I thought a descriptive if wordy headline best suited today’s Feed. We had several stories that had multiple reports, and some updates reports on old stories as well as new stuff. Hopefully I will get this all straightened out and not put reports in separate paragraphs that belonged together. 😉
Up first is another report on the American Fork canyon incident in UT. Mesa Cyclist Injured In Utah Crash This doesn’t add much to the reason for the crash, but it does tell us more about one of the victims.
There was a bad bike wreck in CO. Madison cyclist killed in Colorado accident and Cyclist crash fatality is first in monument It appears the cyclist hit something in the road that caused a front washout throwing the cyclist to the pavement where he sustained fatal head injuries. There were no other vehicles involved in the wreck. How to avoid: watch for road debris and ride in the clean line even if that requires riding in the lane with cars.
An elderly MI an suffers head injury in a wreck with a slightly less elderly woman driver. Elderly bicyclist injured in crash Not clear here why the cyclist proceeded in front of the car nor why the car failed to stop in time to not hit the cyclist.
A PA cyclist is killed by a UPS truck. Harrisburg bicyclist killed in crash in Swatara Township No verifiable word on the cause but from the comments section I think we can rule out not seeing the cyclist. The bike was reported to have been festooned with reflectors, and the driver reported no trouble seeing the cyclist according to another comment. Why the driver failed to avoid the cyclist he had no trouble seeing is a question best left to the courts.
The other PA wreck was a single vehicle wreck on a bike trail. Maine man killed in W. Pa. mountain bike crash and Maine biker killed in Beaver County accident Another reason to not ride off road without a riding partner. His helmet was not very effective either. Wear a helmet but wear it right to prevent facial injuries. The bottom of the front of the helmet must be no more than a finger width above the brow ridge on your skull.
Another hit-from-behind wreck, this time in MO. Bicyclist injured after being struck by car near LaGrange Usual precautions against being hit from behind, plus because this was a night wreck add a bright taillight to the list. I recommend the Honkin’ Huge Taillighttm. Click the tag to find a list of materials to build your own HHT.
Another drunk hits s cyclist head on, this time with a twist. Joliet bicyclist seriously injured; motorist detained Yes another salmon cyclist gets hit. There was lots of blame to go around in this one starting with the drunk driver and extending to the cyclists riding the wrong way on the street. Hasn’t the news gotten out yet? Ride with traffic on the right side of the street/road. Don’t drink and operate a vehicle (car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle…). Just don’t.
A cyclist in CA gets hit while crossing a road in the crosswalk. Bicyclist struck, injured in College Terrace Since we don’t know which direction the cyclist was traveling in this wreck it’s hard to say who was at fault. Using Google Street View we can see the intersection was between 2 light controlled intersections, so the cyclist may have started crossing the 6 lanes of traffic when the way was clear, but been caught out after the light changed.
LEO aren’t saying much about this wreck in NC. Bicyclist Injured In Greenville Accident About all we know from this report is a cyclist was hit by a motor vehicle and was not killed.
ID LEO are busting speeders that endanger children. Law enforcement cracking down on speeders in school zones As I pointed out in an earlier post, going from 20 MPH (most school zones) to 30 MPH (speed at which cops will ticket you for speeding in a school zone) raises the fatality rate from 5% to 50%, and reduces the walk-away rate from 45% to 5%, not to mention that drivers have 50% less time to react at 30 MPH than they do at 20 which means that hitting those kids is more likely. It’s a bad combination of more likely to hit and more likely to kill if you hit.
It has been a bad year for cyclists (relatively) in HI. Bicycle Riders Face Grim Statistics Of Injury Or Death In Hawaii Notice that the statistics were drawn from a very bad year for cyclist deaths. Lately the numbers have looked much better.
This was just brought to my attention today, even though it’s more than 7 months old. OYO RESTAURANT TREATS CYCLISTS LIKE PESTS Well restaurants have the right to refuse service, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it when they do.
Cyclists ride for a good cause. Riders take to streets for Special Olympics “Shave your legs and saddle up!” We have good deeds to do. 😉
A rather breathless helmet-centric “safety” article from my SF colleague at examiner.com. Save Your Life! Always Wear Your Bike Helmet! Yes, always wear a helmet when you ride, just don’t expect miracles from it. Mine saved my life when I was attacked and left for dead by a pickup truck wielding terrorist back in 2001, but it didn’t prevent my brain damage. I have about 2/3 the mental ability I had pre-wreck, mostly lost in my ability to communicate verbally. I’m alive but no longer able to find work outside of posting to the internet. And if you think posting to the internet will make you money I would like to show you my last paycheck for 5 months of work for examiner.com of just over $26.
And another in a inconsistent series on why I consider motor vehicles to be WMDs. Vehicles crash into buildings Monday and Tuesday I wonder how the reinforced cinderblock garage is doing after getting hit @80MPH or so? And what caused the homeowner to build a reinforced cinderblock garage in the first place, most detached garages are barely enough structure to survive twice the expected snow load in that area.
And that’s all I have for today.
Billed @$.02, Opus
Witch on a Bicycle 