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A 52-year-old Florida man has been arrested and charged for his role in an accident that claimed the life of an Arkansas police chief in April. Lowell, Arkansas Police Chief Joe Landers was at a motorcycle event in Panama City when he was hit by another vehicle, causing him to flip over his handlebars. Landers died from his injuries about a week after the accident. According to the News Herald, Jimmy John Christo Jr. has been charged with fleeing the scene of a critical injury accident, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and other traffic violations pending a police investigation.
It has been reported that as Landers was riding his motorcycle in a group on Thomas Drive when a Nissan Maxima driven by Cristo pulled in front of him without signaling. Landers hit the car and went over his handlebars onto the ground. He was brought to Bay Medical Center, where he died last week. Cristo left the scene of the accident but was found a short time later by the Florida Highway Patrol. The homicide investigation and toxicology results are pending, but it is believed that Cristo was drinking before the accident occurred.
He had been with the Lowell Police Department for 17 years and was Chief for 15 years. Lowell Mayor Eldon Long said that “He was a man of outstanding character and integrity” and that he “lived a tremendous life.” Though motorcycles make up only about 2% of registered vehicles in the United States, riders are 37 times more likely to suffer a fatal traffic accident than passengers in an automobile. Given the inherentlydangerous nature of motorcycles, there is a lot of room for serious accidents to occur on the road.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a motorcycle accident, you may be eligible to receive remuneration for your lost wages, medical bills, and pain and suffering. The motorcycle attorneys at Morgan & Morgan are very experienced when it comes to litigating these matters, and provide comprehensive and compassionate representation to accident victims. Contact a knowledgeable motorcycle accident attorneyto see if may be entitled to seek monetary compensation for your accident.