 percent of your money goes directly to kids programs.  As with years past, we will have great player gift bags and raffle items.  To register visit our website or call Paula Purifoy at (303) 370-1563 or via email at paula.purifoy@denvergov.org

Colorado’s children need your help more than ever this year.  According to a Denver Post article Colorado’s child-poverty rate shot up 70% since 2000.  These are the kids that we serve.  We provide in class programming in 15 Denver Public Schools.  We work with over 1,800 kids a year and our in school programs are free to the schools and free to the boys and girls we work with.  With huge budget cuts at Denver Public Schools we have the opportunity to fill the void made by schools as they cut back on everything from physical education, music, the arts and other critical programs.

With your help as a corporate sponsor we can increase the number of children we serve and make a real difference in their lives.  Please consider being a corporate sponsor at one of the following levels.

GOLD sponsor $5,000

Scholarships for 83 kids and includes four foursomes and

two hole signs.

SILVER sponsor $2,500

Scholarships for 41 kids and includes two foursomes and

one hole sign.

CORE VALUE sponsor $1,500

Scholarships for 24 kids and includes one foursome, a

hole sign and one major sponsor engraved legacy

brick for the new path between 26th and 23rd on

York Street.

BRONZE sponsor $750

Scholarships for 12 kids and includes one foursome and

one hole sign.

HOLE sponsor $300

Scholarships for 5 kids and includes one hole sign.

If you are seeking a higher level of sponsorship or are interested in becoming a Corporate or Program Partner, please contact me directly at (303) 388-5304 or via email at Scott@OSullivan-Law-Firm.com.  Or you can contact the Executive Director of The First Tee of Denver, Paula Purifoy at (303) 370-1563 or via email at paula.purifoy@denvergov.org.

I am very proud of my involvement with The First Tee of Denver and I would love to see you all there at this year’s tournament.

Sincerely,

Scott O’Sullivan, Esq.

The O’Sullivan Law Firm is excited to be a sponsor for this year’s Colorado Chaos Scooter Rally between June 4th -6th.  Every day of the event is packed with fun activities and competitions.  So register today and get out and have some fun!

I am proud to announce The O’Sullivan Law Firm’s sponsorship of the 5th Annual Thin Blue Line Motorcycle Run on Sunday, May 30, 2010.  The Thin Blue Line Motorcycle Run is presented by the Sentinels Motorcycle Club of Colorado.  The Sentinels are a Law Enforcement group, made up of active and retired local, State and Federal law enforcement officers. The club does not discriminate against anyone on the basis of race, religion, sex or color.  It was formed to raise money and assist the families of police officers who are either killed or injured in the line of duty.  For more information visit their website.

The motorcycle run is open to the public so please come join me in supporting the families of fallen law enforcement officers this Memorial Day Weekend.

According to a report from the Governors Highway Safety Association motorcycle deaths declined 16% in 2009.  This means that 847 riders didn’t die on the roads last year.  There is no ready explanation as to why there was such a welcome drop.  A Denver Post article suggests that new motorcycle sales decreased by 42% and that means there may have been fewer novice riders on the road.  The article also suggests that publicity about deaths had heightened the awareness of both motorcyclists and motorists.

What do you think?