They weave through traffic on South Florida’s highways sometimes at speeds approaching 180 mph, sleek, aerodynamic motorcycles that sometimes pop wheelies as they vanish into the distance with a high-pitched whine. Connie and James Chesney know first hand about the danger posed by some riders of these sport bikes. While driving north on Interstate 95 after a concert last May, several of the bikes traveling in a fast-moving pack slammed into the Singer Island couple’s sedan. The impact sent their 2007 Toyota spinning near Commercial Boulevard. “We hit the concrete barrier and then we got hit by the second bike. It was one right after another, bam, bam, bam, like bombs going off. Never in my life have I experienced anything so horrifying,” Connie Chesney said. When it was over, a 31-year-old rider was dead and another critically injured.
Such tragedies have clouded the reputation of riders of these sport bikes, which some have nicknamed “crotch rockets.” The accidents also led to a state law that took effect Oct. 1 levying fines of $1,000 and up for motorcyclists and drivers caught going 50 mph over the speed limit. “We have created a new threshhold for excessive speed,” said state Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, R-Miami, who drafted the speeding law after he and his wife almost had an accident with sport bikes. A review of five years of motorcycle fatalities in Broward and Palm Beach counties shows a steady increase in deaths. Although a breakdown of the type of bike involved in each crash was not available from the state, police say the increasing popularity of sport bikes, coupled with young, inexperienced riders, is behind the rise.
Excerpt taken from a Sun Sentinel article.
The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters. The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.
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