UC Berkeley has picked a new chief campus counsel, promoting a former associate campus counsel from within the school’s own system. He started his new job on June 1. He has already been doing the job in everything but the official title since October of last year, serving in an interim position.
The reason behind the change was a tragic bicycle accident that took the life of the previous chief campus counsel, who was just 59 years old at the time. That crash happened in August of last year, leaving the school with no one in the position for a month before the interim position was filled.
Reports regarding that bike crash indicate that it was initially a hit-and-run. The campus counsel was riding down Highway 116 on a Sunday morning when he was struck by a black BMW. That car then fled the scene where the older man died.
The police were able to track down the owner of the BMW, and they learned that another man was allegedly driving it at the time. They spent two days looking for him before making an arrest when he surrendered to the authorities. He is just 28 years old. He was apparently hiding from the police by a tennis court, but he came out and surrendered when the authorities closed in.
Cyclists face an incredible amount of danger on California’s highways, especially when drivers flee from crash scenes instead of calling emergency crews. Those who suffer serious injuries and the families of those who are killed must know all of the legal options they have.
Source: Daily Californian, “David Robinson named next chief campus counsel of UC Berkeley,” Anjali Shrivastava, June 01, 2018