Commuting - Biker killed in downtown Kansas City

This appears to be how it happened, and there is a lesson there for all of us.

Rider is waiting for a green light to cross an intersection in the crosswalk. Cement truck pulls alongside, planning to make a right turn. Light turns green. Truck pulls into the intersection, planning to make a wide right turn. Rider waits. Truck is halfway into its turn, then stops.

Rider assumes that the truck has stopped to defer to him, so he starts across the street in the crosswalk. However, the truck really stopped so the driver could reassess whether he was far enough out into the intersection for his rear tires to clear the curb when he started into his right turn.

Truck starts up again, not seeing the rider, who now is right at the right front bumper of the truck, and knocks down the rider. Truck driver continues to be oblivious to the presence of the downed rider, and completes his turn. As he does so, his double rear wheels go over the rider before he can get up from his fall.

The rider was very experienced, and even had done long distance cross-country riding. My lesson from this is, if you haven't actually made eye contact with the driver, assume he still hasn't seen you.

I don't know how the law is coming down on this, seeing how it was a cyclists in a crosswalk, as municipal and state laws vary. But one thing is for sure; if the guy had run over a pedestrian or motorized wheel chair he would be in a world of trouble.

With that said; I was recently involved in a collision while riding in a sidewalk against traffic. Thank God I wasn't killed, but I was knocked out and taken away unconscious in an ambulance. I can't remember the collision at all. One moment I was turning for home and the next I was fortunate enough to wake up in the hospital. I didn't see any bright lights or anything, but I've wondered since how close I came to buying the farm. And it has changed the way I think about riding for sure.

DanO

Just awful. Did you know the guy?
At least once a week, somebody turns into my space. You get complacent; I know I do. You shout, "Yo!" and move on. Gotta remember that being in the right doesn't mean anything if you're under somebody's wheels.

This reminds me of something I did yesterday that, on re-examination, was pretty stupid. I was on 14th Street, in the right turn lane, approaching a red light. Instead of un-clipping (as I would normally do), I stayed clipped in and simply leaned againts a truck stopped in the middle lane. Looking down at those big, double wheels, I was thinking that a small mistake on my part could have catostrophic results. Just as I thought about pushing away, the light turned green and I rode off with traffic. I'm not sure whether or not the driver saw me in his sideview mirror, but I guess that was a little too casual an attitude given that it was 14th Street, D.C., and a large truck. I won't be doing that again.

I have no trust of vehicles on my left. I will always prefer to lose speed / time to let a car get ahead if it means I can be sure it won't make a right into my path. Sounds like the guy who got hit is much the same, but didn't read the situation right. Perfectly awful. :( Trust no one!

Man, that's awful. I was just riding in KC last week.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/14811479.htm

I had a big city truck with a trailer side up to me yesterday at a light while I was riding in the street. He knew I was there, however -- I gave him the eye. Still, he tried to pass me on a narrow street for no good reason -- makes your blood boil. Be safe everyone.

... My lesson from this is, if you haven't actually made eye contact with the driver, assume he still hasn't seen you.

Even if you make eye contact, still assume they have'nt seen you.

Terrible. Reminds us how much danger we are used to.

Be safe, everyone.

Rip

I avoid moving in front of any vehicle who's hood is taller than I am on my bike! If one stops in front of me, I'll go behind it before I'll go in front.

Rider is waiting for a green light to cross an intersection in the crosswalk.
...
The rider was very experienced Anybody else finding these two statements contradictory?

I can't, however, say that his pedestrian-style riding contributed to the collision. He could easily have been a pedestrian. I wish people watched where they went, especially if they're accompanied by many tons of metal...

I was thinking just this morning that I approach an intersecction like every car is going to run the light or stop sign and take me out. So I take the proper steps to insure that if they do I won't be in the intersection to greet them.

My first reaction was "jeez what a chicken!!!", then I thought "you know that's what keeps me alive and on my bike". So if I'm a chicken at least I get across the road...

I can't, however, say that his pedestrian-style riding contributed to the collision.

Have you ever waited -- first vehicle at the light -- and the light will not change? You have to dismount, walk to the sidewalk, press the pedestrian cross button and then -- of course -- you can't get back in the lane? What do you do?

Have you ever waited -- first vehicle at the light -- and the light will not change? You have to dismount, walk to the sidewalk, press the pedestrian cross button and then -- of course -- you can't get back in the lane? What do you do? Actually getting into the lane from sidewalk/crosswalk is something I really dislike doing. There is often no space to go in front or to the side of the line of cars. So in the situation you describe I do the following:

If there are other cars waiting in the line, I'll move a bit beyond the line at which I'm supposed to stop and motion the driver behind me to move forward, to where the detector can pick him up. If there are no other cars and I don't see any coming to help me :), I'll either treat the light as broken and just proceed on red when the way is clear or dismount, push the button, cross as a pedestrian and then reenter the roadway after the intersection (or push the button and return to my original position in the lane which should be easy 'cause there are no cars around).

However, I am surprised at which part of my message you chose to quote. It's the part where I say that the rider's being in the crosswalk wasn't a contributing factor in the collision because for all intents and purposes he was behaving like a pedestrian and pedestrians certainly aren't supposed to be run over when they're crossing on green.

Not trying to appear that I have all the answers, but here is my view.

There are times when you want to use the cross walk. Maybe this was one of them. Maybe not. Who knows.

If you are going to use the cross walk, get off and walk the bike. Being on foot might have allowed the victim to evade the truck. I know I can "get the hell off the road" quicker on foot than on bike. In the situation described in this accident, I would have been walking when the driver decided to go. I would have dropped my bike on the road and retreated quickly to the curb on foot. I'm pretty quick. With some luck, I might have made it. Abandonned bike would have been crushed.

Its sad about the loss of life. This sort of thing can happen to any of us regardless of our techniques or level of caution. I have thought about the risk and decided it is worth it for me.

There is a lot of construction going on in downdown KC, and there are situations where a rider has to become a pedestrian and use the crosswalk.

I suspect here that when he mounted and rode across, he speedily went from being a visible pedestrian at the curb, to being a rider who was invisible to the driver as he got closer to the right side of the tall truck cab. The driver either made eye contact with the rider at the curb, and believed that the bike wasn't moving, or never made eye contact at all.

Until the driver was flagged down by observers a block later, he didn't even know he had hit anyone.

There is another point in this story as well. The rider didn't have any ID on him, and it took two days to confirm his identity because he had been so mangled in the rear double wheels of that truck.

Even if you make eye contact, still assume they have'nt seen you.

+1.....I've had drivers almost run me over while looking right at me.

I'm not clear on what the cyclist was doing. Was he sidewalk riding or was he riding on the street and shifted into the cross walk just at the interserction?

One of the first things I learned (Okay, it took a week or two) was that in the city at a red light, if I intended to go straight and the vehicle behind me was going to turn right, I need to move over as far left in the lane I can. If I'm on the far right side of the lane, cars turning right on the red would box me in. And with the all cars that followed, I'd not get a chance to cross. If I take the far left side, cars turning right can turn right and I can cross with no problem.

However, I am surprised at which part of my message you chose to quote.
Sorry, I may have been speed reading here... Anyway, having to exit the lane, press the button and proceed as a pedestrian is a continuing annoyance for me. But, certainly, whether you are on bike or foot, you wouldn't expect this to happen.

He appears to have been on the sidewalk all along.

Sorry, I may have been speed reading here... Anyway, having to exit the lane, press the button and proceed as a pedestrian is a continuing annoyance for me. Yes, traffic light detectors that don't notice your bike are very annoying; however I found that I very rarely have to actually exit the lane and push the ped button. Either the streets are so empty that I can proceed on red with clear conscience or somebody (a car or a pedestrian) comes along and triggers the thing for me. I hardly ever have to wait for more than a few seconds.


But, certainly, whether you are on bike or foot, you wouldn't expect this to happen. Indeed. It's one thing to be riding down the sidewalk and fly into a right-turning car whose driver didn't have a chance to see you because you approached so fast. It's quite another to be stopped at the intersection, have the driver stop (apparently to yield) and then suddenly get crushed under the wheels as the driver takes off without warning.

If you are going to use the cross walk, get off and walk the bike. Being on foot might have allowed the victim to evade the truck. I know I can "get the hell off the road" quicker on foot than on bike. In the situation described in this accident, I would have been walking when the driver decided to go. I would have dropped my bike on the road and retreated quickly to the curb on foot. I'm pretty quick. With some luck, I might have made it. Abandonned bike would have been crushed.

I agree. It does seem like walking the bike across the crosswalk allows you to act more like a pedestrian, watch the intersection more closely (not distracted by pedaling, balancing, or road surface) and react suddenly if necessary. Riding on a crosswalk, your options are limited. Straight, narrow, and slow (assuming you had stopped before the crosswalk). Maybe a sharp right turn is possible, but don't count on it.

And it sounds, too, like turning trucks are especially dangerous. Not only because of their size and weight, but because the driver may well be distracted executing the turn.

I have been commuting since last September. In that time I have grown much more comfortable with how to move through various types of intersections. I would stop short of calling myself an "experienced cyclist" because I too have moved to the crosswalk thinking I would be considerate to the cars waiting to make the right turn on red, and it always end up working against me. After reading this thread I'm reminded that I am far safer staying put in the lane and being patient. I'm only prone to this behavior at new intersections that I haven't ridden before, with traffic signals that don't appear to have sensors capable of seeing a cyclist. Again, I think that reading this thread will stick with me and keep me focused when I encounter this type of situation in the future.

At an intersection, either take the entire right lane or hang out between the right lane and the left one. That way if someone's going to be oblivious and turn you're fine ... if they decide to go straight you can just drop behind them.

RIP

That's easier said than done. In this town bikes are often shunted to the curbs. I try to stay in lane in slower downtown traffic, but most of the main streets are 35 to 45 mph lanes of terror, with notoriously crazy Anchorage drivers.

As a native Kansas Citian who no longer lives there, but loves it, I have a couple of comments. First of all, 12th and Grand has always been a very busy downtown intersection. Second, I'm assuming that the guy was using his best judgement, being the very experienced rider that he was, and behaving like a pedestrian in the crosswalk, because it was the safest thing to do, in this particular situation. We've probably all done things that might not be prudent if we are considered to be "vehicular cyclist," but would be prudent if we are to try to stay safe. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way this time.

I hate this one cross walksin the town I live in. Cars will pull up to go straight, and they block the view of the crosswalk so when some one wants to go right. Instead of stopping at crosswalk because the intersection has blind spots they will role past it leaving me in a tight pinch. I can usually see what cars are going to do this so far so good.

They're talking about this accident over in the touring forum too.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=204327

John Triggs had done very long touring trips on two continents and published a book about one of them. He was 65 years old.