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Sacramento Motorcycle Rider Dead, Drunk Driver Charged With Manslaughter

Anthony James Payne, 23, was thrown 200 feet as a result of a head-on collision between his Honda motorcycle and a 2004 Pontiac Grand Am car. It was after 7:45 PM on Thursday evening, August 14th on Carson Road in Camino. Carson Road is a secondary road that parallels HWY 50 about five miles east of Placerville on the road from Sacramento to South Lake Tahoe.

When a 388 pound motorcycle (Honda 1000) hits a 3,066 pound 2004 Pontiac Grand Am, head-on, at speed, the end result is a predictable tragedy. The motorcycle rider is dead and the young age of 23. The driver of the car, Melissa Nicole Nichols, 23, survived the crash and was booked into El Dorado County Jail on Friday (08-15-08) on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter.

The suspicion of vehicular manslaughter charge means that the police suspect that this crash was not just a horrific accident, but a horrific accident that could have been prevented.

But for the motorcycle rider, Anthony James Payne, what could have happened no longer matters. It no longer matters to his family, his friends, his ambitions or his dreams. You just cannot reach into the past and change the outcome.

Anthony James Payne was not the only victim of this tragedy. His loved ones have become unwilling victims of the Thursday evening head-on collision. They have lost a loved one. Their lives have been unalterably changed forever.

Here at the Law Office of Moseley Collins (Sacramento, California), we believe that you have the right to an experienced attorney who will fight for the compensation you deserve. If you have been involved in a motorcycle accident and need help, please call us at 916.444.4444. There is never a fee until we win your case.