Another Fallen Rider

[Norse]

I bet the driver didn't even look. Very sad: http://www.startribune.com/local/454...iaMDCinchO7DUs

[Reesha]

Very sad Especially heartbreaking that he was in a sanctioned bike lane when the accident happened! I don't ever see a bike lane during my 12 mile commute... I can only hope that a truck/car doesn't turn into me one day! All the more reason for us commuters to make sure we are highly visible... even if it means wearing flashy fluorescent jackets and obnoxious blinky tail lights.

I hope that this accident increases bicycle awareness in the twin cities!

[badgercat]

Just a further reminder that no matter what we do, we're (unfortunately) never 100% safe--even if we're on bike routes with bike lanes.

I can only hope that this cyclist's suffering was not lengthy.

[smilingcat]

Never be complacent. Always stay alert and maintain situational awareness. Car drivers may look directly at you (make an eye contact) and still not register in their head and just pull out in front of you. Or they may not realize how fast you are traveling!!

Bike lanes in Southern California are routinely used as an extra car lane. The drivers will even honk and tail gate you. So yeah!!! scary. And only once 1985? 1986??, a motorcycle officer pulled over a car that was tail gating me in the bike lane and gave the driver a ticket. I stopped and made sure that the driver got a ticket. I do remember driver saying that the bikes don't belong on the road and was arguing with the officer. Not smart!!

[papaver]

We call those 'dead corner' accidents. You really have to be aware that truckdrivers can't see everything. Those accidents happen really frequently in our country. We've tried to overcome this situation with special mirrors and camera's but still there remains a risk.

A good friend of mine lost a leg many years ago because of such an accident.

I always stay behind a truck or I stand in front of the truck so he can see mee.

[Brandy]

Or they may not realize how fast you are traveling!!

I think that this is a HUGE factor. I just don't think that people have ANY clue whatsoever how fast we ride at times and figure that they can make that move faster than we will reach them.

[Jiffer]

I almost had the same thing happen to me the other day. Luckily not a big truck like that, though. I was nearing the end of a 75 ride to Del Mar (The first day of Fiesta 150). I was going downhill at a pretty decent speed. I was in a bike lane, which was changing from solid to a broken line for cars turning right at the upcoming signal. There was a car turning right, but plenty far ahead of me. However, I wondered what the guy to my left was gonna do. Was HE going to turn right and would he do it right into me? Just as I saw his front right blinker on, he started getting over, right where I was. Luckily I was prepared for that possibility. I stuck my hand out to try to get his attention and swerved out to the right to avoid him. It happened quickly and I was passed him and into the intersection. Freaked out all my friends, who were behind me yelling furiously during the whole thing. I asked my friend later what the driver actually did, because I didn't really know. She said he did see me at one point and stopped getting over.

I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt by saying maybe I was in his blind spot, but my friends, who watched the whole thing, said he was just an idiot and should have seen me. He DID just pass a whole ton of cyclists, so he should have been aware. Good thing I was aware for both of us.

Dh mentioned a good thing to do if the car is within arm's length is to bang on the car to get the driver's attention. I don't think that would have worked in my situation, but something to remember.

ALWAYS RIDE DEFENSIVELY!!!

[tctrek]

This is scary stuff... and so senseless and so sad that cyclists lose their life or limb in the bike lane.

[WindingRoad]

This nearly happened to me with a school bus turning immediately after getting to the left of me and then turning right. I was just riding along and the next thing I knew there was a big yellow school bus about five feet directly in front of me. I reacted fast by bunny hopping the curve clear up onto the sidewalk and then ran up in someone's yard to avoid getting ran over by the back of the school bus. There was no time to think, my instincts kicked in and I just tried to get away from the bus as fast as I could. I was lucky but I can see how easily this poor guy could have been hit. Basically the bike lane puts you in that same position next to the truck just like I was with the bus and it is so dangerous. That article was so sad to read.

[runningteach]

That is very sad and the rider was in the bike lane.

[Reesha]

We call those 'dead corner' accidents. You really have to be aware that truckdrivers can't see everything. Those accidents happen really frequently in our country. We've tried to overcome this situation with special mirrors and camera's but still there remains a risk.

A good friend of mine lost a leg many years ago because of such an accident.

I always stay behind a truck or I stand in front of the truck so he can see mee.

I used to live in Brugge, and I can only imagine how bad some accidents are considering how few people wear helmets regularly!!!

[papaver]

I used to live in Brugge, and I can only imagine how bad some accidents are considering how few people wear helmets regularly!!!

It's changing... slowly but surely.

[OakLeaf]

I just don't accept that in that situation "they don't know how fast we're going."

They just passed us. They know how fast they were going before they passed, and they know how much they had to accelerate to get by us.

So saying they didn't know, pardon me but that's BS. It's just like they say "they don't see us," when the truth is that (as I say so often) they don't see school buses, garbage trucks or brick buildings at T-intersections, either. It's just that when the victim is a bicyclist, "I didn't know how fast they were going" or "I didn't see them" is accepted as an excuse by law enforcement and triers of fact.

[Tri Girl]

That's so terribly sad. I'm so sorry for his family...
We can never go into automatic pilot on the bike, and even when we are paying the closest attention; accidents can still happen. It's so sad.

[Reesha]

I think it's a good thing that we can't really zone out. People (including myself) zone out all the time in our cars because it gives us a false sense of security but when I'm on the bike I'm 100% alert at all times.