The mighty Harley-Davidson has opted to settle rather than face another trial in the case of a paralyzed Chicago firefighter who says a defect caused his Harley motorcycle “to wobble and crash on an Arizona  Interstate Highway in March 2004,” according to a report in the Chicago Tribune. The motorcycle accident trial lasted a week. It ended in a hung jury. The settlement is confidential.

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In increasingly urban Texas, bicyclists and pedestrians are increasingly endangered. Yet Gov. Rick Perry last year vetoed a bill — passed overwhelmingly by the Senate and House — which would have offered  more protection to cyclists and walkers on or near our roads.

Now some cities, such as Austin, are enacting the same law on a municipal basis. And San Antonio may get one, too. A city council committee voted unanimously this week to send a “safe passing” ordinance for “vulnerable road uses” to the full council for approval next month.

Why is this vital? Because Texans are dying, and every bit helps. In 2008 alone, 50 Texans on bicycles were killed and 274 suffered incapacitating injuries in car-bicycle accidents. And every year, about 400 Texas pedestrians are killed by vehicles in car-pedestrian accidents.

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How many wake-up calls does it take to drive home the point that driving is serious business — always? Driving requires your full attention, and that means keeping your hands on the wheel, your eyes on the road and your mind on operating a heavy vehicle at sometimes high speeds in complex traffic.

Apparently a woman in Illinois didn’t think driving required such focus. In fact, she thought driving was incidental to her primary task: painting her nails. And as a result, another woman is dead — an innocent woman who was stopped at a traffic light on her motorcycle and was wearing a helmet but nonetheless perished when a car driven by the nail-painter hit her from behind.

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A motorcycle accident can mean many things to many people. For Gale Harold of ABC dramedy Desperate Housewives, it meant a serious injury which sidelined him while he was playing one of the biggest roles of his career: as Jackson Braddock, the new boyfriend of Susan Mayer, played by series star Teri Hatcher.

For others, a motorcycle collision may mean death — or at least debilitating injuries. In such cases, and when the motorcycle driver was not at fault, an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer can help victims seek the financial compensation they deserve from those who are accountable.

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As gas prices have gone up, traffic fatalities have gone down — at least when it comes to cars. But while fewer folks are pounding pavements in four-wheelers, more are riding on motorcycles, scooters and bicycles to save gas money. And the added traffic on vulnerable vehicles means more people are dying.

The Texas Department of Transportation reports that motorcycle use is up on the state’s roads and highways, with sales of cycles rocketing. And already, correspondingly, motorcycle deaths are ahead of last year’s pace in Houston alone.

The motorcycle’s allure is a no-brainer, at least as far as fuel costs are concerned. While many cars do well to get 15 miles per gallon, most motorcycles get between 40 and 80 miles per gallon, depending on the cycle and the driving habits of their drivers. In short, if you accelerate slowly and obey speed limits, you’ll save gas. If you tromp it and roar off, you don’t save as much. (more…)

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