South Florida Tinder Date Leads to Fatal Motorcycle Accident
Millions of people safely operate motorcycles every day, but the fact that danger is never far away is part of what makes driving a motorcycle fun. Obeying traffic safety laws greatly reduces the chances of getting in an accident, and wearing a helmet greatly reduces the chances of sustaining serious injuries if you are in an accident. Riding a motorcycle on busy sections of the interstate highway, while legal, is much riskier than driving on city roads with traffic lights. Even if you are vigilant about motorcycle safety, you are still vulnerable to severe injuries if you are involved in a collision with a car or any other vehicle larger than a motorcycle. A Palm Beach County motorcycle accident injury lawyer can help you recover compensation if you have been injured in a motorcycle.
Details of the St. Clair Lawsuit
In December 2018, Jennifer St. Clair went on a date at a Fort Lauderdale bar with Miles McChesney. It was their first time meeting in person, but they had been exchanging messages on the dating app Tinder. McChesney arrived at the bar on a motorcycle he had borrowed from his friend John Lewis. While they were at the bar, two other couples invited McChesney and St. Clair to join them on a ride from Fort Lauderdale to Delray Beach, and they accepted, although St. Clair did not have a motorcycle helmet. They went to three more bars in Delray Beach, and on the ride back, St. Clair fell off of McChesney’s motorcycle on I-95, and McChesney continued the ride without her. She was struck by several vehicles before her body was found the next morning.
St. Clair’s parents filed a lawsuit against Lewis as the owner of the motorcycle and against McChesney as the driver. According to Florida law, Lewis can be held liable in a wrongful death lawsuit related to a motorcycle belonging to him. Lewis claims that he did not give McChesney permission to use his motorcycle on the night of the accident. His attorneys also say that part of the responsibility for the accident belongs to St. Clair. They say that she must have known how dangerous it was to ride a motorcycle on I-95 without a helmet with a drunk person she had just met.
As for McChesney, he could have bigger problems than a civil lawsuit. Leaving the scene of an accident is against the law, and so is operating a motorcycle after drinking more than a very small amount of alcohol. Thus far, he has not faced any criminal charges in connection to the accident.
Contact an Attorney Today for Help
Even a skilled motorcycle rider can suffer catastrophic injuries in a single accident. The first step to finding a new normal is getting compensation to cover your medical expenses and lost income. A motorcycle accident injury attorney can help you rebuild your life. Contact Palm Beach Gardens motorcycle accident attorneys at Smith, Ball, Báez & Prather Injury Lawyers for a consultation.
