More news on the Dad front, and the Feed

Well yesterday’s doctor visit went well, and we managed to get Dad up and out of bed for about 4 hours including the time he was in transport and in the doctor’s office. The broken arm is about as benign a break as you can get and still have a broken arm. What it amounts to is a compression fracture between the shaft and the ball of the humerus. The break is already starting to show signs of knitting back together, and Dad was upgraded from the bulky splint they had on him from the ER to a simple sling so that 1) he gets better circulation to his hand, and 2) he doesn’t lose muscle tone in the left arm from inactivity. We are managing to get more food down him as long as someone reminds him to eat. There willl be a lady coming by this afternoon to discuss his diet and set him up on a temporary food plan. The most frustrating thing is even if I had a driver’s license we would still be stuck here without transportation because the car was totalled, so we are totally dependent on other people to run to the store and pick things up that we need. After clearing out all the expired food from the fridge and cabinets there isn’t much left for either of us to eat except Dad’s Ensure drink, and ice cream, so I’m starting to look forward to the lady with the food plan.

The Big Story today is from CO, as a drunk driver hits a cyclist from behind. While I was filtering this last night there was some discrepancy over if the cyclist was hit in a bike lane, on the shoulder, or in the main lane of travel because the first 2 items listed did not exist. I’m hoping the updated links today will have that straightened out. Bicyclist killed near Larkspur and Officials ID bicyclist killed near Larkspur also Bicyclist dies after being hit by Jeep more Man Killed While Riding Bike Near Larkspur, Driver Arrested and last link Bicyclist Dies After Being Hit By Jeep Drunk driver, narrow road that is the only way between two towns, and twilight conditions all combined to create a fatal wreck. The cyclist in this case had decided to get a ride home to avoid just this situation but was only minutes away from meeting his ride when he died. Decent infrastructure might have prevented this wreck, and in this case “decent” does not even rise to the standard of SBR, just roads that are more than paved tracks between towns. More Monument man dies after being hit by Jeep while bicycling near Larkspur and another late link Friend remembers Air Force pilot, father, cyclist killed when hit by SUV

Next boggest story is a woman trying to make a 2 stage crossing of a highway outside NOLA and getting hit just before reaching refuge in the middle. Bicyclist killed after hitting truck on Airline Highway and Woman on bicycle killed after crash on Airline Drive in Metairie another Woman on bicycle killed after crash on Airline Drive in Metairie and last link Bicyclist Dies In Crash On Airline Highway It appears the cyclist mis-judged the speed of the truck when crossing the road. Watching more carefully would have avoided this wreck, getting the infrastructure right would have prevented it.

A left cross wreck in MD. Saturday Morning Crash Injures 2 Cyclists Left cross wrecks are now listed as the second-leading killer of cyclists, between right hooks and hit-from-behind. Intersection protocols to avoid, SBR to prevent. And major penalties for violating right of way that leads to injury. I’m still trying to figure out how the driver’s side of the car was damaged during a left turn unless the driver was passing a line of cyclists on the right, which makes this triple bad for the driver.

A kid runs a stop sign on his bike and hits a bus (?). Boy, 11, injured after striking side of school bus while biking To avoid don’t run stop signs with motor vehicles coming up the street you’re crossing/joining, to prevent SBR that even an American 11 YO can understand and use safely.

Another wreck caused by a vehicle not paying attention to other vehicles on the road. Police: Hit-and-Run Driver Leaves Scene After Injuring Bicyclist I can’t say who exactly was at fault in this wreck, but I know who became automatically at fault when they left the scene. Anyway, to avoid, use intersection protocols listed in the link at the top of the blog page. To prevent, get the roads right in residential areas where SBR don’t make sense.

Another wreck in CO, with less loss of life this time. Bicyclist injured in Main Ave. crash All the cyclist needed to do was push the button on the pole next to where he was riding in the crosswalk and he would have gotten a green light to cross. Intersection protocols and common sense to avoid, SBR and (still) common sense to prevent.

A little Infrastructure! news from the Great White North. Medical officer recommends 30 km/h speed limit For the metric impaired this is about 18 1/2 MPH or less than the lowest statutary limit allowed on public roads in TX (school zones are 20 MPH or higher). The comments with the article are priceless, “don’t make us go any slower or we’ll never get there” not realizing that slower speed limits sometimes result in faster throughput as everybody ends up going the same speed.

And that’s all the news that gave me fits today.

Billed @$0.02. Opus