Motorcycle Crash Victim Unfound For Hours: Whose Fault?

16 Apr Motorcycle Crash Victim Unfound For Hours: Whose Fault?

In this Dallas Morning News Article, the family of 38-year-old Thomas Davidson is questioning police as to why it took four hours to find Davidson’s body after he flew from his motorcycle in an accident early Sunday morning.

The accident, which occurred about 2:50 a.m., was immediately reported to 911 by a witness who described exactly where Davidson lay after falling from an exit ramp at I-30 and I-45 in Dallas. The witness was told by 911 operators that there was no reason to stay at the scene. Police found the abandoned motorcycle right away, but left the scene with the possible assumption that another witness had taken the victim to the hospital. It wasn’t until about 7:30 a.m. when another call was placed to 911 to report that two homeless individuals were searching through Davidson’s pockets that the body was located and Davidson was pronounced dead. Family members’ biggest fear now is that had Davidson not died from the impact, that finding him sooner may have saved his life.

There are obvious problems with the 911 system in Dallas. Information is often not relayed properly, or is just flat not taken in the first place. It is a stressful and demanding job, but also one that requires that dedicated and competant personnel are employed. Emergency personnel have to be given at least adequate information to reach the people that need their services. You can’t fault the officers for not finding him when they aren’t given the information that was relayed to the 911 operator. It’s a tragic story and hopefully all sides will learn from this unfortunate turn of events.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of a motorcycle or motor vehicle accident, contact an automobile accident attorney or a motorcycle accident lawyer to see if you might have a case.