Breaking News - 2 struck by dumptruck, 1 killed on Eastlake

[Susan126]

That is one of the biggest bike car accidents. When a cyclist wants to continue through an intersection and a vehicle wants to turn right. That is why I am sooooooooo cautious when biking through an intersection. I normally will get just behind a vehicle and continue straight then once through pull over again to the right. I also look back at any car behind me and try . . . I say try to make eye contact and pedal through. I try to make my intentions as obvious as I can.

How sad. So young. I thank God every time I finish a ride safe, for me, Joe, and my daughter.

Oh and watch out for people text messaging while driving. Scary!!!!! I read a story where a young man hit a 63 year old bicyclist while he was texting a friend. The driver was only 17 and had his license for only 4 months! Sad! He swerved right while texting and hit the bicyclist at 60 mph!

[sgtiger]

A ghostbike was placed in Brice Lewis's memory. Read more about him from his uncle here (scroll down to the comments section):
http://seattle.metblogs.com/archives...c_inters.phtml

[Eden]

So sad - I was one of the commentors on Cascade about how dangerous that intersection is. The cyclist, having just moved here may not have even been aware of what was around that corner when he came down the hill and into the very dangerous bike lane, he was just doing as he was supposed to and following the lane. I can see how it would be very easy for the cyclist to be going too fast to stop and for the truck driver to have not seen him, even if he did look first.
Maybe this will prompt the city to look a little more carefully about how they design bike lanes and traffic flow, so they are not putting cyclists and drivers in these precarious situations in the first place. I am in total agreement that the intersection needs a dedicated right hand turn lane with either the bike lane ending, so having cyclists take the lane throught that section, or moving the bike lane to the left of the right hand turn lane.

[TsPoet]

I just read the King link, which I think has been updated because it includes the cyclist's name. It also includes this quote

"He made an emergency right hand turn as sharp as he could to avoid the dump truck, but he was going way too fast. Shouldn't have been trying to pass a dump truck on the right hand side on the curb to begin with," said witness Doug Edwards.

!!! - I'm not from Seattle, but am I right in understanding that the cyclist was in a bike lane and not "trying to pass on the right" - if so, this guy needs educated and the article should never have quoted him without pointing that out! this is scary, if I understand the situation right.
I, too, have had trouble with cars passing me, then making sharp right turns in front of me - I never thought of it as this guy obviously does - like I'm trying to pass on the right and the car has the right to cut me off.