Over Labor Day weekend, a Bayside man, Stylianos Berios died in a motorcycle accident while riding his motorcycle down 31st street. He was riding a 2003 American Iron Horse motorcycle around 12:00 noon. Another motorcycle heading the opposite direction crashed into him when making a left turn onto 36th Avenue. The impact threw both motorcyclists onto the pavement. The other motorcyclist was a 30-year old man, and Berios was 65. EMS transported both men to the hospital, where Berios died.
The Patch reported that the police have not filed charges related to the crash.
Over the years, many studies and facts have been gathered and studied regarding motorcycle accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than half of all motorcycle accidents take place in urban areas: highways, freeways, roads and streets. Most of these types of crashes happen at intersections and involve a violation of right-of-way. This also appears to be the case in the Berios accident. The motorcyclist turning left failed to yield the right-of-way. The greatest problem with motorcycles is that other motorists often do not see them.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released a Motorcycle Causation Study (MCCS) that is the most thorough data collection effort to study motorcycle crashes in over 30 years. The predominant factors related to crash risk included:
At Sackstein, Sackstein & Lee, LLP, our attorneys have represented numerous clients over the years in motorcycle accident cases. We are glad to answer any questions you have, provide legal advice and evaluate the prospects of pursuing a case.