A Wreck-free post on my Death Day

Twelve years ago this morning at 0119 I was hit by a man driving a white pickup truck. That much I know from what I remember of before and immediately after the wreck. What I know from what I learned later is the white pickup was a city vehicle and the driver had made a u-turn to get on my side of the road and pretty much floored it to hit me as fast as he could, and that this was the same driver of a white pickup truck that shouted at me to “get off the fucking road” before I got hit.

I have recounted my injuries in brief and at length in other posts in this blog, in fact there are 2 pages devoted to those injuries, one serious and one humorous. I have also waxed at length about the consequences of those injuries, so that is why I’m not talking about them here. They hurt, they still hurt from time to time, and they changed my life. That is enough about my injuries.

On the runup to this day I was confronted by a large number of coincidences from other people whose lives have been changed by motor vehicle wrecks. Their stories are very similar to mine in most respects, differing only in details that revolve around the different injuries they we got. The hospital stays were very similar, the painful PT was very similar, and the psychological recovery was very similar. Then I started getting stories about soldiers wounded in battle, and saw the same thing from them, down to the problems of recovering from brain injury, and the stigma of not being able to think the same as before the injury because brain injuries normally don’t leave scars. You can’t look at someone and say, “I should be careful with them as they have a damaged brain.”

What I wanted to emphasize in today’s post is that life is for living. Living is not eking out survival but in experiencing as much as you can. In some religions it is said that God created man that He might experience His Creation, others state pretty much the same thing about sentience, we exist that the Universe might experience Itself. All I Know is I am here to live my life to the best of my abilities, to experience as much Life as I can before I can’t any more. Tonight I’m going to a party to celebrate the fact that “I’m not dead, yet” and have my Warlock6 kick some ass fighting political corruption in whatever the name is of the town we are in at the moment, a three-way struggle between the Royals, the Priests, and the Mage Guild. As a magic user my character tends towards supporting the Mages but as I have a Good alignment (Chaotic Good, but still Good) I am ambivalent about all the parties involved in the confrontation. My deity is one that likes to puncture the dignity of the officious and the pompous because that is funny, so the other two parties in the conflict are both “fair game” from those teachings. Also my party (in-game party, not the party IRL to celebrate not being dead) has 3 stage props from one of our performances, the Exploding Radish. I was tending the garden of magical vegetables when the bard came to keep me up to date on the news of the party so I pulled 3 ripe radishes for her. These are the equivalent of a “flash-bang” stage prop and are (mostly) harmless but might be useful as a distraction at some point in the future.

So, anyway, I’m going to go to my party in a bit. Y’all kick back and have a cold one of your preference for me, and remember to kiss your significant others, hug your kids, and remember that live is for living. Tomorrow I’m going to attend my grandson’s first birthday, which as Mrs. the Poet points out is something else I managed to live long enough to experience. I’ll be back Monday (yes I work on holidays).

PSA, Opus

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Serendipity, and the Feed

I almost never put a link in the first paragraph of these posts because I think that my readers should be eased in to the bloodbath I experience while creating these posts with a little humor or a slice of my life devoid of anything worse than “first world problems”. But as I was perusing my regular news items (you know, things that aren’t bicycle or motorcycle wrecks) I found this link to a TED talk. WATCH: The Crash That Couldn’t Break Me He was physically crippled and left a hemiplegic (paralyzed on one side of his body) where I lost my abilities as a public speaker and as a rapid problem solver (I can still solve problems that have to do with things in 3 dimensions, I just lack the ability to communicate what I know). But both our lives were changed in an instant by motor vehicle operators.

Tomorrow is the twelfth anniversary of the day I died, literally and figuratively. Literally because, according to people who claim to have been there, I had no pulse or respiration for about 2 minutes after my body came to rest after being hit with a pickup truck at between 45 and 65 MPH (with 60 MPH being the speed they give the highest probability for). The survival rate for 45 MPH impacts on unprotected human body is something between 10 and 5%, the survival rate for an impact at 65 MPH is zero to six significant digits, 60 MPH is zero to about 4 significant digits. I am a statistical anomaly, by all rights I should be a distant memory from over a decade ago. Figuratively because the damage I endured from the wreck left me a new person, with different abilities and strengths that what I was before. The problem is the new person would have been just fine had the old one never existed, but everyone was expecting the old one because we looked almost identical, the new me has a few more scars than the old me and a limp but otherwise you couldn’t tell the two of us apart, physically. But we are completely different people, the old me was a confident public speaker who actually made a meager living as a spoken word poet with a vocabulary of over 300,000 words. The new me has a bad stammer under stress and has about 3000 words available at any one time The old me was a talented singer with 3 octaves of powerful range and another of much less power that I could use with amplification. The new me can sometimes carry a tune, but has no control over what key that tune will be in. I could have had a fine life had I been born the way I am now because I would have made different choices and trained differently and been able to find work doing what I could do, but to go from the old me to the new me left me unable to find work or otherwise meaningful existence until I started this blog in 2006 on another hosting service. Now my meaning in life is poured out onto these pages (nearly) every day.

Up in OK there is only a vague understanding of the law by LEO, which is scary and sad. Bicycle riders hospitalized after separate crashes Both wrecks involved cyclists on through streets with the signal getting hit by a right turning vehicle, which should have been an automatic ticket for the drivers, but except for the one who was driving on an expired and/or suspended license nothing happened to either driver. I’m not even sure the driver with the suspended license was given a ticket for hitting the through cyclist. What needs to be done immediately is getting those LEO up to speed on what constitutes a violation of right-of-way before a cyclist gets killed from failure to yield right-of-way by someone driving a motor vehicle. Then build the physical infrastructure that keeps cyclists physically safe where laws are not enough.

A CA cyclist bunny-hopped a median and went into traffic? Really? Cyclist In Critical Condition After Darting In Front of Truck Well I can personally say stranger things have happened…

Still in CA an update on the SF cyclist killed by a box truck. SFPD Chief Apologizes For Behavior Of Cyclist-Shaming Sergeant The important part of the story is SFPD reviewed the video they initially said did not exist and discovered the truck driver was at fault and possibly criminally so. Whodathunkit? I’m waiting to see the video to either confirm or deny rumors that the truck driver was behind the cyclist and just turned into her at speed from the inside lane.

Speaking of CA wreck video, here’s one of a cyclist getting hit-and-run. Caught On Camera: Teen Injured In Hit and Run Accident Only this wasn’t an “accident” as the cyclist was clearly in front of the driver when the lanes swapped and the bike lane went to the left of the right-turn lane. CA law requires motor vehicle to yield to cyclists in front of them during this transition.

Another update on the cyclist killed by a minivan driver in CA. Cyclist Dies From Injuries in Tuesday Crash Still nothing official on the mode of the wreck as it could have been a right hook (at speed as the cyclist went across an exit-ramp-like turn lane) or a straight hit-from-behind…

And not done yet with the CA wrecks. San Leandro: 66-year-old bicyclist struck and killed on Marina Boulevard Another SWCC wreck, so going out on a limb here and stating the intersection protocols might have helped if this was a cyclist really crossing the road. Otherwise infrastructure to prevent. The interesting thing about this wreck is there was nothing about a driver involved mentioned in the report, or if the “vehicle” involved remained at the scene.

A NV cyclist is right-hooked by a judge. Bicyclist dies in crash involving Douglas judge Right hook means intersection protocols to avoid and infrastructure to prevent. Judge means the cyclist will never see actual “justice” in this case.

Another wreck from the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike for 9 years running. Cyclist injured in A1A crash Nothing on the mode but at least this wreck they did acknowledge that cars have drivers. Infrastructure to prevent, as there are supposed to be bike lanes on A1A as a result of federal funding of the last makeover of the road but what got put in was woefully inadequate for the situation.

NYC is not the only place in NY where “no criminality suspected” is the rule rather than the exception when cyclists or pedestrians are injured. Police: 2 bicyclists injured in crashes One a right hook and the other the mode was not given. Infrastructure to prevent including LEO getting a (curse word, deleted) clue that cars kill when people violate the laws.

A PA cyclist is hit in what is either a right cross or a right hook. Bicyclist injured in Scranton wreck Not enough information given, just that the driver turned right and hit the cyclist, for me to tell you how to avoid or to mitigate the damages from this wreck, but getting the infrastructure right would prevent it.

Update on that bike wreck where America’s Day Begins. Bicycle rider dies two days after crash with SUV Nothing new on the wreck, just that the victim died without regaining consciousness.

Video of a right hook from Russia. Car and bike accident in Russia! NEW Clearly the cyclist was at fault for being in front of the driver [/sarcasm]

And those are all the links that gave me fits, except the endless stream of Russian YouTube videos of cyclists getting hit, and some killed. One in particular was quite nauseating as a cyclist was killed in a pinball wreck and the security camera footage showed the greasy stain from where the cyclist was smashed against a stone wall of a bridge abutment 40 feet or so from the impact site. You’re better off not seeing that.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Still alive, and the Feed

One thing that keeps getting (pounded, hammered, dumped) on me as I get closer to my Death Day is one glaring fact: I’m still alive and the guy that tried to kill me isn’t. I’m having problems because of the wreck, but I’m still sorta kicking and the guy that tried to kill me is pushing up daisies. His problems are over, and transferred over to his heirs. Or to parse it to the barest terms, I won.

First link ties into what I was just writing about. I don’t put up many links from this source. Bobby Labonte Injured In Bicycle Accident Nothing on the mode or location, but I’ll give that a pass for this wreck. Get well soon Bobby. Just a note that if a person with the reflexes and road sense of a Winston Cup Champion can get smacked in a bike wreck then so can the rest of us. More Labonte breaks 3 ribs in bicycle crash, will miss NASCAR race

Another TX cyclist is hit by a train. Man on bicycle killed when hit by Amtrak train in Houston-area accident, Once again let me state that trains are the easiest vehicles we have to avoid. First of all they can only be found in train tracks, it’s not like they can wander the streets looking for victims. Second trains are big, easy to see, and noisy even when they aren’t using the horn. With all those things why do cyclists continue to get killed by trains?

Another cyclist is hit in the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike. Cyclist, car crash in Pompano Beach Left cross, which is always the fault of the driver even when there is a left turn arrow for the driver. It doesn’t look like there was such a signal in this wreck though. Intersection protocols to avoid or to mitigate damages from the wreck, and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

A cyclist misjudges the speed of a vehicle in the road and pulls into the side instead of behind it. Bike rider runs into van, injured & cited Intersection protocols to avoid or to mitigate damages, infrastructure to prevent.

This has to rank as one of the most bizarre reports I have ever read. Mom Says Cops Killed Boy for Riding a Bike Never hit the siren or anything, just rammed the kid off his bike and then shot him as he tried to get away from the crazy cops. The instead of getting the victim medical attention they handcuffed him as he bled out?

Update on the woman killed in CA. Cyclist hit by minivan in Newport Beach dies of wounds What little I have been able to find out about this wreck is the cyclist was hit from behind approaching the intersection. How far from the sweeping turn lanes she was hit is not public information at this time but I’m willing to bet the driver was moving to the turn lane when the minivan hit the cyclist from behind. Earlier report where the vehicle was mis-identified as a Prius. Cyclist critical after collision with car

More on a hit-and-run in Portland OR. Tow-truck driver believed to be involved in Southeast Portland hit-and-run located I can’t believe that anyone driving a vehicle covered in corporate logos identifying the owner would be so stupid as to leave the scene of an injury wreck… At this point the wreck is being described as a right hook and whether the cyclist was even moving when hit is not known. If the cyclist was not moving but rather waiting at the corner for the light to change that makes this a wreck that could not be avoided without some form of precognition on the cyclist’s part. This wreck is a strong indicator of the need for barrier protected bicycle infrastructure with separate signal phases for each mode and no right on red. Actually no right on red everywhere, this seems to be one of the major killers of pedestrians everywhere it is allowed. Mrs. the Poet says she has to dodge cars making rights on red as she’s crossing with the light at least 3 or 4 times a week if not every day. More Police find tow truck driver from crash that injured teen

Another cyclist is seriously injured in the Great White North. Cyclist seriously injured after collision with car in Scarborough Intersection wreck where one of the vehicles involved ran the red. The good thing is that LEO did NOT automatically blame the cyclist for running the red so there may be evidence the driver did. Intersection wreck but the protocols would be of no use had the driver run the red, if it’s the other way around then don’t run the red to avoid. Get the infrastructure right to prevent. More Cyclist seriously injured in collision in city’s east end

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Another all-day run to the Lab Rat Keeper, and the Feed

I’m ticked off at DART (Dallas Area Random Transit) for what happened today. When I catch the 0700 bus to Downtown Garland Station I get to the LRK about 0820, but when I wait for the next bus I get to the LRK at 1020. That 45 minute difference in departure time results in a 2 hour difference in arrival time because there is a hole in the schedule where the bus only goes half-route instead of continuing all the way to the stop where I get off for the LRK. I can see a partial route for the first or last runs of the day (they got those, too) but dumping people halfway through the route in the middle of the day and making them wait until the next schedule is just stupid, pardon me, Stoopid.

And because I had more than one destination I had all the transfers and waits for those to contend with. Fortunately I took the laptop with me and I was able to find some free WiFi and do a little filtering before I got home, but otherwise the transit portion of the day’s errands was mostly nap time.

That cabbie is still making international news… NYC cab driver who hit and injured tourist blames cyclist, says crash was not his fault Yeah, and I’m the next Pope (hint, I’m not Catholic)…

A WI cyclist is killed by a driver that did not check to make sure there was no oncoming traffic in the lane before pulling out to pass. Green Bay-area man, 48, killed in Saturday bicycle crash The cyclist was hit head-on when the operator of the weapon vehicle tried to pass a truck pulling a horse trailer with the cyclist in the oncoming lane… Not an avoidable wreck for a human cyclist. The only way that infrastructure could prevent a similar wreck is if it completely removed the motor vehicles from the equation.

Another cyclist is hit head on in CA this time. Vehicle Hits Bicyclist on Santa Margarita Parkway Since I still haven’t found a report that suggested the cyclist was on the wrong side of the road that only leaves one other option…

And another cyclist is killed just up the (figurative) road from the previous paragraph. Update: Bicyclist Dies from Injuries Suffered in Minivan Crash the link was originally about a seriously injured cyclist this morning… nothing about the mode of the wreck, but the location given as I post this is some kind of intersection with the cyclist proceeding along the through route. Intersection protocols might have avoided or mitigated damages in this wreck, infrastructure would have prevented it, so RIP cyclist. More Breaking news — Newport Beach bicyclist dies of injuries from Tuesday collision

A cyclist is seriously injured where America’s day begins, the fancy way of saying Guam. BREAKING NEWS: Bicyclist may have suffered serious injuries after auto-bicycle accident in Ordot At this point it appears the elderly cyclist failed to yield to traffic in the street as he left the parking lot.

From the far away Eastern reaches of the Great White North a cyclist’s death results in criminal charges… for violating workplace safety laws? Truss company charged over highway death The cyclist was struck by an overhanging load and the regulators decided that the death was a result of negligence on the part of the manager that approved the load and the driver for taking the load. More. Newfoundland company charged in death of bicyclist struck by overhanging truss and Newfoundland company charged in death of bicyclist who struck overhanging truss

Infrastructure! news from CA. Dividing Lines: Cyclist Deaths Require Changes That Won’t Come Soon Enough

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Don’t treat obesity as physiology or physics

Why we (the US) need pervasive bicycle infrastructure.

At War With The Motorist

I have a whole bunch of draft and outline blog posts from winter and spring that I was never able to find the time to finish off. To clear them out of the way, I’ve bashed out some half-hearted conclusions, and will post them this month.

Flicking through the pile of Natures that never got read properly, ready to be rid of them, I alighted on Gary Taubes’s opinion piece: Treat obesity as physiology, not physics. Bear with me while I appear to be completely off-topic talking science for a while.

Taubes argues that:

…obesity is a hormonal, regulatory defect… it is not excess calories that cause obesity, but the quantity and quality of carbohydrates consumed. The carbohydrate content of the diet must be rectified to restore health.

Taubes set out his case that it is not useful to think of obesity as a straightforward energy in/out imbalance…

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How do you deal with anti-cyclist bias, and the Feed

In one of the links I pre-filtered yesterday I left a reply to a comment that made it look like the cyclist deserved to get hit because other cyclists rode 2 and 3 up on the same stretch of road. I stated that in the article being commented on there was no mention of any other cyclists in the area, and that the comment was a display of bias, stereotyping, and transference. It would be as logical to blame this cyclist for other cyclist’s behavior as it would for me to blame all red-heads because I saw a red-head do something annoying and then another red-head had something bad happen to him or her. So, how do you deal with anti-cyclist bias on the Web, other than call the perps out for their prejudice?

A cyclist in OK is the victim of a deliberate assault with a motor vehicle. Bicyclist Injured In Hit-And-Run In SW OKC Speaks Out Since the cyclist in this case was not even riding but walking with friends and pushing his bike there was nothing the cyclist could have done to avoid the wreck. Investigate this as an attempted murder and charge the driver accordingly when caught to prevent.

From the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike for 9 years in a row comes a report of another cyclist added to the lists. Cyclist killed in Fruit Cove From the Street View of the scene the garbage truck had to have run the stop sign in order to hit the cyclist riding on the through street. Not much a cyclist can do when confronted with 10 tons of garbage truck except to try to turn away from it. Given the time of day and the location I would bet the driver of the garbage truck barely slowed as he glanced at the apparently empty road and completely overlooked the bicycle. Since the truck driver ignored traffic controls to hit the cyclist I don’t think infrastructure changes would have prevented this wreck, but having bicycle infrastructure that was pervasive and driver training that impressed upon operators how vulnerable and hard to see cyclists are the driver would have been more careful in the residential area he was driving in. Also, do they have smaller garbage trucks in the Netherlands? That’s a bit of infrastructure I never see mentioned.

They just don’t quit killing cyclists in FL. Bicyclist killed in Jacksonville hit-and-run Saturday No arrests made, it was just a cyclist killed with 2 pedestrians, if it had been someone important they would have all been in separate cars. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent. More Hit-and-run driver kills 14-year-old cyclist Dquan Armstrong

And a reminder of why FL is the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike as “the media” trashes the victim of a bicycle wreck involving a drunk driver. Biker Van Orden, Killed In Boca, Had Lengthy Record All that about the victim but only a few words about his killer. The good thing is the comments were universally condemning the paper for putting this garbage about the victim on line and failing to mention he died as a result of getting hit by a drunk driver while riding in the bike lane… Meaning there is hope for FL some day to not kill cyclists and pedestrians at such a horrible rate.

More on the NY cyclist hit from behind by a semi. Police say mistake cost bicyclist his life From the description of the wreck it sounds like the cyclist was sucked under the trailer by the backwash from the truck as it passed too close. It also sounds like LEO did not check the shoulder for debris that might have forced the cyclist to ride closer to the lane than he would have preferred.

A young NY cyclist is either crossed or hooked by a vehicle entering a driveway, so the cyclist gets blamed for the wreck… Boy, 12, injured by car while riding bike Note the driver hit the cyclist while making a turning motion, which makes this an automatic at-fault for the driver, but they still try to blame the kid for “going too fast”. Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure…

A PA cyclist left-crosses a pickup truck with predictable results. Harveys Lake bicyclist dies in crash with pickup There was speculation in the comments section the cyclist was a “mule” for a local drug dealer as he had drugs and paraphernalia on his person according to another comment. The only way I know how to avoid this wreck is to wait until the road is clear before making a left turn. And infrastructure.

The story about the MD track coach that was hit from behind and killed continues. Annapolis High coach out bicycling killed at blind spot in road So basically what they keep saying over and over is that the driver made an illegal pass where there was not enough visibility to complete the pass and ended up hitting the cyclist. The cyclist was killed because the driver failed to use the brakes to moderate her speed until it was safe to pass. There was nothing the cyclist could do as her available reaction time was near zero. Infrastructure that drastically slowed cars or provided a safe place away from cars to get to the same destination to prevent.

A VA cyclist is involved in a SWCC wreck. Cyclist Dies After Vehicle Strikes Him on Cook Road Until I get more information I can’t say how to avoid this wreck, but good infrastructure would have had the cyclist away from busy motor vehicle traffic.

A OH cyclist is killed when a truck makes a wide right turn and hits her nearly head-on. Miamisburg woman killed in bicycle accident I’m seeing too many tires in the picture of the wrecked “bike”… Now I see after watching the video that the driver hit two bikes and killed one of the riders. I’m still trying to figure out how this could have been caused by impairment of the rider that died, but LEO are testing the deceased rider for drugs and alcohol. Nothing the cyclist could have done, the entire onus in this wreck is on the driver of the truck for not waiting until his way was clear before turning the long vehicle/trailer combination. This was a residential area where the truck and cyclist would have been in shared space, using the Dutch model.

Update on the OH cyclist struck from behind so hard he went flying nearly 90 feet. School mourns teen struck, killed on bicycle Since the cyclist’s helmet wearing was not mentioned we have to assume the open skull fracture came in spite of his helmet. This points again to the driver’s excessive speed, along with the destroyed bike and the cyclist being thrown so far. The fact that there were no charges in spite of all the evidence of excessive speed on the driver’s part points to severe windshield bias on the part of the LEO investigating the wreck.

A young MI cyclist is blamed in he wreck because, cars. 7-year-old girl hit by truck while riding her bike in Pontiac Had this wreck been in the Netherlands the driver would have been traveling less than 15 MPH and known that hitting a kid in that area would have been her fault for not paying attention. tl;dr version: Infrastructure!

A bizarre wreck where I met Mrs. the Poet. USU student dies after riding bike into slack line I really don’t know what a cyclist could reasonably do to avoid hitting slack lines while riding in a park, which is what Old Main Hill is on the USU campus. More Utah State Student Dies In Bicycling Accident

A CA cyclist is killed when LEO attempt to PIT his bicycle. Cyclist Hit, Killed by FPD Car Other than that I know nothing about this wreck.

More about the cyclist hit in a crosswalk in CA. SR Cyclist Hit By SUV Still the same story, the idiot driver came barging through when the light changed without looking to see if the intersection had cleared.

Update on the victim of an OR hit-and-run. Cyclist injured in hit-and-run recovering at home This was the guy with the mouthful of broken glass from the weapon vehicle a while back. not to mention the two broken legs that will have him hobbling about for a couple of months.

A wreck report from the Great White North that was incomplete at the time of posting. Cyclist seriously injured in early-morning collision And he headline is 99% of the story folks.

Update on a cyclist hit in the Great white North while riding presumed impaired. Cyclist dies from injuries after crash with truck This was the cyclist that bounced off the truck and then fell over and hit his head on street furniture.

A cyclist in the Great White North dies after getting hit head-on by an SUV. Community in shock after Aylmer pastor killed in crash Someone was on he wrong side of the road but LEO are not saying which vehicle at this point. Since it’s so easy to blame the cyclist in these cases and they haven’t I’m going with the SUV crossed the centerline and hit the cyclist, which makes this an unavoidable wreck. Infrastructure to prevent.

The report from Oz I mentioned in the opening paragraph. Cyclist hit by car Presumed hit-from-behind wreck, use the protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to avoid. I don’t know what to do about people’s attitude though.

Infrastructure news from Canuckistan. Husband of cyclist killed in PEI calls for Trans Canada Trail plan and Alberta falling behind on Trans-Canada Trail, cyclist says

More infrastructure news from Canuckistan. ‘Wild west’ of cycling needs taming, says advocate

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Getting ready for my Death Day party, and the Feed

Things are a scheduling nightmare around Casa de El Poeta, as some other people are throwing me a Death Day party and I need to be 2 counties away for my grandson’s first birthday party the next day. There is a public transit option to get there but it doesn’t run the day of the party for my grandson and requires that I leave my party about 2130 or so to catch the train(s) for a more than 3 hour trip. I mean seriously the trip by bicycle is only 4 hours or so (according to Google Maps Bike There app(beta)), but the only way to get Mrs. the Poet there requires taking the train from Garland to downtown Dallas, transferring to the train to Carrollton, and then transferring to the A-train to Denton at the Trinity Mills Station. The actual trip time isn’t that bad, it’s the transfers that get you.

An upstate NY cyclist is run over in a residential area. Cyclist injured following accident in Ithaca Nothing on the mode, just a rough location in a residential area. Infrastructure that includes severely lowered speed limits and restrictions on heavy vehicles in residential areas to prevent.

A NYC cyclist is hit by a bus… Bike-Riding Boy Seriously Injured After Bus Hits Him and Brooklyn Child Hit by City Bus also Boy riding bicycle hit by bus in Brooklyn also Boy riding bike struck by MTA bus in Brooklyn The report that the cyclist hit the back of the bus is not consistent with the cyclist’s injuries and the wrecked bike. Those are consistent with the cyclist getting sideswiped by the bus and caught by the rear wheels. Had the cyclist hit the back of the bus as described the front wheel would have been damaged and not the back, and the cyclist would have had head and upper body injuries not his chest and abdomen. Also the area where the cyclist was hit was too narrow to share with cyclists as the bus was less than a foot from the curb while almost on top of the centerline marking. There was no place for the cyclist to go as the street furniture and telephone poles came almost to the curb and the curb itself was too high to ride over.

More on the cyclist run over by a semi in NY. UPDATE: Police ID biker hit, killed by truck in Saratoga The cyclist was under the front of the truck when responders came to the scene, so it was most definitely a hit-from-behind with no way to avoid the wreck. Infrastructure to prevent. Arrest drivers for running into cyclists from behind. More Police ID cyclist killed after crash with tractor-trailer

A WI cyclist is severely injured in a collision with a dump truck. Bicyclist collides with dump truck on Chicory Road Nothing on the mode or even a location aside from being on one particular road, so infrastructure.

More on that IL cyclist hit from behind near the center of the lane. St. Peter teen fatally killed on bicycle I guess I’m an example of how a cyclist is non-fatally “killed”… Again the cyclist was positioned in the lane in the place of greatest visibility and none of the reports mention a lack of lights or reflectors. So why did the driver hit this cyclist?

An OH cyclist is struck from behind and killed, no criminality suspected. Teen struck, killed on bicycle The cyclist was thrown nearly 90 feet after bouncing off the windshield in this hit-from-behind wreck, so protocols to maybe avoid or to mitigate any damage, infrastructure to prevent. From the comments this is an area that should see lots of young people on bikes so infrastructure that allows them to ride safely would be vital to not letting them get killed. More Cyclist Killed by Car

The most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike kills another one in the bike lane. Delray Beach bicyclist dies after being hit by car Seriously, killed in the bike lane? And no charges against the completely uninjured driver that just killed a man because, cars. More Delray Bicyclist Killed In Boca Raton And the driver was “impaired” according to a witness posting in the comments section. And still no charges? TANJ!

A cyclist is hit in a crosswalk in CA. Santa Rosa cyclist injured in collision with SUV Cyclist entered on a stale green or on the yellow and did not clear the intersection before the light changed and drivers charged into the intersection. The driver was just looking at the lights and not what was on the road in front of him.

An ID cyclist is recovering from a deranged rampage. Injured Nampa Fire captain to be released from hospital The cyclist was just the most seriously injured of a string of victims who were assaulted during the incident “…attacked a 15-year-old boy, stole the boy’s skateboard, kicked a dog, struck a construction worker with a shovel, broke into an apartment, assaulted a woman, tipped over a man in a wheelchair and broke windows in a house“. Something was seriously amiss with the perpetrator. Not something that a cyclist can avoid but fortunately not something many cyclists will have to deal with.

A wreck in central Canuckistan. Hit-run injures cyclist Intersection wreck is all that is published about it at the moment, so intersection protocols to avoid or to mitigate damages, and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

A cyclist is killed in the Great White North. Cyclist killed in Markham And now you know as much about it as I do after making the link even if you didn’t click on this one…

Another cyclist killed in the Great White North. Cyclist Killed In Head On Crash With SUV To know what happened in this wreck lane position is critical knowledge, which is probably why it was not released by LEO. All I can say is someone was not in their correct lane. And Infrastructure to prevent. More Police release name of Aylmer man killed in bicycle-SUV crash

A totally infrastructure-caused bike wreck in Oz. Push-bike rider injured in Royal National Park Gravel the same color as the road it came from makes for invisible bike traps.

An “Are you kidding me?” wreck in Oz. Push-bike rider suffers head injuries – Engadine The rider had a coughing fit and went over the handlebars? And serious head injury even with a bike helmet.

Infrastructure news from Seattle as SDOT uses bicycles to slow down cars and save lives. Busy Seattle street gets safety makeover in wake of deadly crash While I’m ecstatic over getting some semi-decent bike infrastructure in an area that had been neglected in the past, I’m not thrilled that the reaction to prevent a wreck involving a repeat drunk driver was to use bicycles to slow down traffic. I think that in parallel to the infrastructure change should also be better enforcement of DUI laws including taking cars away from people who have lost their licences due to a second DUI. First time might be a mistake, but not the second time.

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Another stream of consciousness post on a Wreck-Free Sunday

Yep, another day that I sat down at the computer with absolutely no idea what was going into the post this afternoon.

One thing that was brought to mind was the anniversary of the March on Washington for civil rights for black people. In many ways cyclists are the new black people, but there are some important differences. When black people were killed in the South it was mostly acts of intentional violence, people were deliberately killing black people for whatever warped reason they had. When most cyclists are killed it isn’t because of any emotional reason or intent, it’s because of indifference to the point that a cyclist is never seen, much less seen as a fellow legal road user. They just don’t care that there is a cyclist on the roads with their car or truck. That’s at least 90% of the deceased cyclists out there, anyway. But there are still an unknown number that are killed because of a violent hatred for the existence of cyclists. These are the equivalents of the lynchings and torchings. And then you get the guy that hit me back in 2001, who went out of his way to try to kill me. I have only encountered one person like that in nearly 50 years of riding on the roads, but that once was almost too much.

It was a really good race last night. Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kaine raced the last few laps clean when Kasey could have done the “bump and run” to get around for the win. Come to think of it I don’t remember any deliberate bumping incidents the whole race last night, although I’m sure there were a couple that took place away from he camera’s attention. That’s not to say there was no contact. The piles of wrinkled sheetmetal cut from wrecked cars scattered around the garages is a testament to there being contact last night in droves, it was just (mostly) incidental racing collisions where one driver or the other went just a tiny bit past the limit of adhesion and had to “borrow” the other car’s grip to not hit the wall or anything else.

I’m still having no luck at finding the tubing I need to build the cargo bike to replace Blue, who replaced Gigi, who replaced the Stratus when it blew up back in 2007… And don’t ask me how a bicycle can “blow up”, it just did and bent the frame in the process… The problem is still finding small lots in the sizes and alloys I need. Local suppliers don’t want to talk to you unless you’re buying a “bundle” which is a half-ton as near as I can make out, all of the same tube in whatever length they want to sell. I need 4 different sizes in 2 alloys to go with the scrap bikes I’m using for their headtubes and bottom bracket shells. Buying “bundles” of metal would cost me thousands of dollars and leave me with enough tubing to build about 6000 bikes. I might make maybe 2000 bikes in my lifetime if all the stars align and everything goes my way, so buying “bundles” of tubing is not a good idea for me at this late date in my career.

Interestingly enough finding tubing for the T-bucket is much easier and local suppliers are willing to sell single-job supplies in those sizes, at reasonable prices. One would almost think I was supposed to build the T-bucket instead of the cargo bike. Judging by the amount of time my meditations get sidetracked into dimensions and geometry for the T-bucket instead of whatever I was supposed to meditate about when I wasn’t interested in the T-bucket you would think my personal deities are trying to get my going in that direction, too. The design details that keep getting shoved into my mind are mostly in the trunk area where the fuel tank and battery go while working around the rear suspension. That’s the tricky part really, leaving room for the suspension links to move while getting the battery mounted as close to the axle as possible but still in front of the axle to reduce the polar moment. Since this car will have to do many things I need to stuff 10 pounds of “stuff” into a 3 pound sack.

If I change the tires, shocks, and springs for racing then I can make the car much more civilized for street and long trip use. Since I was planning on using coilover shocks as my spring/damper system replacing the unit replaces the spring and the shock on that corner with a simple 2 bolt swap to remove the street unit and install the race unit, times 4 corners. Racing I’ll use quick pins to speed up the swaps but I’ll have to use bolts for street use to pass inspection. For street use I have selected 205/75R15 tires on all 4 corners running on 15 X 7 aluminum DOT race wheels (stronger and lighter than the steel versions at a lower price, a win-win-win), while for racing I’m looking at 25-13.5/15 on 14 inch wide wheels. Add the spring and shock change and the only thing about the car that will be similar in race mode will be the cockpit and engine. I’m getting a 12V impact wrench to use to loosen the shock bolts and swap wheels when I go racing. I’m trying to decide if I need to have an anti-roll bar on either end of the car to swap between street and race. I might be able to connect an anti-roll bar to either axle and forget about swapping the springs, or maybe both axles. Still 2 bolts at each corner to swap out, but hooking up sway bar links (the other name for an anti-roll bar) is a heck of a lot easier than swapping coilover units.

I’m also thinking about running Moon Discs for the street version to clean up the wheels aerodynamically. Aero drag is the main reason I picked the skinny 205 section tire for street use and cleaning up the outside of the wheel with the Moon Disc would just add to that. The Bonneville vibe of skinny tires and Moon Discs would also be a plus. Also the tall sidewalls of the street tires help cushion the ride while the race tires would reduce the ride height by about an inch without adjusting the springs. This is a “Good Thing”.

Well it’s lunch at Casa De El Poeta, and Mrs. the Poet wants to see my whole face there, not just the part that sticks out over the top of the laptop screen, so I’m going to have to wrap this up here as soon as I can.

PSA, Opus

Running way late after spending most of the day running errands, and the Feed

I spent almost 6 hours on the road (well out of the house, anyway) sweating like a race horse in a long race. My clothes are covered in salt stains from all the sweat I lost today. The good news about that is that I now have my new helmet from the store and I’m working on the new mirrors to put on the visor. When I get that done I’ll be back on the road.

Up first is more Stoopid from that cabbie. Cabbie Who Maimed Tourist Holds Press Conference Outside Victim’s Hospital Yes the cabbie that by his own admission deliberately tried to run down a cyclist because the cyclist “frightened” him inside his cab when the cyclist pounded on the hood of the cab that was behind him and pushing to get ahead. Now he’s trying to blame the cyclist for the entire wreck because somehow he knew the cyclist had a criminal record (completely unrelated to any vehicular offenses), trying to deflect attention away from the litany of vehicular convictions for the cabbie. More Cabbie In Midtown Crash Speaks Outside His Victim’s Hospital

Another cyclist is run over from behind in NY State with “no criminality suspected”. Cyclist dead after collision with tractor-trailer in Saratoga Springs Hit-from-behind, use the protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent. One thing they might want to do is to make convicting someone of killing with a motor vehicle easier to prove than an outright murder. More `Cyclist killed in crash is Clifton Park man, 20

Another wreck in El Paso creates a call for changing the infrastructure. Death of boy in Central El Paso has groups pushing for road safety awareness Intersection wreck, but the real cause of and cure for this wreck is to reduce the speed limit in residential areas. Seriously, TX has a minimum speed limit of 30 MPH and school zones can’t be any lower than 20 MPH while in the EU 18.3 MPH is considered “too fast” for a residential area and the limit for an urban area is reduced to 12.2 MPH in the residential area.

Another cyclist is killed by a semi, this time in NH. Woman killed in collision with tractor-trailer truck in Nashua At this point it looks like either a hooking wreck or a hit-from-behind immediately following a turn, because the wrecked bike was near an intersection and behind the trailer with the blood on it…

Update on that fatal hit-and-run from NC. Suspect in death of cyclist allegedly set apartment fire This confirms what I got yesterday, that the driver was running from a previous crime scene when she ran that stop sign and killed the cyclist. More Police: Suspect in arson hit and killed cyclist

Another wreck in NC. Police: Man struck by car while riding bike,seriously injured The wreck was at a Railroad Crossing, meaning there is a possibility the cyclist fell in front of the vehicle. There is equally the possibility that the cyclist slowed to negotiate the crossing and got hit from behind because the car didn’t. The wreckage though looks like the cyclist had both slowed and went at a more direct angle across the tracks, as the bike has little damage and the car has a smashed windshield. Infrastructure to prevent.

A wreck in AL. Cyclist hospitalized after struck by car Nothing on the mode or location, so I’m going to go with infrastructure, especially since what little known about the location is it was on a university campus.

A wreck from the other Lumberton in MS. Lumberton bicyclist killed in hit-and-run The cyclist was struck from behind so protocols to avoid or mitigate damages, and get the infrastructure right to prevent. An if you’re in the area BOLO for a F250 missing the passenger side headlight. Suspect is considered armed and dangerous so use of deadly force is authorized. Of course every driver is “armed” when you’re riding a bicycle.

A WI cyclist is seriously injured in a major wreck. Bicyclist struck by dump truck Not enough on the mode or location to say how to avoid, or if infrastructure would have prevented the wreck (it usually will, however).

One reason why WI cyclists are subject to being killed at random. One Year in Jail for Killing Bicyclist? The only “good part” of this story is the driver has to spend 100 hours a year wearing a prison jumpsuit talking to kids about why texting and driving is not a good idea for the next 5 years. Public humiliation is a powerful deterrent factor in preventing people from committing crimes.

An IL cyclist is killed because cars. St. Peter Teenager Killed When Bicycle Hit by Vehicle “(T)he teenager was riding near the centerline of the highway about 5:30am and said it was still dark and rainy at the time of the incident” so the cyclist was in the most visible place he could ride and still got hit because, “cars”. Notice what is missing from this report? Yep it was missing that the cyclist wasn’t lighted or reflectored sufficiently, most likely because he was riding with lights and/or reflectors.

Another update on the OR cyclist critically injured in a hit-and-run wreck that left him with a mouthful of broken glass from the weapon vehicle. Woman charged in crash that injured cyclist Still not a lot a human cyclist could do to avoid a similar wreck. I hope they put the driver away for a long time.

The kind of wreck I hate to link to. Seattle pedestrian severely injured in crash with bicyclist Don’t hit the pedestrians, don’t hit the pedestrians, DON’T HIT THE PEDESTRIANS. DON’T HIT THE PEDESTRIANS! More Man critically injured after being struck by person on bike in Madison Park

A cyclist is killed in East Canuckistan. Manitoba boy, 14, killed in crash while riding bike Even before I read the rest of the article I knew that bad infrastructure was involved after I read it took place in a First Nations area. Their infrastructure in general ranges from minimal to appalling, and that’s just in general, their bike infrastructure is even worse. The wreck was a SWSS, probably because the side of the road was crumbling and not safe to ride on, which would have the same result with either version of the story (cyclist riding in middle of lane, or cyclist having to move from the far edge of the road because it wasn’t safe to ride there and in front of the car). Infrastructure to avoid (BASIC) and prevent (bike-specific). More Waywayseecappo Teen Dead After Collision with Vehicle

Why cyclists get killed in the UK. GP drove into cyclist while facing drink-driving charge Let’s get this straight: The driver was banned from driving because of his previous drunk driving charge but was still behind the controls of a motor vehicle when he hits the cyclist, so instead of permanently banning him or taking the car away from him they put points on this license when he gets it back? TANJ!

Infrastructure! news from S.F. CA. Amelie Le Moullac: Cyclist’s Death Highlights the Need for Segregated Bike Lanes

Infrastructure from NYC. Cyclist Gary Zammett Sr. Killed in Howard Beach; Where Is Eric Ulrich?

And those were all the links that gave me fits tonight. Also I was watching the Bristol Sprint Cup race while I did parts of the post, so congratulations to Matt Kenseth on your win and to Kasey Kaine for the clean attempts to pass Matt in the closing laps of the race.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Must stop writing headlines before coffee, and the Feed

Got a late start because someone woke me way early this morning, which triggers fitful sleep until I get enough REM sleep to be functional. The bad part about things like this morning is I’m never really sure when I have actually woken up. I started writing the headline this morning in that state and it kept coming out gibberish or desperately not funny. Hence the headline you see this morning.

El Paso is not a good place to be riding a bicycle this month. SUV strikes, kills boy riding bike in Central El Paso Nothing on the mode or who was to blame, just that the speed of the weapon vehicle was not judged to be a factor. If speed wasn’t a factor I bet outward visibility was… And as this wreck was in a residential area the only change that would be made to the infrastructure would be reducing the speed limit to 20 MPH (or maybe 10 MPH) and making hitting a kid an automatic “driver at fault for not paying attention to kids in the street”.

This next one is about that cab driver. I have been seeing reports that he “felt threatened” by the guy on the bike and that is why he hit the gas (and that part of the story keeps changing too, sometimes he “misses the brake” and sometimes he deliberately accelerates). Cabbie Who Maimed Tourist Blames Cyclist And yes I left a few (several?) comments on this one. The physical evidence of the cyclist’s bike (crushed rear wheel) and the cab (bike tire mark on front bumper) back up the cyclist’s story that he was being threatened by the driver when the cyclist hit the hood of the cab (I would link the pictures but the tests I did never went back to the same picture). Then the cabby says this: I personally feel that if that man on the bike didn’t bang on my car, maybe this would not have happened.” Some good may come from this, however. After Cab Driver Maims Tourist, Councilman Demands NYPD Attitude Adjustment and this update on the pedestrian/hot dog eater. Tourist Maimed By Cabbie On Midtown Sidewalk Has Left Leg Amputated At The Knee And finally we find out the combination required for criminality to be suspected by NYPD when a pedestrian is hit. Manhunt For Truck Driver Who Struck Cop In Astoria “So it takes a combination battery, robbery, grand theft auto, vehicular aggression, and one of their own getting mildly concussed to get NYPD to care about traffic injuries?” Seems that way.

A cyclist’s fatal wreck leads to a call for improved infrastructure for drivers? Cyclist’s death in Howard Beach prompts calls for a traffic signal Nice to get clarification that the driver of the weapon vehicle ran the stop sign, but if the driver ignored the stop sign why would they expect him to not run a red light?

Update on another NY wreck a little Upstate from NYC. Bike-riding teen hit by pickup truck released by hospital Has the teen cyclist said she was riding on the sidewalk? Because this is a wreck where the cyclist could say what happened.

Down the road from NYC another cop is hit-and-run. Philly Bike Officer Struck by Hit-&-Run Driver: Police Nothing on the mode, but isn’t it amazing how fast they can find a hit-and-run driver when the victim has a police radio?

A NJ cyclist is not so lucky and his assailant is still at large. Bicyclist Injured in Hit-and-Run The picture of the wrecked bike shows an obvious hit from behind wreck but also does not show if the bike was equipped with rear lighting. It does appear to show that the cyclist was hit hard enough to remove at least one shoe, maybe the left one (the picture is a bit on the grainy side). Since there was a high curb and a heavy bike there was no place for the cyclist to bail for hit-from-behind protocols to work, so that only leaves getting the infrastructure right to do anything about this wreck.

Update on the salmon ME cyclist severely injured in a hit-and-run. Reward offered in Brunswick hit-and-run that left cyclist with broken leg As I keep telling people, riding salmon just means you get a couple seconds more to watch the wreck happen, not that you get to dodge the wreck. Bicycles can’t sidestep over a curb to avoid impact like a pedestrian can.

Update on the MD cyclist killed by a hit-from-behind driver. Driver error apparent cause of cyclist’s death Driver trying to pass a cyclist on a blind hill encounters oncoming traffic before even getting to the cyclist and runs the cyclist over from behind instead of standing on the brakes. A lovely piece of work that driver is. More Track Coach Killed In Bike Accident and Annapolis High track coach dies of injuries in roadway accident

A NC wreck that has changed between filtering and creating the link, when I filtered the link was a hit-and-run with no suspects. Suspect in death of cyclist allegedly set apartment fire Isn’t that lovely, the driver that murdered a cyclist was escaping from trying to burn down her ex’s apartment. The original link had the cyclist proceeding with the right of way when the weapon vehicle hit him. From what little information I can get this was not a wreck that a human cyclist could have avoided, and infrastructure would have been little help either. The picture shows a bicycle that was hit from behind at a high rate of speed.

A SWCC wreck in IA. Bicyclist struck by car and injured Notice the driver “saw the cyclist at the last second and could not avoid” hitting her. I would love to see the wreckage from this one as the narrative is exactly how most SWCC wrecks where the cyclist was JRA down the right edge of the right lane work out. Intersection protocols if the cyclist was actually crossing the road, hit-from-behind if the cyclist was JRA and hit that way to avoid, and infrastructure to prevent no matter which way it happened.

More on the SWSS wreck in NV. Bicyclist dead after being hit by car in Vegas Did nobody look at the wrecked bike standing straight up with the weapon vehicle parked on the left side of the rear wheel? The driver hit the cyclist from behind due to cognitive blindness, not because the cyclist “swerved” from the sidewalk. More Coroner IDs bicyclist dead after being hit by car in Vegas; police say man rode into lane

Update on the OR hit-and-run that left a cyclist with a mouthful of broken glass from the weapon vehicle. Woman charged in crash that injured cyclist and more local Arrest made in Barbur hit-and-run case These 2 reports Show that there was nothing the cyclist could have done to avoid this wreck except not be there, and pictures (on another site) show that the infrastructure was terrible with the cyclist having to share the lane with 50-60 MPH traffic and no place to get away from an aggressive driver. So fix the infrastructure to prevent.

A young CA cyclist is broadsided and dragged under a motor vehicle. Boy seriously injured after being hit by vehicle in Oxnard The kid was hit in a residential area with very limited sight lines due to privacy fences on both sides of the alley. The clear area extends basically across the sidewalk before the kid is in the street. So lower the speed limit and make hitting a kid in that area the fault of the driver for going too fast to stop for a kid unless it can be proven the kid did not allow the driver to avoid.

And from the Great White North a cyclist is hit by a car because he wasn’t wearing a helmet. Young cyclist injured in Oshawa collision “Boy struck trying to cross Rossland Road wasn’t wearing a helmet” What, you thought I was kidding? Intersection wreck, protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

A cyclist in far West Canuckistan is hit with a car. Cyclist hit on Pat Bay Highway this morning had minor injuries The cyclist mis-judged the speed of the vehicles while she was trying to cross the road, and the driver wasn’t looking at the road in front of (him?) and ran into the cyclist.

Last link, do cars cause unethical behavior? Can Your Car Make You An Unethical Driver?

And those are all the links that gave me fits about bicycles and stupid drivers. There were a whole lot more that gave me fits about things that have nothing to do with this blog so those don’t get posted, but rest assured I do have fits about things that are not bicycles or related to transportation.

Billed @€0.02, Opus