Austin, TX — A father and his infant child had to be hospitalized after they were hit by a car while bike riding in Austin, Texas, on Saturday, November 22, 2014. The accident took place in the 800 block of West St. Elmo, near Ben White Blvd.
The accident happened around 10:00 in the morning. Reports say that the driver of the vehicle that hit the bike remained at the scene and has cooperated with authorities.
Officials say that the infant was transported to Dell Children’s Medical Center in critical condition. The infant’s father was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge in serious condition. Doctors say their injuries aren’t life-threatening.
The names of those involved have not been released.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
St. Elmo Road is a two-lane street that runs through a residential area. It doesn’t look to get too terribly busy, and definitely not at 10:00 in the morning. So I’m trying to imagine a scenario in which the driver wouldn’t be able to see a bicyclist, and avoid crashing into him. A lot of people look at accidents like this and say that pedestrians or bicyclists are only hurting themselves by riding in unmarked lanes or too close to moving vehicles. While there’s definitely some truth to that argument, and some people out there who take unnecessary risks, motorists still have a legal obligation to avoid accidents whenever possible. That means that even if a bicyclist is riding directly in front of your car, you don’t have the right to hit them. There are still some details missing from reports about this accident, so I’d be hesitant to rush to any sort of judgement. But I’ve found that most of the accidents like this I’ve seen in the past could have been avoided if only the driver were paying closer attention.
— Grossman Law Offices
