Friday moped accident on Blue Angel Parkway sends man to hospital

On behalf of Terence Gross of Gross & Schuster, P.A. posted in Motorcycle Accidents on Tuesday, February 1, 2011.

An unfortunate moped accident on Friday, January 28, ended with a 32-year-old Gulf Breeze man in the hospital and a 72-year-old Pensacola driver with a citation for violating the moped rider’s right of way. The car accident occurred in Escambia County at about 12:30 p.m. on Friday on Blue Angel Parkway at the Sorrento Road intersection.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the Gulf Breeze man was riding along Blue Angel Parkway when the Pensacola woman, who was driving a Toyota, attempted to make a left turn. She apparently did not see the moped and, when she turned, she collided head-on with the left side of the moped.

The Gulf Breeze man was thrown from his bike and sustained serious injuries. The moped overturned, skidded across the roadway and tumbled into a roadside ditch.

The injured biker was taken to Baptist Hospital for treatment. The driver of the Toyota was not injured.

The Highway Patrol says that alcohol was not a factor in the moped accident. They have charged the driver of the Toyota with violating the moped rider’s right of way.

Moped and motorcycle accidents are frequently caused by right-of-way violations, often because drivers have not trained themselves to look for motorcycles on the roadway. Motorcycles are small, and some drivers miss them, especially when making turns.

Avoid hitting motorcyclists and pedestrians: Look right, look left, then look right again

All drivers share the responsibility of preventing motorcycle and moped accidents. Here’s a good way to make sure you notice motorcyclists and pedestrians when you are making a turn. It’s the same advice you were given when you were crossing the street as a child:Look right, look left, then look right again.

Remember: Start seeing motorcycles — and mopeds, too, Drive safely.

Source: Pensacola News Journal, “Man thrown from mo-ped in Blue Angel crash,” January 29, 2011