A motorcycle accident in Long Beach left the motorcyclist dead Sunday evening after he ran a red light and struck a car. The accident happened at the intersection of Seventh St. and Redondo Ave. in Long Beach, one of the city's busiest intersections. The intersection is equipped with red light cameras, but the cameras were inactive because of budget constraints.
An on-duty patrol officer with the Long Beach Police Department witnessed the accident.
The motorcyclist, 26-year-old Thomas Hand, was eastbound on Seventh St. According to the witnessing officer, the motorcyclist was traveling at a high rate of speed. The cyclist made a lane change and entered the intersection on a red light. The motorcyclist then collided with a Toyota Yaris, which was turning from Seventh St. onto Redondo Ave.
A witness observed the Yaris driver enter the intersection on a green light. The 42-year-old driver, a Long Beach resident, was not hurt in the accident. She was interviewed by officers at the scene, and is not expected to face any charges.
Prior to the collision, the patrol officer was going to start a pursuit of the motorcyclist because the officer saw him traveling at 65 to 70 mph in a 35 to 40 mph zone.
The motorcyclist, a Long Beach resident, was pronounced dead at the scene. He had recently moved to Long Beach from Costa Mesa.
A motorcycle accident lawyer at McGee, Lerer and Associates, a Santa Monica personal injury law firm, is available 24/7 to provide a free consultation if you or a loved one has been injured or suffered a loss of life in an accident. We have offices in Santa Monica, Long Beach, Los Angeles and Pasadena.