WOW let's be careful out there!

[singletrackmind]

A college girl in MO lost part of her leg and her jaw was broken among other critical injuries when she was hit by a car and sent under a utility truck. It took a quarter hour to extract her. She ran a red light.

What I got from Queen's post was to think a bit about the rules that some of us riders tend to skirt. Like stopping at lights when you don't think there are any cars-or in Queen's post, trains. Like Denise, I feel awful for the people I believe to be the victims of both these crashes, the drivers of the vehicles that resulted in the ruin. I don't think I'd ever be the same person again even though it wouldn't have been my fault. I feel terrible for the family members of the deceased and the broken. I think about how often I am tempted to-and occasionally have-broken the rules too and am glad I haven't met the same fate. Betagirl's right, it is a bit of Darwinism. Not on the awards level by any means but I don't think it's harsh to point that out. I certainly don't believe either person "deserved" their fate but they each laid an easily avoidable path to it. Queen's right too, be careful out there. Don't be a victim of yourself just from neglecting simple safety rules, like the 'don't use your hands and bodyweight to unclog the tree grinding machine'! THAT happens disturbingly often.

Ok, now I'm just rambling...

[Kimred]

These post are way to judgemental. Let's just look at this terrible accident for what it is and hopefully it will prevent others from making the same mistake. Nobody know's what was going threw her mind and why she did what she did, let's just learn from it and not judge. If we all started judging eachother on mistakes we make in life it would be a harsh world to live in.

[Lynne]

Hmmmm...really, I can see both sides of this issue. Initially I agreed about the Darwinism thing. If you go out of your way to disregard so MANY safety precautions, then it was unfortunately an eventuality not an accident.

On the other hand, I can think of so many times when I've left a candle burning or moved a pot off a burner thinking I'd turned it off, but left it on. It's so very easy to do that, and that makes me think the person gathering cans probably WAS homeless and tired and trying to get some money together. Gathering cans, bending over all the time like that, wandering around on your feet all day, that's not easy. That's a hard way to earn five cents. So yes, I felt the comment about that person's death was a bit too cynical.

Overall, I agree with the original sentiment. Especially for bike commuting; it's so easy to be tired at the end of the day, riding home, assuming that the car turning right actually sees you and won't turn in front of you. We need to be careful and I would hope none of us are eventualities rather than accidents waiting to happen.