2 Bicycle Accidents on Bainbridge Island

Two separate bicycle accidents occurred last week on Bainbridge Island. The island, which is accessible by ferry from Seattle and located in Kitsap County, is just across Elliott Bay from downtown Seattle and a popular residential area for people commuting into Seattle.

The first accident apparently happened when a driver failed to yield the right-of-way to the cyclist who was at a four-way stop. Bicyclists in Washington are required to abide by the same rules and laws that apply to drivers and the same restrictions that drivers must abide by. If the bicyclist stopped at the stop sign, he or she has the right-of-way over any other driver who stopped after the bicyclist.

The second accident is what we call a “right hook.” This happens when a driver overtakes a bicyclist or bike on the left and then makes a right turn in front of the bicyclist. Often the bicyclist will not have time to stop and is forced into the right side of the turning car. The driver, as with this accident on Bainbridge, often will state that he or she didn’t see the bicyclist, likely because the driver was not paying close enough attention.

We enjoy representing bicyclists and hope that drivers will do a better job paying attention to bicyclists.