The lawyers at Young & Young are Indiana personal injury lawyers practicing out of our Indianapolis offices. We only represent seriously injured Hoosiers, injured by the negligence of others. We know the medicine about brain injury, blindness, back injuries, spinal cord injuries (such as paraplegia and quadriplegia), amputations and all other serious injuries. If those injuries lead to death, we have 56 years of experience representing Hoosier families in wrongful death accidents. If the injuries are serious enough to render our client unable to work, we are also Indiana Social Security Lawyers. Serious personal injury work for Hoosiers is all we do. We know how to prosecute drunk driving accidents, large truck accidents, highway accidents, semi tractor-trailer accidents, motorcycle accidents, and construction accidents.
John P. Young is a cyclist. He rides to work two to three times a week. It is excellent exercise, saves gas, and the wear and tear on the car. Mr. Young has been heard to say the ride is better than a cup of coffee because it gets your blood pumping, and there is no caffeine let down later in the morning. We are mindful, however, of the dangers of riding a bicycle. Many drivers are either not paying attention to riders or they do not care. Many times cell phone using drivers commit big mistakes because they are not paying attention to the road. Therefore, to it is important for the cyclist to try and make themselves as conspicuous as possible. Some ideas to help you to be seen include wearing bright yellow or white clothing. Maintain reflectors on your bike. Have a red light facing backwards. It helps if this light is oscillating, meaning it changes patterns so that the eye is drawn to it. If you are riding at dusk or at night, a headlight can also be of help. The light will not be of much help for you to see, but it will help drivers to see you.
Sometimes no amount of lighting or reflective material will stop a car from being negligent and hitting a bike. Our hearts go out to the family of Officer William Phillips. Officer Phillips had just finished his shift and was riding at night with colleagues when he was struck by Sue Ann Vanderbeck. Ms. Vanderbeck states that she was distracted while driving her car. Her distraction took her eyes away from the road, and Officer Phillips. It is clear he was wearing all of the prescribed clothing, using the proper lighting and reflectors. He could not, however, stop Ms. Vanderbeck from driving while distracted and hitting him.
We hope that Mrs. Phillips, and her son can find peace in what has happened to them. We hope that the memories of a good father and husband are as precious as the life well lived.