I feel better now, and the Feed

A little time off away from the mayhem and gore has been quite rejuvenating. I still think I need to change focus here in the blog, but I can move that date back a bit from when I was planning for last week, on Valentine’s Day, to probably some time next year. Seriously folks, I have been doing the wreck coverage and analysis since late 2006, it is long past time for me to move on to other subjects. But Not Right Now.

Up first is an update on a TX wreck that didn’t make any sense when I first read about it, and makes even less sense now. Family seeking answers in bicycle death The location of the impact, the path of the weapon vehicle, the location of the impact on the weapon vehicle, none of that makes sense in any way shape or form except as a deliberate act of aggression against the cyclist.

Still in TX we have a hit-from-behind wreck behind a paywall. Rosharon cyclist killed Just from what little escaped redaction from the paywall this looks like a blind driver placing blame for his blindness on the cyclist he didn’t see, what with the “dark road” and the “Huffy bicycle”.

Still getting lots of links to the “good cyclist” killed in MN. Mourning bicyclist killed in Minneapolis and Minneapolis man charged with vehicular homicide in cyclist’s death also How a “safe” cyclist can still end up dead last link Memorial Bike Ride Honors Cyclist Killed in Uptown Accident I find some of these articles I have been reading and linking to this past week as offensive as describing a rape victim as “modestly dressed”, as if only “modestly dressed” women deserve not to be raped. Conversely, all cyclists deserve to not get hit riding on the roads no matter if they are out training, or commuting to work, or hauling stuff home from the grocery. The issue in this wreck was the driver that was more than 3 times the legal limit for BAC%, 0.27% on a legal limit of 0.08%. Not that the cyclist had a helmet on, or not.

A CO driver is charged in the hit-and-run death of a cyclist. Fort Collins woman arrested on suspicion of causing fatal hit-and-run crash with cyclist As much as I hate hit-and-run and DUI, this woman is still considered innocent until found guilty in a court of law, not the court of public opinion. She deserves a fair trial and a decent hanging.

A MA cyclist is hit and LEO are sitting very tight on the details of the wreck. Bicyclist hit by vehicle, injured in Amherst Seriously tight, as in the wreck was as the cyclist was crossing an intersection and LEO are not even saying what road she was using, much less things like direction… As of right now it’s “commie bicycle” and “redneck pickup truck” in a death match 😛

Why is this not being investigated as a homicide/murder? Bail set at $25k for Keene woman charged in friend’s hit-and-run death She LIVED WITH THE VICTIM! Hello? She was familiar with his route, bicycle, and kind of clothes because she LIVED AND WORKED WITH THE VICTIM! I don’t know if this was his route home but at any rate a good portion of it would be on the street/highway he lived on. Not knowing the actual site of the wreck I can’t say much about avoiding it, but it looks like a good portion of the route home could have been on segregated infrastructure.

A fatal wreck in CA. Cyclist hit, killed during Tour de Palm Springs and Update: Tour de Palm Springs rider killed in Thermal collision LEO are sitting hard and tight on this wreck, also. Nothing official about the wreck, just stuff from ordinary people on the scene. At this point it is an intersection wreck with a 2-way stop in the cyclist’s direction and a possible “waving through” by a stopped driver and the weapon vehicle striking the cyclist after passing the stopped vehicle.

Also from CA is this report that the accused DUI hit-and-run driver that killed a cyclist was released from one jail only to be put in another. Accused OC DUI hit-and-run driver stays behind bars, and an ever-expanding list of local bike events

Up in the land of Rob Ford, a cyclist is hit but not killed. Cyclist injured in Vaughan hit-and-run, police seeking witnesses The bike was severely crushed in the wreck so I would call it a hit-from-behind even without a LEO report. The snowbanks on the side of the road moot the hit-from-behind protocols because there was no place a human could go on a bicycle except where he got hit, so I place some blame on the existing infrastructure. Getting the infrastructure right would prevent the wreck.

I think the culture is starting to change in Jolly Olde as witnessed by these two links. Racing driver jailed for Lancashire cyclist’s death and Racing driver jailed over cyclist’s death That’s right, nearly 2 years for killing a cyclist. I think perhaps a rising percentage of the judiciary cycling for transportation has crossed a critical mass, or just people whom they know, so that this has a personal resonance for the judges now.

A LEO in Spain is killed while riding his bike. Fuengirola policeman killed in traffic accident Hit-from-behind by an impaired driver, the narrative of the wreck does not appear to allow much time to react to the situation, but get the infrastructure right to prevent.

Infrastructure news from the UK. Cyclist collision database could save lives & reduce injuries, says medical charity – but it needs funding

I’m not sure how to classify these links other than appalling. Cabbies Keep Driving Despite Their Roles In Fatal Crashes and 95% Of NYC Drivers Avoid Criminal Charges After Fatal Crashes

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Advertisement