State of the Dad

Just got back from seeing my Dad at the hospital. He looks and sounds 1000% better. We forgot his teeth so he hasn’t been able to eat anything until we brought them tonight, but with all the stuff they’ve been pumping through his IV he hasn’t been doing too bad. The digestion problem still hasn’t been brought 100% under control, but it is better than it was when we brought him in yesterday.

He has become reconciled to the fact that his beloved Caddy is no more and is recovering from that emotional loss. I think his replacement vehicle is going to be another Cadillac. So another emotional roller coaster over that car…

There must not be very many people in that hospital because the guy at the front desk knew all about the tests Dad had had that day and told us about them (but not the results) on the way to the elevators (so we would get the right elevator for the wing he was in). The wing he is in all the floors are floor 1 but you have 1, 1A, and 1B. Why they couldn’t just go Ground, 2, 3, and 4 I don’t know, but they didn’t. That’s the government for you, I guess.

Speaking of imaging tests there were some he couldn’t do because his back would go into spasm when they tried to put him against the sensor or just on the cold table. It is very hard to get a good image if the person your trying to get an image from is curled up in the fetal position 😛

And to complement that image in your minds my pain pills are wearing off and I’m starting to get a throbbing knee and hip pain from whatever it is I did to my leg earlier, and the additional damage I did to my knee from moving Dad around when the phone rang at the other end of the house which only gave me 4 rings to answer before going to voice mail. That one (moving Dad) really hurt and hurts now. because of that I will bid you a fond adieu, and see you tomorrow with more bike wrecks, infrastructure, and people being stupid around bicycles.

PSA

Opus

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Why no post yesterday, and the Feed

Dad took a serious turn for the worse yesterday as his pain levels spiked and his digestive issues went really bad. I won’t go into deep details because he’s my Dad and deserves privacy, but the parts I can tell aren’t very good. He had been not eating even though he enjoyed what little he ate he just didn’t want anything except ice cream (that I had been spiking with protein powder) and even ice cream he wouldn’t eat very much of. When we decided to take him to the hospital it was mostly for he intractable pain levels he was experiencing but what he was admitted for was he was in early stages of renal failure which apparently started about the same time as all the other difficulties. They caught it in time and had him on IV hydration and nutrition when I left him last night. They were also checking to make sure he hadn’t caught any kind of diseases from being in the creek however long he was in there. The doctors think that would be a high probability cause of the loss of appetite and kidney shutdown. UPDATE: As I was putting this post together Dad called from his hospital room to tell me he was feeling much better, and that they keep finding things wrong with him. I’m going to be seeing him this evening so there will be an additional update late this evening as a separate post.

Up first by way of severity and proximity to WoaB World HQ in the beautiful suburbs of Hell, a cyclist is hit from behind on the shoulder of a busy highway and bike route in Austin TX. Fatal wreck on Loop 360 concerns Austin cycling groups and Cyclists: Do you ride on Loop 360? also Cyclist dies in accident on Hwy 360 AFAIK the cyclist was in the shoulder when he was hit from behind by the weapon vehicle. LEO are still trying to determine why the weapon vehicle left the road and hit the cyclist. Because of the speed involved the cyclist’s helmet was not a major factor in the wreck aside from adding to the debris field. I’m not sure anything could have been done by the cyclist to prevent the weapon vehicle from hitting him in the shoulder of the road, but SBR would have prevented that from even being an issue.

Still in Austin the victim of a hit-and run will be left with permanent paralysis to the left side of his head a well as loss of hearing. Update released about injured cyclist’s condition Best wishes for the cyclist, curses and doom on the driver. May the driver somehow be required to compensate the cyclist for his damages.

An idiot in a fast car hits-and runs a cyclist in Houston. HPD: Driver runs over woman, strikes building and Driver hits cyclist before crashing into building The driver was arrested and immediately made bail from comments on the articles and the FB page. No way to avoid a wreck like this as the cyclist was crossing the intersection legally when she was hit. SBR might not even have prevented this wreck as it depends on drivers also following the laws which wasn’t happening with this speeding driver that ignored the signals when he hit the cyclist.

An 11YO salmon cyclist is severely injured in SC Pickens boy hit by car while riding bike and Child Injured While Riding Bike The kid was pretty busted up as they say in the south. Be conspicuous and ride with traffic to avoid, SBR that even m American 11YO can understand and use to prevent.

Kid in a bike hit and injured in MA. Car hits Easton teen on bike in Norton LEO is blaming the cyclist for not wearing a glow in the dark clown suit despite it not saying the time of day the cyclist was hit from behind. At this point I can’t say what would have definitively avoided this wreck, but SBR that can be used by people wearing normal clothing would definitely prevent the wreck.

Kid hit by a bus in Vancouver WA. Boy’s death spurs concern over C-Tran route The video linked in the article comments showed the cyclist about 1/3 of the way across the intersection when the bus started moving and impacted the cyclist with the side of the bus. the cyclist was crossing the road with the light in the crosswalk but riding salmon for the direction he was travelling. I’m just agog trying to figure out how this could be avoided because there was wrong on both sides, the cyclist riding salmon and in the sidewalk, the bus driver failing to yield to a person legally using the crosswalk and there before she started to move the bus. Even Dutch-style infrastructure would have had bikes and buses on the same street in this downtown setting but would have had a speed limit of ~18 MPH (30 km/h) so the bus and the bike would have been about the same speed. More 11-year-old bicyclist dies after collision with bus in Vancouver also 11-year-old bicyclist dies after collision with bus in Vancouver And for all the people screaming about helmets, this kid died of blood loss after losing an arm in the wreck, but his head was practically untouched.

Another wreck in the ‘Couve. Cyclist critically injured in Hazel Dell crash Just enough given about the direction of travel for the weapon vehicle, for only cursory advice about intersection protocols to avoid and SBR to prevent.

Another kid is hit in AR. Lonoke County Child on Bike Hit and Killed by Car Combining the video and the text reports I still have no idea what happened in the wreck to be able to tell you how to avoid the wreck, or to be able to say if SBR really would have been able to prevent it.

Update on that wreck in Temucula CA. PHOTOS: Crash Leaves Bicycle Rider in Hospital Yes very bad wreck. see the previous post (Saturday’s) to find how to avoid/prevent another wreck like this.

Either another report on the WI wreck from Saturday, or another wreck near the site of the first one. Horicon man critically injured after being hit by car If this wreck is as reported to avoid use the first protocol in the intersection protocols, when at a stop sign you need to stop and yield for oncoming traffic. To prevent SBR with Dutch-style intersection treatments.

Last link to a wreck story is another report on the 3 cyclists that were hit riding in GA. Report: Two Central Florida bicyclists killed on Georgia road and Osteen, Sanford cyclists killed in Georgia Again this wreck was 100% the fault of the driver as the cyclists were wearing the glow in the dark clown costumes and had lights on both their persons and their bikes when the driver “didn’t see” them. The cyclists had done everything possible to avoid this wreck and the driver failed to have the due diligence required to not hit vehicles on the side of the road.

And last link, “Bo knows” how to ride a bike as he completes 300 miles in 5 days riding across AL for tornado relief. Special Report: Bo Bikes Bama and Bo bikes ‘Bama to help tornado victims also Bo Jackson’s bike tour raises $410,000 for Governor’s Emergency Relief Fund (photos) more Bo Jackson finishes 300-mile ride Not done yet Heisman winner Bo Jackson finishes 300-mile bike ride for tornado relief, raises $413K so far still more Heisman winner Bo Jackson raises over $400,000 with 300-mile tornado relief ride also Bo Jackson finishes 300-mile tornado relief ride Still not done Way to go, biker Bo More, more, more Bo knows biking, too getting close now Bo goes over top again, makes all happy this time around another link Bo Jackson’s bicycle trek ends in Tuscaloosa last link Bo raises more than $400,000 for tornado relief effort Now, be honest. Could I have raised nearly a half a million dollars if I had been the one leading a ride across AL? Didn’t think so. There are times when famous people can help just by being famous, like this time.

And those are all the links that gave me fits today, more tonight when I update y’all on Dad’s condition after the hospital visit.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Dad took a slight setback, and the Feed

Dad is not doing as well as before, the main thing is getting him to eat. When he eats he gets better the next day, but getting him to eat has been a battle. We have so much good food in the house now that he just refuses to eat and it makes me a bit crazy. Between the food delivery lady and the neighbors bringing food by we have enough food in the house to feed two of me if I was riding my bike every day, but I’m not riding my bike and there’s just me and Dad, who ate like a bird before the wreck. now he hardly eats at all. If it wasn’t for Ensure I don’t think he would get enough vitamins to stay alive.

The big story today was broken by BikingInLA yesterday and picked up by major news outlets, and Patch. Berkeley Hit-and-Run Between Driver, Cyclists Captured on Video and Police Arrest Alleged Driver in Hit-and-Run with Cyclists and Berkeley Hit-And-Run Caught On Tape: Cyclist Catches Accident And Getaway On Bike Camera (VIDEO) more Oakland man arrested in connection with hit-and-run of Berkeley bicyclists captured on YouTube even Video: Cyclists struck by hit-and-run driver in Berkeley The owner of the car reported it stolen roughly 3 days after the wreck or about the time the video began getting viral status in the bike-blog world (since my usual computer doesn’t play video I don’t subscribe to notices about bike wreck videos posted to YouTube). From what I saw in the video there was no way for the cyclists to avoid this wreck, the car apparently pulled up alongside slightly faster than the cyclists and just moved over into them until they fell down then pulled back into the travel lane. IOW this appears to have been a deliberate assault with the motor vehicle as the weapon. No way to avoid except with psychic powers. SBR would prevent this by removing motor vehicles from the field of play.

A more complete report on the MN teen hit leaving a parking lot shows he was leaving church, not school. Church Mourns The Death Of Cyclist Killed Leaving Worship Now we know the cyclist was riding salmon for at least a short period when he got hit and that visibility may have been a factor, and that at this point LEO are not blaming the cyclist or the driver in this wreck. With what I know now I can’t say that there was any way to avoid this wreck as the cyclist’s salmoning does not appear to have contributed to the wreck. Dutch-style SBR would have prevented it as the cyclist would not have been even trying to get in the same lane as a car.

Another report on the CO man killed by what is alleged to be a drunk driver. Monument cyclist killed on evening ride Again, hit-from-behind protocols to avoid, decent infrastructure that doesn’t try to run cars through an area with limited sight lines and narrow lanes at highway speeds would go a long way to preventing a future wreck.

Conclusion in a civil suit against a driver that should not have been allowed to be in control of as large and dangerous a vehicle as the dump truck he was driving when he killed a cyclist. Settlement for man killed by city truck The driver had rear-ended a minivan less than 2 weeks prior to killing the cyclist as well as 19 other wrecks, most of which were his fault, since 1995. I don’t know anything about the actual wreck that killed this cyclist except that it involved the dump truck and killed the cyclist, so I can’t tell you how to avoid this wreck, but to prevent it SBR and making it much easier to lose a driver’s license, especially a commercial license like this driver was supposed to have. I mean seriously 20 wrecks between 1995 and 2010, that is more than a wreck every 9 months on average, his license should have been pulled years ago. I mean why even have licenses if there’s no penalty for bad driving and seldom a penalty for driving without one?

Battle of the octogenarians in NJ. Cyclist, 81, Seriously Injured in Crash With Car Hit-from-behind, hit from behind protocols to avoid. Proper infrastructure to prevent including taking the keys away from people that can’t keep their cars in a single lane (and I know this is ironic coming from a guy whose father is recovering from sliding off the road). Between the two there was 169 years of life experience and over 140 years of guiding vehicles down the road, and they still couldn’t manage to avoid running into each other. I believe this is the oldest combined age for a wreck I have ever had a link for.

Another wreck in CA shows why separate phases for bicycles and cars at light-controlled intersections is a good idea. TEMECULA: Bicyclist injured in Redhawk Parkway collision The cyclist and the driver were side-by-side at the intersection but there was rather heavy contact between the bike and the van right after the light changed. The working theory for this wreck is there was not enough room allowed for the cyclist to wobble from the start. I don’t know how to avoid the wreck, but getting the infrastructure right would go a long way to preventing it.

A WI wreck is blamed on a cyclist running a stop sign. Car hits bicycle in rural crash If as described then this could be avoided with the most basic of the intersection protocols, the one that says stop and yield at stop signs. Getting the infrastructure right so that bicycles don’t have to share high-speed rural highways would prevent wrecks like this.

A wreck in VA with injuries. Reston Bike Club Rider Injured in Ashburn It is unknown from this report what the mode of this wreck was. It may very well have been a bike-on-bike wreck as it happened on a club ride.

Another VA wreck definitely involved a motor vehicle, driver given a ticket. Local Cyclists Reaching Out to Help Injured Cyclists Hit By A Car The driver tried to pass when there wasn’t room to pass or for the cyclists to move over. LEO seems to be placing all the blame on the driver in this one, a rarity in VA. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid a similar wreck if there’s room with decent infrastructure to prevent. Seeing the scene of the crime there should have been plenty of room to pass unless the driver that hit the cyclist was trying to pass when there was already another vehicle passing him. In which case the driver definitely deserves the reckless driving charge.

Another apparent red-light runner in NE. Cyclist hurt in crash near 72nd, Dodge The bike in the picture was definitely hit from the side, no doubt about that at all, so intersection protocols to avoid, and Dutch-style infrastructure to prevent.

Late link from GA as a driver hits 3 cyclists from behind despite reflectors and multiple blinky lights. Two Florida bicyclists killed along U.S. 17 At this point I can’t say what the driver’s problem was as the cyclists would certainly have been visible had the driver been looking, and why was he driving at speed on the shoulder of the road?

LifeStyle from a state that is relatively safe, protesters are saying it could be safer. Procession aims to show how bikes, cars can co-exist That this is being done just shows me how far we have to go to get people from A to B without killing them, independent of their mode of transportation. Notice that there is a co-protest with pedestrians and the wheelchair bound over their rights to the roads.

Also today in the UK more than 13,000 cyclists showed at 2 protests in London and Edinburgh. 10,000 pedal for action in biggest bike protest and Make our cities safer for cyclists also Thousands protest in London, Rome for cycle safety This pictures are just awe-inspiring, bicycles as far as the eye can see…

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

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Some small measure of success, and the Feed

Dad is making small strides in his recovery, he managed to walk from the bathroom to the bed un-assisted and was able to sit down on his own. I still had to assist him getting his legs in the bed and getting up to his feet, but he may be able to start doing more for himself soon. He is also not taking the pain pills as often as he was, which can be either a good or a bad sign.

The big story today is the cyclist that was killed on a MUP in OH when he ran into an unmarked bollard in the middle of the trail away from any intersections. Cyclist dies after hitting barrier on B&O Trail and Barriers rethought after fatal bicycling accident also 179th mourns cyclist The really frustrating thing about this fatality (beyond that it was on one of the few SBR we have in this country) is that it was preventable. The bollard was both not properly marked and unnecessary. There was no intersection near that would allow a motor vehicle to enter the trail. It was just sticking up in the middle of the trail for no good reason. It could be removed tomorrow and not decrease the incursions of motor vehicles on the trail by any amount. All it has ever done is injure cyclists and now killed this one. Remove it and place a plaque beside the trail marking the site where this man died.

A wreck not far (by TX standards) from WoaB world HQ in the beautiful suburbs of Hell. Injured hit-and-run victim makes a plea for the driver to come forward Had Perry not vetoed the Vulnerable Road Users law in 2009 there would have been additional criminal charges that could be applied in this case. To avoid use the intersection protocols in the link at the top of my blog, with SBR and lowered speed limits to prevent such a wreck.

A wreck of unknown type in NJ, Cyclist injured in Gloucester Twp. crash At this point all that is known about the wreck is it was in or near an intersection, so intersection protocols to avoid, and proper infrastructure to prevent. Some legal infrastructure that makes hitting a cyclist a criminal matter when drivers are at fault would help considerably, too.

Another NJ wreck. Cyclist, 65, struck and killed by vehicle in NewarkZ Really bad road to be riding a bike on as the pavement is as much not there as it is there. Unfortunately this is pretty much the only through route in the area so all modes of travel have to use it regardless of how well it suits them, and right now I would say it doesn’t “suit” anyone, but motor vehicles would definitely be better suited to it that anything that tried to share it.

A wreck in PA injures a tiny cyclist. Child, 4, struck by SUV The child snuck out while he was supposed to be asleep and was hit because he was not conspicuous to the Texan driving the Supersized unnecessary Vehicle. I really don’t see any way to prevent something like this from happening with another 4YO in the future. Kids are kids, and as such do things that they’re not supposed to do and do unpredictable things.

A ridiculous sentence for killing a cyclist in NY. Woman faces jail in fatal accident with bike rider The woman worked in a hospital but couldn’t be bothered to stop and call 911 on her cell phone before going to work, and only gets 120 days in jail for leaving the cyclist to die, when prompt medical attention probably would have saved his life? What was this judge taking, and why isn’t he sharing with the victim’s family?

A cyclist is killed right outside his school in MN. Minnesota high school student struck, killed while riding bike and Teen Bicyclist Hit by Car, Killed in Minnetonka also Teen cyclist struck and killed Aside from getting hit right after he left the parking lot there wasn’t a whole lot on the mode of the wreck, so treat it like an intersection wreck and use the appropriate protocols.

That fatal wreck in SC has now been determined to be a right hook of the killed cyclist. Update: Crash Kills Cyclist In Simpsonville Not much to say here except that intersection protocols apply to avoid and decent infrastructure to prevent, and someone needs to take the license to drive away from commenter Bill Bush. (read the comments, but take a deep breath first…

In East Canuckistan a cyclist hit in a crosswalk is given a ticket… Cyclist injured in SUV collision Other than the cyclist being in the crosswalk and therefore in an intersection there wasn’t anything given about this wreck that would let me say how to avoid this wreck specifically, so intersection protocols to avoid, decent infrastructure to prevent and better awareness for drivers that there are bikes out there. Another link Injured cyclist to be ticketed for riding in crosswalk, police say

Sandy Eggo cyclists protest for better legal and physical infrastructure after a cyclist was killed on the same road and in nearly the same spot as a local newscaster was nearly killed 5 years ago. BICYCLISTS PROTEST OUTSIDE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CALL FOR IMPROVED SAFETY FOR RIDERS The cyclists were hit in a bike lane next to a 60 MPH road with a line of paint being the only separation between the two modes of travel.

And those are all the links that gave me fits today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Trying to get Dad better, and the Feed

Well there was some improvement yesterday in Dad as he had scrambled eggs for breakfast and more of the turkey-broccoli casserole for dinner as well as a few snacks between, but so far this morning he has been mostly quiet, denying he needs any pain meds or food, but I did manage to get half a bottle of Ensure down him. The really good news is that with all those calories he is finally starting to get warm enough to feel the temperature of the room and ask for the thermostat to be lowered and he had thrown off all the covers when I checked in on him this morning first thing. As the temperature in the house is hovering just under 80°F most of the day, this is a real improvement. It also makes icing his shoulder down much easier which really reduces his pain levels without using the drugs.

Up first and the Big Story, SF is batting 1.000 in criminal prosecutions against cyclists in pedestrian fatalities, but still under .070 in prosecuting drivers. S.F. bicyclist in fatal crash may face felony and Cyclist accused of killing pedestrian facing charges also Chris Bucchere, Cyclist Accused of Killing Pedestrian, to Be Charged more Bicyclst To Face Manslaughter Charges another one Cyclist In Fatal San Francisco Pedestrian Crash May Face Felony Charge not done yet Chris Bucchere, Cyclist Who Allegedly Killed Pedestrian In The Castro, Will Likely Be Charged With Felony still more SFPD Wants Felony Charges for Cyclist Who Killed Man not done yet SF DA to file charges this week against bicyclist in fatal collision getting close now Cyclist will face charges in connection with hitting pedestrian and last link SF’s DA says charges will be filed this week against cyclist in fatal collision Just a little reminder that fewer than 10% of drivers that kill pedestrians even get tickets, but 100% of cyclists that kill pedestrians have been prosecuted at the felony level. Not to say this guy didn’t deserve it, just that there are easily 50 times as many drivers that if investigated as hard as this cyclist would result in prosecutable offenses.

In sharp contrast, a cyclist is hit-and-run in Sandy Eggo. Bicyclist Injured in Hit-and-Run Note the difference in the degree of investigation between this wreck with a known felony offense (hit-and-run) with the cyclist’s offense in SF. Anyway, to avoid intersection protocols should be used, to prevent SBR need to be built.

On the other side of the country in SC a cyclist is hit in a crossing by a car. Cyclist Injured After Wreck In Simpsonville This was such a breaking story they didn’t even know which way the car was going when it hit the cyclist riding straight on the same road…

From the most deadliest state to walk or ride a bike in the US 6 years running and showing no signs of losing that #1 spot, another squished cyclist. Bicyclist injured after crash with car There is some question as to the sobriety of the cyclist. If the cyclist actually darted in front of the car, which may have been the case based on the grainy and out of focus picture that was with the link then avoiding this wreck would be as simple as riding in a controlled and predictable manner, with proper bicycle infrastructure to prevent the wreck.

From the UK one of the most terrifying videos I have ever seen (and I ride a bike in TX). Leicester bus driver may face disciplinary proceedings after cutting up cyclist (+ video) The bus tried to split a lane that was a couple of inches wider than the bus, forcing the cyclist to bail onto the sidewalk and as was pointed out if there had been any marked degree of curb separating the two the cyclist would have been all over the sidewalk or under the bus…

Infrastructure! news from NYC as a law that requires trucks to have mirrors similar to what is on school buses to eliminate front blind spots is unenforced. Family of Williamsburg child killed on bike blasts truck drivers, officials for ignoring new mirror law This and similar laws are on the dockets all over the world in an attempt to make large trucks (or HGV as they are called in the UK) less deadly.

Infrastructure news from the Twin Cities of MN. What’s Happening With The Sabo Bridge? Apparently what’s happening can be summed up in two words,”Not much.”

And As I finally get to put this post to bed, that’s all the news that gave me fits today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

A personal account of a wreck where the cyclist did everything right and still got hit, and the driver escaped any criminal prosecution.

Volagi Cycles

Sometimes as cyclists, we conveniently push the thought of just how dangerous road cycling really is out of our heads on a regular basis. If we were to truly fathom the inherent danger it would probably force us all to cower inside only to become couch jockeys with a tub of Cheetos and gallon of Coke. Fortunately though, we’re able to look past the worst case scenarios and get out and enjoy the ride.

The danger though, is frighteningly real.

The remains of the wheel above belong to a friend of mine, who was recently rear ended by an inattentive driver doing an estimated 70 MPH! Unfortunately, Todd was doing everything right by wearing a U.S. Army issued reflective vest, he had reflective ankle bands and had two flashing taillights on his bike, and still got hit (Todd is mostly ok FYI, he has a sore back and some other…

View original post 260 more words

Finding the new “normal”, and the Feed

Dad has taken a minor set-back as the trip Monday led to an exhausted Tuesday. The good news is that we now have a person bringing solid food by that knows how to cook well and still can make the food light enough for Dad to be able to eat it. The problem for Dad right now is he needs lots of nutrition, but because all he can do is just lay on his back or limp painfully to the bathroom he doesn’t need much in the way of calories, which pretty much prevents him from getting enough nutrition. Also the current thermostat setting of 80°F pretty well kills my appetite too. Well, that and my near total lack of activity beyond running around the house for my Dad.

The big story today is Bo Jackson is riding a bike (5 bikes actually, one at a time) across AL. Bo Jackson begins bike ride for tornado relief and Bo Jackson leads Alabama relief ride also Bo Jackson begins bike ride for tornado victims more Heisman winner Bo Jackson begins Alabama bike ride another one Bo Bikes Bama: Names on bike bear witness to tragedy

First wreck is a 10 YO recovering from getting hit while crossing the road. 10-year-old recovering from Appleton bicycle crash The cyclist did not clear the intersection before the cars started coming, but because of her age and the question of did she enter under a green light she didn’t get a ticket. But one of the drivers that hit her got one for having the view obstructed by something hanging from the mirror.

Another red light running kid cyclist in CA this time. Teen cyclist injured in car accident in Oxnard For this and the previous paragraph, to avoid use intersection protocols, to prevent install SBR.

Not much about the wreck in this report from MA. Fire Log: Injured Cyclist Airlifted for Treatment Geez. Not even a name for the cyclist… pretty serious injury though.

And from NC one of the top states for assaulting cyclists with guns (and conversely one of the lowest for IQ tests) someone shot another cyclist. Rocky Mount bicyclist injured in drive-by shooting To avoid find wicking body armor, to prevent LEO need to do a better job enforcing gun laws as well as driver’s license tests, there are some real idiots out there…

An AZ cyclist hit while following all the rules has died from the injuries in this update. Bicyclist injured in Yuba City crash dies Still no official word on how the wreck happened but my bet is the driver did it. At this point I don’t even know if the wreck was intersection or from behind.

A Portland OR teen is hit from behind in the bike lane and the driver barely slowed. Portland teen injured in hit-and-run Hit from behind protocols to avoid, SBR and better enforcement of not driving on them (the wreck was in a bike lane) to prevent. Did you see how many times people pulled into the bike lane to pass in the video? >shudder<

Another AZ wreck that having an alert responsible driver at the wheel would prevent. Amy Alexander Police Report Sheds No Light on Why SUV Drifted Into Bike Lane, Killing Cyclist; Kids Noticed What Mom Didn’t The kids said the vehicle was in the bike lane when it hit and killed the cyclist, making the driver at fault. So why the hand-wringing about why the driver was driving in the bike lane? And the $420 fine for killing a man is just outrageous.

A wreck in NJ. Bicyclist Martin Rutecki critically injured in Glassboro crash SWCC, the only person at the scene that was conscious was the driver who denied not paying attention to the road. I can’t see the bike, so I can’t say for sure what happened

Canuckistani LEO are trying to figure out how to blame the teen cyclist for getting hit from behind in the bike lane. Teen cyclist struck and killed by taxi Note the mention of the mantra of cycliing in West Canuckistan: “Reflective gear, lights and a helmet are all recommended while biking at night“. Not “Watch where you drive that multi-ton killing machine and don’t hit people riding bicycles!”

Last link is a report on a man that thwarted a bike theft, when LEO fianlly got around to catching up to the chase. Man follows bicycle thief for 30 minutes Total time between calling the cops and somebody slapping on the cuffs, nearly an hour.

And those are all the links that gave me fits today. Go Bo!

Billed @$0.02, Opus

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

Back to the grind (literally), the Feed

OK while tha lady that has been hired to take care of Dad’s hygenic needs does her thing, I have a few minutes to filter the Feed and create cogent comments on how to react in the same situation. For those following at home we are going to be taking Dad to his first follow-up exam since the wreck this afternoon, The swelling around his shoulder and broken arm has gone down so much that the splint is just hanging there (which is why they don’t put broken bones immediately in a cast any more) so either he gets a cast today or he gets re-wrapped and a return visit for the cast. What I’m most hopefull for is something to relieve the pain from his back muscles going into spasm when he has to move. If they can come up with something for that it would improve his life 150%. I need something like that too, but none of the current anti-spasmodics are on the list of approved medications for the BP meds used in the study I’m on right now, so I’m doing as best I can with ibuprofen and diphenhydramine to help me sleep.

Up first is a CA cyclist that left crossed himself as he turned into his driveway at the end of a ride. Oakdale bicyclist struck and killed near his home and Bicyclist Hit, Killed Near Oakdale also Bicyclist dies in Oakdale crash The remains of the bike show a wreck of incredible violence that appears to be 100% the fault of the cyclist for not waiting for traffic to clear before making the left turn to his home. To avoid, just wait your turn to make your turn. Using Dutch neighborhood design principles and not putting people’s homes on high-speed arterials would prevent a wreck like this.

In the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bikefor the last 6 years running a drunk driver is given a free pass because the violence of the wreck knocked the reflectors off the victim’s bike and they were not found at the scene. Investigator, prosecutor explain misdemeanor charge in fatal Flagler DUI crash The bike was destroyed so badly in the wreck they couldn’t find all the pieces (including the reflectors) so they gave the driver a “freebie” on killing the cyclist. Note the experiment the father of the cyclist did with the plastic cup for visibility at the scene of the wreck.

A bit of a bother in the UK over the head of a taxi service telling cyclists that they need to pay road tax (something that hasn’t existed in the UK since 1937, the current tax on vehicles is for pollution), just days after telling his drivers that he would pay the fines if they drove in the restricted bus/bike/taxi lanes from which his service was prohibited. Updated: Addison Lee backlash: Politicians and cyclists unite to condemn views of minicab firm boss First of all don’t come down on cyclists in the same week you told your drivers to break the law with impunity, second get up to date on the laws you want them to obey, third even if they were subject to the tax, as zero-emmisions vehicles bicycles would be taxed at no fees and get their stickers for free, just like electric cars and hydrogen fueled vehicles…

Final link, a memorial ride for 2 cyclists after the driver that killed them last year is convicted of 2 counts of murder. Riding in memory of the Doolittles I am so glad to see those 2nd degree murder convictions after this wreck…

I realize that this is a bit sparse for a Monday post, but I have been clearing out the Feed folder so I wouldn’t get overwhelmed when I got the blog back running from TN.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Feeding ice cream to my father, wreck-free Sunday

OK, I’m here, however you want to define that. In short terms I’m no longer in the same suburbs of Hell that I was last week. In longer terms I’m at my Dad’s place outside of Nashville TN, using his computer which is about 9 generations newer than my computer in the office at home, and also not busted so while I was trying to get WordPress to accept this as where I was going to be blogging from for the next few weeks I have actually been able to watch some of those videos in the links I have been sending you to. Wow! There was quite a difference in what was in the transcripts and what was in the actual video, wasn’t there?

Let me tell you what happened to Dad. He was on his way home from gambling in Tunica MS, and there was some rain falling. He was about 5 miles from his house when he hit a greasy spot in the road and hydroplaned off of it. My brother went to the wreck site and said there were no skid marks except on the gravel shoulder and down the side of the hill and then where they dragged what was left of the car back up the hill. The right side of the car and most of the bottom of the car are pretty much wiped out, but none of the airbags went off. So, Dad has a broken arm that popped back in place while they were doing the x-rays on him, and what hurts worse some tweaked back muscles that keep going into spasm every time he moves. He has been confined to bed since they released him from the hospital last week waiting for the swelling around the broken bone to come down so they can put it in a cast. In the meantime he has been in a splint and about 9 miles of Ace bandage. and the swelling has been coming down nicely.

Dad didn’t eat much before the wreck, and (another) near-death experience hasn’t done anything for his appetite. You may have noticed the headline, about the only thing he eats is ice cream, a goulash recipe my Mom concocted back before I was born, and Ensure nutritional drink. I haven’t been doing much better, substitute peanut butter and honey sandwiches for the Ensure, add coffee and cold cereal and milk, and an occasional fun-size candy bar left over from Halloween. I don’t know about Dad but I have lost 6 pounds in the last week. Dad didn’t have as much to lose as I did in absolute terms but I think he may have lost more than I did percentage wise. We’ll find out tommorrow when he goes back to the doctor.

Well I have to get started on heating up dinner for Dad, so this is where I’m going to cut it off today.

OSA, Opus