A "He Slid/She Slid" Question

[XLFD]

An accident involving a car and motorcycle took place near the corner of Kistler Road and the Pere Marquette Highway earlier today (July 1, 2013).  Read the article and determine whether the accident was caused by the motorist, the biker, or both, using what is supplied and your own viewpoint.  The pictures are from near the scene of the accident, with the orange arrow pointing to where the pavement was scratched by the laid down motorcycle, the red arrow at it's end.  This was marked by the scene investigators with paint:

 

A 37-year-old woman was transported to Memorial Medical Center after a crash this morning. Deputies from the Mason County Sheriff’s Office, Riverton and Ludington firefighters and Life EMS responded to a car vs. motorcycle injury accident this morning at 10 a.m. on Pere Marquette Highway. The accident had the road down to one lane.

According to Sgt. Steve Hansen, both vehicles were southbound when the car, which was in front, turned left onto Kistler Road. The motorcycle operator could not stop so he laid the bike down on its side. The motorcycle slid into the driver's side of the car and the passenger on back of the motorcycle was injured. No one in the car was injured and the vehicle was drivable.

http://www.ludingtondailynews.com/news/71975-pm-highway-down-to-one...

 

As you can see the actual point of impact (where the red arrow points to) is still away from the intersection by quite a bit, and fully in the left lane.  This picture faces south, both vehicles were headed up the picture. 

 

From the accounts, which were probably synthesized by what the driver of the car and the rider of the bike said to the officer, the biker laid his bike down when the collision was unavoidable, but it looks as if they tried to pass the vehicle, and the vehicle entered this lane in front of them, several yards before the turn was to be made.  But there is another factor that played a part here.

 

As you go towards this intersection, a little rise occurs before it, such that the low vision angle of a car will not actually allow you to see the intersection until you are almost upon it, within 100 yards.  Thus, if you are traveling and are not intimately familiar with the area or driving reactively and looking to turn on Kistler, you may top this rise and realize your turn is there, and have to brake all of a sudden. 

 

Cars going 55-60 mph can brake a lot more quickly and safely than a motorcycle with two aboard.  It is likely that the car quickly decelerated, and the motorcyclist was close enough behind the car to have difficulty in stopping.  By the marks, the biker looks to have tried to pass the car to avoid the collision, but the car was turning left, possibly signaling late or not at all.  

 

Without knowing the full statements of either party, I would be inclined to place the fault onto the car because of the likely cause of the accident.  But unless the car did not signal or came to a screeching halt in front of this biker, one may have to wonder if the motorcyclist should have been following at a greater distance.  

 

Irregardless of fault, an accident like this has at least a couple of lessons for both rider and driver.  For the motorcyclist, be extra cautious at your following distance particularly when you have a passenger, and anticipate what drivers may do using your knowledge of the road and adjust your riding accordingly.  For the driver, keep an eye and ear open for motorcyclists, always signal your intentions well beforehand when you're in front of a biker, know that these vehicles have the same rights of the road and travel as fast as you but with a lot less protection.  Look out for each other and share the road.