PASO ROBLES, CA — Lee Craig was killed after an accident between an SUV and a bicyclist in Paso Robles, California on Friday, October 28th, 2014. The article from The Paso Robles Daily News said that the accident happened at around 3:10 Friday afternoon.
62-year-old Lee Craig was killed when the bike he was riding was struck by an SUV while on Nacimiento Lake Drive near the intersection with Adelaida Road. Authorities believe that the driver of the SUV’s cell phone fell in the car and struck Craig while attempting to retrieve it.
Paramedics that responded to the emergency call pronounced Craig dead when they arrived. The driver of the SUV was identified as 18-year-old Joseph Mondo, who did not report immediate injuries. Another cyclist at the scene was Lawrence Chong, who was taken to Sierra Vista Hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries.
The Investigation is being handled by local police working with California Highway Patrol Officials.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary:
The fact that the offending driver admitted to being distracted by a cell phone simply enrages me. These kinds of accidents are quite literally the most senseless kind. Any kind of distracted driving has the risk to cause an accident, whether that is reaching down to scratch your foot down by the pedals, or trying to dig your cell phone out from between seats, taking eyes off the road runs the risk of an accident, and anybody that causes one when they’re reaching for a phone for a message that could have waited needs to be held liable for the accident. I’d be interested to get a look at the cell phone data to see what was so important, and why it couldn’t have waited. Everybody behind the wheel has an obligation to everybody else out on the road to drive attentively, and breaching this duty should never go unpunished.
— Grossman Law Offices
