Las Vegas, NV — July 12, 2024, a motorcyclist was killed due to a semi-truck accident at around 5:40 a.m. along Sunset Road.
Authorities said in preliminary statements that the accident happened at the intersection of West Sunset Road and South Jones Boulevard.
According to officials, a 50-year-old man was on a motorcycle going eastbound on Sunset. At Jones, police say a westbound semi-truck was attempting a left turn. Both vehicles reportedly had a yellow light as they crossed, and the vehicles collided. As a result, the motorcyclist sustained fatal injuries. Right now, there are no reported charges or citations.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
To be rather blunt, across hundreds of commercial vehicle accident cases I’ve had, I recall few if any like the accident described here that happened without the truck driver doing something wrong. Even considering the possibility both vehicles had a yellow light, the law holds commercial drivers to a higher legal standard, plain and simple. A truck is capable of more destruction when handled negligently, so a truck driver’s behavior during a particular situation is going to be under more scrutiny than a typical motorist. That’s especially worth considering here, which involved a truck turning across oncoming traffic, which generally requires them to yield regardless unless it’s on a protected signal.
Now, this could be an unusual situation. Details could come to light which show the truck driver had every reason to believe they could make the turn safely. Or, it could be that initial details released by authorities are inaccurate or misleading. That’s why I wouldn’t encourage anyone jumping to conclusions without having as much information as possible. Getting that information involves asking a lot more in-depth questions than even authorities may be asking right now.
Who had the right-of-way? What was visibility like at the time? What speed were the vehicles going? Are authorities pulling GPS and ECM data? Are they looking into the history of the drivers and employers involved and whether they have past incidents of reckless driving? Was someone distracted, either due to an electronic device or something in their vehicle? Did any sort of mechanical issues contribute to the crash? Was the commercial truck driver adequately qualified and trained to do their job?
At the end of the day, if authorities aren’t asking these and other important questions, they’re likely not getting the whole story. Especially considering how biased people can be against both motorcyclists and truck drivers, it’s usually best when a serious crash like this is in the hands of independent investigators who will simply let the evidence speak for itself. Are those steps being taken here?
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