Well while waiting for my trip to the dentist my condition has deteriorated somewhat. The topical anesthetic I was using is so painful to apply that overall it just doesn’t do any good, and I can barely open my mouth, which should make things… interesting when the dentist tries to get access to that broken tooth to let the abscess drain. The pain has died down to a dull roar (one of the advantages of dealing with chronic pain in my youth is the ability to function in spite of pain, essentially to ignore it), but still prevents me from doing things (like opening my mouth wide) and it kept waking me up last night. BTW, yawning hurts like a female dog in heat. Eating has been loads of fun as you can imagine.
Up first is the big US story about a woman cyclist killed by a hit-and-run DUI. Bicyclist killed in hit-and-run in Minneapolis is identified and Cyclist, 28, Killed in Hit-and-Run Crash in Mpls. also Female Cyclist Killed in Mpls. Hit-and-Run Identified At this time it has not been released if the cyclist or the drunk driver was on the wrong side of the road, and without seeing the weapon vehicle I couldn’t even hazard a guess, but as the two were travelling in opposite directions one of them was on the wrong side of the road. The driver is being charged with vehicular homicide and a local anti-gun activist has been protesting at the site of the wreck (somebody else who understands that motor vehicles are much more deadly than guns). I don’t know what the cyclist could have done to prevent until I know if she was riding salmon or the driver was. If the cyclist was riding salmon then lights and riding on the right side of the street may have prevented this wreck. If the cyclist was riding the correct side of the street for her direction of travel then lights may have helped. I do know one thing, a helmet would have only made her look less bad (note, “less bad” not = “better”) as this was a head on wreck that destroyed the bike she was riding and severely damaged the weapon vehicle (I suspect the reason LEO had such an easy time finding the weapon vehicle is that it didn’t get very far away after the wreck). I’m not entirely sure segregated infrastructure would have prevented this drunk from hitting a cyclist, but it might have made a life-or-death difference.
An OH child is hit riding his bike. Ohio boy, 6, critically injured after bicycle and car collide Young rider and young driver made a horrible match, but with so little information provided in the article all I can suggest is intersection protocols to avoid and better infrastructure to prevent, including making all residential areas low speed (20 MPH limit or less).
In far West Canuckistan they had so many bike wrecks they didn’t even give them separate articles. Cyclists injured in two separate collisions with cars in Saanich on weekend Neither of the two wrecks was the fault of the cyclist. One was a left cross, and the other was a right hook, and in one wreck the cyclist was hit in a bike lane. Obviously intersection protocols to avoid both of the wrecks, and get the infrastructure right to prevent them.
Lots of links from Oz today as a cyclist is hit bywith a bus. Cyclist killed in collision with bus and Cyclist dies at Beveridge also Cyclist killed after being hit by bus in Beveridge As of this posting the particulars for this wreck have not been determined, but as it happened near an off-ramp to a freeway I would count it highly probable that one or the other failed to yield right of way when he was supposed to.
Last link is infrastructure-related from Jolly Olde. Grantham pothole throws cyclist over his handlebars As it has been raining in the UK I’m going to assume the reason this cyclist hit the large pothole is because it was hidden by darkness and a bike light not up to the task. To prevent get a really bright light with a smooth light pattern.
And that’s all I have for now, I’m off to spend the afternoon in the dentist’s office.
Billed @$0.02, Opus
Witch on a Bicycle 