Morrison Mahoney Associate Bridget Lopez obtained a defense verdict following a two-day trial in Dedham District Court involving a bicycle versus motor vehicle accident. The plaintiff alleged she was injured when the defendant’s motor vehicle struck her bicycle as it was exiting a parking lot onto a busy main road. Although claiming she had been riding on the sidewalk prior to crossing in front of the defendant’s vehicle, the plaintiff was riding opposite the direction of vehicular traffic. The defendant testified that he had looked in the plaintiff’s direction before proceeding to merge onto the road and that her bicycle was nowhere in the area when he first positioned himself to merge. The plaintiff admitted she should have been traveling on the road in the same direction as traffic, that the accident happened at a very slow speed, and that she sustained only minor scrapes.
After deliberating for approximately 1 hour, the jury returned a verdict with a finding of 80% negligence on the part of the plaintiff and the Court entered judgment in favor of the defendant.
