Seacost Century=FAIL

[emily_in_nc]

How awful!

Glad you are basically okay, crankin. Continue to heal up!

[Blueberry]

What an awful day! Like others have said, I hope you continue to recover well!

I am, however, wondering what in the world is going on with drivers. There have been so many hit and runs and other driver assaults on cyclists in my local area that it is becoming more than a little worrisome. As a society, we have to do something. I don't know what, but something.

[Fredwina]

That had to have been a horrible day. Hope you get better, and the families get some justice. It even made the Paper here in Albany(via AP) http://www.timesunion.com/default/ar...ge-4832985.php

[Crankin]

It's all over the local news this morning, that one of the victim's husband is telling the reporters that the police are treating this as "a criminal investigation."
Gee, how surprising.

[OakLeaf]

The sad thing is that it really is surprising, or at least unusual.

[sgf726]

Not sure if she was texting or not, allow that is what is currently being rumored. To add on to it, the driver was stopped hours earlier in the same area for speeding and driving without a license:

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/09/2...ad-no-license/

[eofelis]

I've been following this story as I'm from the Massachusetts North Shore area. I didn't know any of the riders, but they all lived close to Ipswich (where I am from).
What's with the police totally dropping the ball and not arresting this driver? Is she related to someone important?

We have had a sad week for bicyclists here. A cyclist who was touring through the area was hit and killed by a DUI driver who was on her way to a hearing for a previous DUI arrest. This was on a highway with a 10ft wide shoulder, rumble strips and over a mile of sight distance.
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/artic...or-dui-hearing

My bf and his friend felt strongly about this and put a ghost bike at the site.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Grand...69979643016667
The cycling community here never met the rider but wanted to show that we acknowledged him. The FB page with the ghost bike posting has gotten a lot of response from people who are friends and family of the rider who was from NJ.

[SheFly]

Glad you are ok, Crankin. What a terrible day all around.

Eofilis - it appears that since the woman never had a license, she could not be arrested. If she had a suspended or revoked license and were caught driving/speeding, that would have led to an immediate arrest. I'm reading too many stories recently about cyclists being on the wrong side of a run in with a car, and no charges being laid. We have sarcastically joked at our house that if you wanted to have someone killed, you should just put them on a bike and run them down with a car - you'd get away with it.

I think there will end up being criminal charges in this instance (at least I hope so). How someone, licensed or not, drives OVER the yellow line INTO oncoming traffic mowing down 4 riders and killing 2 without charges is beyond me.

My heartfelt sympathies to those who knew any of the victims. This is just too sad.

SheFly

[ridebikeme]

I'm sure at this point that there are many stories floating around about this tragic story. Today I heard from a friend that the young lady driving had been stopped earlier in the day and was found that she didn't have a license, the police officer told her that she needed to call someone to come and get the car and for them to drive her home. I will admit that it is a rather odd thing to hear, but time will tell whether it's actually the truth or not.

I was thinking about this today at work, and thought about all of the stories that I hear from people who ride motorcycles... lots of the same stories that we all talk about way too often. Here's my idea, cyclists should join forces with the motorcycle community and collectively maybe we can force legislators and police officers to make arrests and persue charges when cases like this arise. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[Crankin]

OK, she was arrested at around 5:30 PM.
She was drunk. And only 19 years old. Charged with 2 counts of manslaughter and 2 counts of aggravated assault.
The reason she was not arrested at the first stop is because in NH driving without a license is a violation, but not a criminal act.

[SheFly]

She wasn't drunk, or if she was, they aren't saying so - "Rockingham County Attorney Jim Reams declined to comment on where she was coming from, whether she had been texting at the time, or whether drugs or alcohol are considered to be factors in the crash." From the Seacoast Sentinel.

She has been arrested and charged with two counts of two counts of negligent homicide as well as two counts of second-degree assault.

Ridebikeme - what you heard is true - she had been stopped approx. 8 hour earlier for a speeding violation (59 mph in a 30 mph zone) in the same spot, and cited. She was not allowed, as an unlicensed driver, at that time to drive the vehicle and had to wait for a friend to drive the car. Driving without a license in NH is a violation, as Crankin says, but not criminal meaning she couldn't be arrested.

So sad all around. I've heard and read way too many stories in the past two days about cyclists being killed by inattentive drivers. Stay safe out there, my friends.

SheFly

[Crankin]

I wonder why I distinctly heard the reporter say "alchohol was involved." I think people are saying what they "think." There's been a lot of conjecture here, but I'm very glad the arrest was made.
The whole thing (my own stupid crash included) has just confirmed my growing dislike of large group events. I thought this would be OK because of the rolling start, but I don't need anything more to make me anxious when riding. Of course, the fatal incident could have happened with just one cyclist riding, and has nothing to do with my opinion here... it just makes me feel more cautious. Just about the only time I can take riding in a group is when I am leading/sweeping and I feel more in control.
I am going on a ride this afternoon, with one of my "slower" friends, so it's not like this is stopping me from getting out there. But, it's a good way for my first ride after the crash. And, Saturday, I am going on a group ride. One I led last year, but I am just going as a participant this year. The leader is someone I know and trust, as well as most of the riders... I will either stay in the front (most likely, given this group), or the back.

[ridebikeme]

Thanks for the update everyone! I still think that somehow we start some sort of action, cases like these are popping up all the time now... some are cyclists who somehow did something to initiate the accident, but others... well I don't need to say anything more. Anyone have any ideas?

[SheFly]

Thanks for the update everyone! I still think that somehow we start some sort of action, cases like these are popping up all the time now... some are cyclists who somehow did something to initiate the accident, but others... well I don't need to say anything more. Anyone have any ideas?

I'm thinking that it's time for the car/phone manufacturers to come up with a way to disable the phones while a vehicle is moving. Ten years ago (ok, maybe 15), NONE of us ever talked on the phone in our cars, and we managed just fine.

SheFly

[OakLeaf]

But phone use is a symptom, not a cause, of people not feeling they need to take any responsibility while they're behind the wheel. As I've said many times before, running has been a revelation to me, because I get to face traffic and watch what drivers do, and most of the 20% or so who target fixate on me are NOT on their phones.

As much as I was uncomfortable with MADD's tactics at the time, they were plainly effective in changing the culture around drunk driving. I think a similar effort is what's called for here. Court-packing, prosecutor-harassing, letter-writing, the whole business, and for victims of ALL negligent drivers, not just the ones who happened to be extra vulnerable before the driver hit them. And making vehicular homicide a strict liability offense just like every other traffic offense.