OMG..no.... Two local cyclists killed..third seriously wounded

[BabyBlueNTulsa]

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=10505050

I know the man who was seriously injured and in surgery tonight and know OF the two who were killed.. Both were bright, happy, selfless people.

I am devastated.

I use this same road quite often.. its a four lane highway (not ever "busy") with a WIDE shoulder..and its used by cyclists ALL THE TIME.

I read you guys post these stories more often than any of us would like..but to have it hit home... OMG.. I just can't even process this.

A very good friend of mine just got emails from the victims this morning. He is in a state of shock. All of us in the area are in a state of disbelief at the sensless killing of two (hopefully not three) good friends.

Why the H do people continue to drink and drive?? GD it... :( :( :(

[BabyBlueNTulsa]

http://www.kjrh.com/content/news/2viewgc/story/Double-fatal-accident-shuts-down-highway/ReMp2sE4LUKaBhsmf3VuAA.cspx

video story...


:(

[Zen]

Why the H do people continue to drink and drive?? GD it... :( :( :(

Because they laws aren't strict enough. This is probably not this womans first offense if this is any indication:

"she didn't know she had hit anybody and had to be flagged down by a motorist witness"


How horrible.

[BabyBlueNTulsa]

I have ridden with the survivor.. He is so so so very nice. ... a local team racer... I pray he makes it after surgery AND recovers.


I just won't ever understand why people turn to alcohol (or drugs) as a coping mechanism. It never works...and usually can make things infinitely worse if given half a chance..


Don't DRINK and drive!!!! Buy a freekin bicycle <ride it> and cogitate on your life... disbelief turning into anger already.... gawd...

[Groundhog]

I'm so sorry for all the victims and their families. My heart goes out to them.

[Reesha]

That's horrifying :(

DUI laws need to be tougher and more carefully enforced everywhere... it's the only way you'll actually curb the occurrence.

Seems this was mid day but on another note, bars should have breathalyzer machines as a free service for patrons on their way out. If people actually choose see the number, it might make a difference.

[Zen]

If she was that far gone at that time of day she is likely a serious alcoholic and was drinking at home.
Or while driving around :mad:

[msincredible]

So sorry to hear the terrible news. :(

[crazycanuck]

Oh dear :mad: :(

I'm sorry to hear about the accident. I hope you'll continue to support the injured rider.

Some things just do not make sense..*shakes head*

[papaver]

this is so sad.

[jesvetmed]

How absolutely terrible. My thoughts are with the families and the survivor. Hope to hear good news on that one from you.

[deeaimond]

This is really tragic and sad. For the two lives lost, the families, even for this woman who has to live with what she has done. If she was drunk at 4 in the afternoon she must have some serious problems.

I was looking through the comments on the first link, and i'm amazed at the animosity some people have for cyclists. Unfortunately, to non-cyclists, all kinds of cyclists are lumped in the same category. I think thats the problem. They don't really have any clue what we're doing.

(Honestly, I always fear something like this might happen to me, and have my parents have to deal with the aftermath. But I tell myself at least I'm living life to the fullest, doing something I like. When we cycle on the road, these are the risks we're taking.)

[OakLeaf]

I'm so sorry to hear that. :(

[tctrek]

It's hard to believe that people drive drunk. The amount of accidents and deaths caused by drunk drivers is proof that the DUI laws are too lenient. I think if you kill someone while driving drunk that it is murder. Period.

[itself]

We have a zero tolerance for alcohol here in Arizona. In fact, Charles Barclay, NBA star, was recently put in "tent" city here after an offense, a place you just don't want to go to...rats everywhere.

If you get a DUI here in AZ, six months in jail, and a five thousand dollar fine. Many of course, go to an attorney but still end up in tent city.

This incident is so senseless. Hopefully the driver will get vehicular homicide and spend a lot of time in jail...

Lisa

[shootingstar]

I'm sorry to hear of this tragedy. Let us know how the woman is charged.

[cmac77354]

Prayers to the families of those who lost their lives and to the survivor.

[fidlfreek]

This makes me so angry. I agree that this should be murder, not manslaughter. But the article makes it seem like manslaughter is the way they're going. Its all about intent, unfortunately I don't think recklessness counts...Maybe there's an attorney in the house who can clear this up....


Borland was being held in the Tulsa County jail on two complaints of first-degree manslaughter.

[kenyonchris]

This makes me so angry. I agree that this should be murder, not manslaughter. But the article makes it seem like manslaughter is the way they're going. Its all about intent, unfortunately I don't think recklessness counts...Maybe there's an attorney in the house who can clear this up....

Not an attorney (I'm a cop), but in TEXAS (and many other states) you can be charged with "Intoxication Manslaughter"...which is what this would be. In Texas, it is a second degree felony, regardless of whether it is a first time offender or not. You can, by the way, also be charged with Intoxication Assault (operating a vehicle, boat, aircraft, or amusement park ride while intoxicated and causing serious bodily injury to another while doing it).
In intoxication crimes, there is no intent needed.
How terribly sad for these cyclists.

[BabyBlueNTulsa]

Sorry I haven't come back on sooner. For some reason, I wasn't getting post reply emails on this thread. Ugh...

My fellow cycling community and I are all still very shaken up by this tragedy. For me, I wish alcohol related fatalities could be tried as murder. Manslaughter just implies "accident" and this was no accident. She decided to get loaded and get behind the wheel (again). She can risk her own life by drinking and taking drugs (there is talk she abuses xanax as well - I don't know how true all that is)...but when she gets behind the wheel, she puts innocent lives at risk. NO ONE has the right to remove someone else's safety. Its no accident when you impair yourself and then kill someone while driving. Its a consequence. She might as well have pulled a gun and shot our friends.

Christa's funeral was this morning. Matt's is on Tuesday in Arkansas (where his family lives). I found out that Matt had worked at the company where I do. He was laid off a few months ago due to the Oil and Gas market downturn (along with the rest of the economy). Even more sadness to the story, you know? I proably saw him many times in the lobby but just didn't recognize him without his team kit and helmet on. Christa was a luminous lady...always smiling and lifting others up. I should strive to be more like her..

Sad sad sad. I cannot bring myself to go ride...esp not alone as I usually do. At some point, I need to bolster my emotions and just ride. I just can't bring myself to do it yet.

[BabyBlueNTulsa]

P.S. Bourland was allowed to BOND OUT for only 100,000! This was at least her 2nd DUI offense and she's caused two fatalities this time! I don't understand why our legal system runs the way it does. She's a repeat offender and now a (excuse me) murderer. She's free on bail..and Christa n Matt are gone. Not right...


John (the survivor) is recovering best that he can. He did not have to have surgery has was originally told to a lot of us. He had about 62 stiches in his back and was released to go home. He's married and has 2 children.. Neither Matt nor Christa was married or had children, but both had significant others who are now left devastated like John. I know John best of the three, but I haven't wanted to ask him about all this out of respect. People closer to him have said he is completely grief stricken at the loss of his two friends/teammates. He doesn't remember all of what happened. That has to be a good thing.

[BabyBlueNTulsa]

If she was that far gone at that time of day she is likely a serious alcoholic and was drinking at home.
Or while driving around :mad:

There was an open container in her suv... and the officers said she smelled STRONGLY of alcohol right after the crash. She was also disoriented. If you've seen pictures of her vehicle, you'd really question how she couldn't know she'd hit "something". If she really didn't, you KNOW she was seriously impaired.

[BabyBlueNTulsa]

I just received this from a local riding group list:

Open Letter to the Tulsa World
Posted by: "atwheelsy" atwheelsy@yahoo.com atwheelsy
Fri Jun 12, 2009 12:49 pm (PDT)


On Tuesday, three friends were hit while riding their bikes on Hwy 51. Two were killed.

Subsequently, there were several stories in the Tulsa World about that tragic event.

Attached to these stories were comments by some very angry people about how bicyclists, some how, deserve it, or are just asking for it.

I have drafted the attached letter (See: below w/o formatting) to send to the editor.

I would like for those that wish to sign their names with me on this letter to let me know (Okpeloton@yahoo. com) before I submit it to the TW editor.

Please forward to whom ever you think may want to be a part of this.

If you wish to donate to a memorial fund for Matt and Christa, click on
the link below to go to a Paypal account set up for them. Donations will
be handed over to the two families to offset costs of bills associated
with this tragedy.

http://tinyurl. com/nwqcen

You can also go to any local Bank of Oklahoma branch and donate in person
to the Edmonds & Voss Memorial Fund

Please forward to any other folks as you see fit.

Body of Letter:

On May 29-31, the Tulsa Tough Ride and Race thrilled audiences with grueling bike racing through the heart of our fair city and Herculean rides around surrounding communities. There was even a townie ride for families to take part. The response from audiences, racers and riders was nothing short of ecstatic about the future for bicycles in and around Tulsa.
So that's why the events of this past Tuesday are so hard to fathom than they would normally be.
Three people were exercising on Highway 51 in Sand Springs, not only their bodies but their right to ride on the thoroughfares of Oklahoma. They had as much right to be there as anybody else according to Oklahoma Statutes.
They simply chose to ride a bicycle rather than in an automobile.
Then someone used their car to kill two of them while injuring the third.
There have been allegations that alcohol or other substances may have been a contributing factor in this tragedy. Open containers of alcohol were found in the SUV.
Now we await the blood tests of the driver to determine if further criminal charges are warranted.
In the multitude of stories written in your paper since that event, there have been a slew of comments in your web edition about the lawlessness of bicycles and that those that choose to ride a bike "have it coming". The comments are sometimes unaware of the most basic precepts of traffic law while others have been seething in anger at bicyclists while ignoring that the only crime alleged has been that of the driver's.
Lost amongst the vitriolic comments about bicycles were three victims. I chose not to include the driver as a victim as many feel that she committed the worst crime imaginable and furious she has bonded out of jail, free to commit the same heinous act again.
Christa Voss's funeral was on Saturday in Owasso. We gathered to celebrate her life and try to make sense of the tragic end to such a promising future.
Matthew Edmond's funeral is Tuesday in Arkansas. We will do the same thing there.
The survivor has been scarred physically and emotionally for the rest of his life.
We, as bicyclists, share the same roads as motorists. We share the same responsibilities as well as the same rights enjoyed by those in an automobile.
What is most troubling, however, is the anger which we deal with almost daily from some motorists. A bicyclist is defenseless as the three victims in this instance were. Should a motorist choose to act on their most base and abhorrent nature, we do not know, most often, until it is too late.
We share stories about glass bottles being thrown at us, horns blared a few feet from our tire, and obscenities shouted at us all for merely riding a bicycle. There generally is no recourse as the car is traveling too fast or we are too startled to record a license plate.
It has reached a level that some are too scared for their safety, fearful of leaving their spouse a widow or widower and children orphaned, to ride their bike on public roads. Some bicyclists have gone the other way, looking for guns to slip into their jersey pockets.
Have we reached the point as a nation where we cannot leave our house because we fear our neighbors? Are motorists really that angry at a bicycle?
On Tuesday, we lost two bright, young individuals that Oklahoma could use more of, not less.
We, the undersigned, ask that every motorist please treat us as they would their neighbor, brother, sister, mother, father, daughter, son or friend. And allow us to arrive home to our families and friends safe as you would want for your own family and friends.
We ask that each and every motorist take a few seconds out of their drive and please exercise caution and care.
We ask to use the same roads and share the same responsibilities and rights as you do.
We merely ask for what the founding fathers stated almost 233 years ago and the most basic principle of this great nation:
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
The Edmonds and Voss Memorial Fund has been set up at the Bank of Oklahoma. You can donate at any BOK branch or use PayPal: http://tinyurl. com/nwqcen
Donations will be handed over to the two families to offset the costs of bills associated with this tragedy.

____________
Is it any wonder I'm afraid to ride? I've been reading way too many of those public forum comments on the news sites. I need to STOP.

[Zen]

I've been reading way too many of those public forum comments on the news sites. I need to STOP.

Yes, you do. I hate those comment sections. What was intended as a forum for intelligent public discourse is anything but. It doesn't matter what the subject is, the comments devolve into sheer ignorance and name calling. I wish the papers would just disable them completely.

[sundial]

BabyBlue, this is just tragic. I am so very sorry for the loss of your friends and I pray that this will embolden cyclists in your region to take a stand for what's rightfully theirs--their safety.

I know you are in shock right now and you are feeling vulnerable. Can you find a quiet location to ride--either on a path or trail?

My thoughts are with you and the victims' families.

[Tuckervill]

I didn't know that Matt and Christa had ties to Arkansas until I arrived at the Arkansas State Road Race this morning to drive lead vehicle. Many of the racers and organizers had ridden with Matt on the Tyson racing team. Others knew Christa from events and racing.

The Arkansas State Road Race began with a silent neutral start, in Matt and Christa's memory. An inscription was placed on the hardest hill so we could remember them once again.

There will be a Ride of Silence on Monday in Fayetteville, AR, in their memory, as well. (6:30 p.m., Holt Middle School).

Karen

[BabyBlueNTulsa]

I didn't know that Matt and Christa had ties to Arkansas until I arrived at the Arkansas State Road Race this morning to drive lead vehicle. Many of the racers and organizers had ridden with Matt on the Tyson racing team. Others knew Christa from events and racing.

The Arkansas State Road Race began with a silent neutral start, in Matt and Christa's memory. An inscription was placed on the hardest hill so we could remember them once again.

There will be a Ride of Silence on Monday in Fayetteville, AR, in their memory, as well. (6:30 p.m., Holt Middle School).

Karen


Oh gosh, that is really really nice. Both of them were really kind and well-liked.

[Tri Girl]

This is so tragic. I walked to the nearest BOK on Friday and donated a little to their fund. The teller is a cyclist and knew all about it. He said he lived in Tulsa and had ridden that road many times. He was shocked. That road is much like the highway I ride on (10 ft shoulder, light traffic, heavily traveled by cyclists).
They were doing nothing wrong and were murdered. So many scars are left on those still here dealing with it.

Our legal system is incredibly frustrating. You kill a cyclist and it's just a slap on the wrist. She had driven drunk before. She should have the book thrown at her and have many years in prison to sober up and contemplate her very bad decision. I feel for her too (don't pounce me). Her incredibly devastating decision that day murdered two people and changed hundreds of lives; that can't be an easy thing to live with for the rest of your life. She'll have to deal with that until her death.
My only hope is that some good will come of their deaths... whatever that may be.

[Tuckervill]

Today we hosted the Team Lewis & Clark Criterium as a follow up to the Arkansas State Road Race. People were there from Tulsa, and some of our team members who also raced with Christa, Matt and John. I got to hear some wonderful things about Christa. My teammate had spent a week in Colorado with Christa recently. Once again, the three of them were honored and remembered by tributes during the races, including wearing of special jerseys in their honor, and their names inscribed on the course.

Karen

[BabyBlueNTulsa]

That is really heartwarming. Thank you SO much for sharing. I'm guessing some of the BOT team (her teammates) were there? Matt's funeral is Tuesday over that way.



You know, there is such great love within our sport. Don't you wish more people would ride? The world could learn a lot.

[Tuckervill]

Yes, it was Cindy and Doug--I hesitate to put out their last names, but that should be enough for anyone who knows them.

Karen

[twin]

I am shocked at this horrific situation. We need to change our laws and the driver needs to pay for this crime. I am so sorry for the family and friends of these riders. I used to live in Tulsa and I am very familar with the area they were riding. It is an area that is ridden my many many cyclist. Its just so sad. In Norman a cyclist a few weeks ago was hit by a truck and has 16 broken bones and will have many surgeries and difficult days ahead. So so sad.

[BabyBlueNTulsa]

Yes, it was Cindy and Doug--I hesitate to put out their last names, but that should be enough for anyone who knows them.

Karen

Thanks Karen.

I went by the ghost bikes yesterday (Monday) and spent a little time thinking about/praying for them. It was more cathardic (sp?) than I thought itd be. People had been leaving pictures, Gu packets, Tulsa Tough cowbells, flowers and other momentos. Very touching. Before I left, I took a knee, crossed myself and said my goodbyes.

It should not have been...but we must all go on riding.

There is a group, Im' sure, who are planning to help push for stricter laws. I'm definitely going to join them and do anything I can to help.

P.S. Also nice to note... ALL cars gave us wide berth yesterday - everywhere.

[PscyclePath]

Matt had many friends here in the central Arkansas cycling community as well... I'm sorry that I didn't know him, but that's one of the problems we have with our short stay in this life.

I spent the early morning hour planting a ghost bike for a rider we lost here last weekend... Another young feller who left a grieving wife and three little kids behind. It'll take a little lead time, but one thing I've resolved to do before I pedal off this mortal coil is to work for a vulnerable user law here in Arkansas, and help close off an avenue to what is, in essence, legal murder by vehicle.

[kenyonchris]

Matt had many friends here in the central Arkansas cycling community as well... I'm sorry that I didn't know him, but that's one of the problems we have with our short stay in this life.

I spent the early morning hour planting a ghost bike for a rider we lost here last weekend... Another young feller who left a grieving wife and three little kids behind. It'll take a little lead time, but one thing I've resolved to do before I pedal off this mortal coil is to work for a vulnerable user law here in Arkansas, and help close off an avenue to what is, in essence, legal murder by vehicle.

I feel so badly for the families of these poor riders. It is tragic. Trust me, I am the FIRST to be incredibly frustrated with the legal system in prosecuting DWIs. I very recently went to court on an arrest I made almost a year ago at 7PM, the woman was going 54 in a 45, swerving in and out of traffic (driving behavior caught on my dash cam as well). I did the field sobriety and she failed miserably...she looked jacked up on video, she sounded it, she smelled like it, her eyes bounced around like ping pong balls (something only head trauma or some depressants (ie alcohol) can induce). She had an open container in her car. I arrested her. At the jail, I asked her if she wished to submit a sample of her breath....it is optional, a subject does not have to. She wanted my advice on whether or not she SHOULD, and of course, made very little sense, being very drunk. I could not advise her if she should or should not, of course, i just informed her of what would happen if she did, what would happen if she did not (her license is suspended if she does not, while the case awaits prosecution, if she blows over.08 it is suspended. If she blows under, she is released). She finally said, "I am not drunk, go ahead take my blood." I was asking for breath, not blood. The jury thought I should have taken the blood she offered, even though that is not policy or law. Blood samples are taken if we suspect drugs or other substances, not alcohol. She was found not guilty on this technicality. UGH!!!!!!!!! That should NOT happen.

Having said that, I still ride my bike. I know that I am vulnerable, to drunk drivers, distracted drivers, teenage drivers, stupid drivers, sleepy drivers, blind turns, my own dumb stupidity, rocks, cracks, flats, mechanical failures on cars, mechanical failures on my bike. If I am unlucky enough to be hit, negligently or accidentally, at least I have lived a full, active life. It doesn't make it any better, but those people are out there, I work to take them off the streets every single day, and I will NOT be held hostage by them. If I encounter one on my bike and come out the loser for it, then I was doing something I love and refuse to give up even though the other half exists and always will, no matter how many people I stop, warn, caution, cite, arrest, and testify against. My own risk and vulnerability is something I accept, it doesn't make tragic outcomes any less tragic, but I would hope the my loved ones knew that I loved what I do every time I get on a bike and venture out there...

[BabyBlueNTulsa]

KC, I'd like to shake your hand AND give you a huge bear hug. Well said..and Thank You for helping to try getting these lowlife people off the road.


I feel so badly for the families of these poor riders. It is tragic. Trust me, I am the FIRST to be incredibly frustrated with the legal system in prosecuting DWIs. I very recently went to court on an arrest I made almost a year ago at 7PM, the woman was going 54 in a 45, swerving in and out of traffic (driving behavior caught on my dash cam as well). I did the field sobriety and she failed miserably...she looked jacked up on video, she sounded it, she smelled like it, her eyes bounced around like ping pong balls (something only head trauma or some depressants (ie alcohol) can induce). She had an open container in her car. I arrested her. At the jail, I asked her if she wished to submit a sample of her breath....it is optional, a subject does not have to. She wanted my advice on whether or not she SHOULD, and of course, made very little sense, being very drunk. I could not advise her if she should or should not, of course, i just informed her of what would happen if she did, what would happen if she did not (her license is suspended if she does not, while the case awaits prosecution, if she blows over.08 it is suspended. If she blows under, she is released). She finally said, "I am not drunk, go ahead take my blood." I was asking for breath, not blood. The jury thought I should have taken the blood she offered, even though that is not policy or law. Blood samples are taken if we suspect drugs or other substances, not alcohol. She was found not guilty on this technicality. UGH!!!!!!!!! That should NOT happen.

Having said that, I still ride my bike. I know that I am vulnerable, to drunk drivers, distracted drivers, teenage drivers, stupid drivers, sleepy drivers, blind turns, my own dumb stupidity, rocks, cracks, flats, mechanical failures on cars, mechanical failures on my bike. If I am unlucky enough to be hit, negligently or accidentally, at least I have lived a full, active life. It doesn't make it any better, but those people are out there, I work to take them off the streets every single day, and I will NOT be held hostage by them. If I encounter one on my bike and come out the loser for it, then I was doing something I love and refuse to give up even though the other half exists and always will, no matter how many people I stop, warn, caution, cite, arrest, and testify against. My own risk and vulnerability is something I accept, it doesn't make tragic outcomes any less tragic, but I would hope the my loved ones knew that I loved what I do every time I get on a bike and venture out there...

[kenyonchris]

KC, I'd like to shake your hand AND give you a huge bear hug. Well said..and Thank You for helping to try getting these lowlife people off the road.

Come to the HHH and its a deal!!

[andtckrtoo]

In light of this thread - I was rather appalled at this conviction - http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/16/florida.nfl.player.plea/index.html

How can he get 30 days in jail and house arrest, but still be able to play NFL football (oh yeah, and that "painful" $2500 to MAAD)?

And we wonder why people such as the woman who hit these cyclists don't think at all about drinking and driving?

[OakLeaf]

Heck, the woman who killed the rider on TOSRV and then took off last year, only got 60 days, and she wasn't even famous. Sadly, I don't think Stallworth got preferential treatment. :(

[jobob]

Having said that, I still ride my bike. I know that I am vulnerable, to drunk drivers, distracted drivers, teenage drivers, stupid drivers, sleepy drivers, blind turns, my own dumb stupidity, rocks, cracks, flats, mechanical failures on cars, mechanical failures on my bike. If I am unlucky enough to be hit, negligently or accidentally, at least I have lived a full, active life. It doesn't make it any better, but those people are out there, I work to take them off the streets every single day, and I will NOT be held hostage by them. If I encounter one on my bike and come out the loser for it, then I was doing something I love and refuse to give up even though the other half exists and always will, no matter how many people I stop, warn, caution, cite, arrest, and testify against. My own risk and vulnerability is something I accept, it doesn't make tragic outcomes any less tragic, but I would hope the my loved ones knew that I loved what I do every time I get on a bike and venture out there...

Wow. Very, very well said.