Southern California Woman Sentenced In Alcohol-related Bicycle Accident

A woman from Southern California has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for her role in a bicycle accident.

In June, 32-year-old Heather Elizabeth Azkoul was found guilty of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. On January 22nd 2007, Azkoul was driving home in Buena Park, when she struck bicyclist Virginia Cordier. 41-year-old Cordier suffered fatal injuries. Azkoul was found to have an alcohol level of .18 at the time of the accident. That's more than twice the legal limit of .08.

It turned out that Azkoul had been involved in at least two prior drunk driving accidents before that fatal crash - one in 2002 and the other in 2004. The 32-year-old driver didn't stop at the time of the accident. She drove away, and was spotted by a truck driver about a mile away from the scene of the crash.

Bicyclists are some of the most vulnerable users of our roads. California, with its year-round sunny weather, has always been a popular haunt for those who prefer to ride around for pleasure, as a cost saving measure, or to lessen the degree of their carbon footprint. Unfortunately, there is a great degree of unawareness, misinformation and lack of respect for the rights of bicyclists. It's a fact that motorists tend only to consider other vehicles around them while driving, and not bicyclists. These persons are often not in a driver's field of vision. Besides, bicyclists are further threatened by the fact that there is lesser attention focused on their safety. There are fewer education programs that promote awareness about the rights of bicyclists. On the other hand, there continues to be heavy crackdowns on other kinds of accidents.

Motorists must keep a bicyclist's right of way in mind at all times. Look out for bicyclists especially when you are near bicycle-friendly avenues, college campuses etc.

Avoid taunting or teasing bicyclists. Very often, motorists display aggressive driving behavior towards bicyclists, resulting in an accident.

Lastly, avoid drunk driving, speeding or cell phone use while on the road. Drunk driving can impair your sense of judgment and can delay your response times, making it harder to stop in time when you see a bicyclist. Besides, cell phone use causes unnecessary distractions that can also lead to the failure of the motorist to spot a bicyclist.

Bicyclists injured in a bicycle accident may be eligible for damages from the responsible party. These damages can include compensation for medical costs, including hospitalization, doctor's bills as well as lost earnings. Depending on the seriousness of the injuries, bicyclists may also be eligible for past and future pain and suffering damages. These are awarded in compensation for the person's mental anguish and physical suffering. The spouse of an injured bicyclist may also be eligible for loss of consortium damages. A California bicycle accident lawyer will be able to help file a claim that factors in all the benefits victims are entitled to.