Advocacy & Safety - Sylvia Bingham, 2009 Yale Graduate, Killed in Cleveland Crash

News today of a tragic loss in Cleveland, Ohio, at the hands of a hit-and-run truck driver (who was later found). The local Fox News affiliate reports that Cleveland Police say 22-year-old Sylvia Bingham was riding in the curb lane of Prospect Avenue at East 21st Street around 9 A.M., just a few blocks from where she was to start work that morning. A large truck turning onto East 21st hit Bingham, knocking her off of her bike and running over her. The truck didn't stop. Fox also features an interview with Sylvia's colleague and photos of the scene, which is clearly not a "complete street" despite being in the heart of a dense urban district.

Details are still sketchy, but unfortunately, the facts of the story sound painfully similar to a 2006 incident in which Alex Capelluto (who was one class ahead of Sylvia at Yale) was killed by a truck while bicycling in West Haven, on the way back to campus from the Yale Boathouse.
...
http://www.newhavensafestreets.org/2009/09/death-of-sylvia-bingham-2009-yale.html

If anyone has more details on how the crash happened I would be interested.

Hi,
Just read your post, it's awful, and so young too! I'm sorry I have no more details, but I will follow the story.
I'm just glad they got the scum bag driver.

That's sad.

Closest I ever came to buying it was with a right hooking big box truck. Large unregulated vehicle + workers in a rush = danger.

I live in West Haven, where the other yalie bicyclist was killed. http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/university-news/2006/05/18/capelluto-08-dies-in-collision-with-truck/ (http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/university-news/2006/05/18/capelluto-08-dies-in-collision-with-truck/) If my son ever decides to ride his bike to school, or if I ever pick him up from there, we have to cross that intersection.

Thanks also for the link to the new haven safe streets blog.

http://www.newhavensafestreets.org/2009/09/death-of-sylvia-bingham-2009-yale.html

If anyone has more details on how the crash happened I would be interested.

This is very sad.

From the story details, we can deduce that the cyclist was traveling eastbound on Prospect Ave next to the curb at this intersection (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2100+Prospect+Ave,+Cleveland+ohio&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=46.092115,77.255859&ie=UTF8&ll=41.500254,-81.675425&spn=0.000669,0.001179&t=h&z=20&iwloc=A).

The large truck was described as turning from Prospect Ave onto East 21st Street, southbound (it is one way). This was most likely a right-hook. The lane is wide and the truck driver most likely would have initiated the turn from the left edge of the right through lane. It sounds like the cyclist was between the truck and the curb.

We don't know whether the cyclist or the truck driver got to the intersection first. In either case, cycling instructors like myself teach through-cyclists to stay away from the curb at such intersections and to get in line with through traffic, and to certainly avoid being to the right side of a truck. This road appears from the Google images to be striped with a wide outside lane. The linked article lamented that this road was not "complete" but I don't know what the author thinks was missing. This type of right hook is very common in places where bike lanes are striped to the stop line at signalized intersections because such markings encourage cyclists to be positioned in that vulnerable location, especially with respect to turning trucks. So, I don't think bike lane striping would be the answer. Sharrows on the left or center biased position of the lane might have helped, but otherwise I think this kind of problem is less likely to be fixed by engineering than by education. Some might suggest a bike lane to the left of an RTOL would prevent it, and that may be true, but it's unrealistic to expect every intersection to have RTOLs, nor would it be desirable.

Very sad.

http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/cleveland_metro/truck-driver-headed-to-prison-in-vehicular-homicide-of-cyclist-local-bicyclist-reacts

Update. Driver convicted of vehicular homicide.

Good.

And the inevitable first comment:




Joe Dzurinda


I disagree that it was the drivers fault. Says he passed her and she was behind. She must have some obligation to yield not being a pedestrian.

Streets were designed for vehicles not bicycle riding yuppies.

Even after being convicted, the killer still won't take responsibility.

"It was a terrible accident. I'm sorry it happened."
That's kind of like the "mistakes were made" apology.

I drive a bus for a living and usually try to play devil's advocate when it comes to a collision with large vehicles because I think I have a better point of view. I have actually driven and rode my bike through this intersection (it's right next to Cleveland State's BB Arena. I can not think of a good reason why this accident might have happened. It was on a nice straight road and turning onto a large one way street. I can only assume that the truck driver was being aggressive and had a might makes right attitude or else he has no sense of awareness of his surroundings and is a menance on the roads. I think the fact he left the scene of a fatal accident is proof he was guilty. I can usually tell if I run over a small peice of garbage let alone a person on a bike with my 32,000 lbs bus. I'm glad he was caught and off the roads. I do wonder if he would have been cited if he had stopped when the accident occured.

http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/cleveland_metro/truck-driver-headed-to-prison-in-vehicular-homicide-of-cyclist-local-bicyclist-reacts

Update. Driver convicted of vehicular homicide.

:eek:The Cleveland DA forgot to be stupid and call it an 'unfortunate accident'.

I am glad the driver will be headed straight to prison!!!:mad:

Even after being convicted, the killer still won't take responsibility.

That's kind of like the "mistakes were made" apology.






Not only that, the journalist who wrote the story at the link, was not impartial. She said that the cyclist(Ms. Bingham) collided with the 26,000-pound truck. Which regardless of the court verdict still implies the cyclist was at fault for her own death. Instead of saying 'A cyclist and a 13-ton truck collided resulting in the death of the cyclist'.

This is very sad.

From the story details, we can deduce that the cyclist was traveling eastbound on Prospect Ave next to the curb at this intersection (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2100+Prospect+Ave,+Cleveland+ohio&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=46.092115,77.255859&ie=UTF8&ll=41.500254,-81.675425&spn=0.000669,0.001179&t=h&z=20&iwloc=A).

The large truck was described as turning from Prospect Ave onto East 21st Street, southbound (it is one way). This was most likely a right-hook. The lane is wide and the truck driver most likely would have initiated the turn from the left edge of the right through lane. It sounds like the cyclist was between the truck and the curb.

We don't know whether the cyclist or the truck driver got to the intersection first. In either case, cycling instructors like myself teach through-cyclists to stay away from the curb at such intersections and to get in line with through traffic, and to certainly avoid being to the right side of a truck. This road appears from the Google images to be striped with a wide outside lane. The linked article lamented that this road was not "complete" but I don't know what the author thinks was missing. This type of right hook is very common in places where bike lanes are striped to the stop line at signalized intersections because such markings encourage cyclists to be positioned in that vulnerable location, especially with respect to turning trucks. So, I don't think bike lane striping would be the answer. Sharrows on the left or center biased position of the lane might have helped, but otherwise I think this kind of problem is less likely to be fixed by engineering than by education. Some might suggest a bike lane to the left of an RTOL would prevent it, and that may be true, but it's unrealistic to expect every intersection to have RTOLs, nor would it be desirable.

Very sad.

I don't think it was right hook but a left cross. The truck was not traveling behind her as it would have to in a right hook.

Correct me if I'm wrong but the left cross probably kills more cyclists than any other type of accident. I suspect the driver of the truck wanted to enter street at a fast rate of speed because of the cars behind her. As you stated, it's possible she was too close to the curb and the truck driver didn't see her because she blended in with the parked cars.

The best advice I can give with the left cross is whenever you see a vehicle in the opposite direction, always think he's going to commit the left cross and be ready for evasive action.

http://bicyclesafe.com/

It was a right hook. One of the articles about it, quoted the judge as saying that the truck driver should have been aware of the cyclist since the driver had just passed her.

I’m willing to bet that the truck driver was a professional truck driver. That is, he was driving the truck to earn money. Professional drivers (taxi’s, Ambulance, couriers, truckies etc) need to be held to a higher standard and when the courts mete out justice this needs to be taken into account and the drivers should face a lengthy custodial sentence.

I drive a forklift for a living. If I were to kill or injure someone from negligent operation of my forklift then I should be held to a higher standard than someone that has a forklift ticket but operates it for recreation.

Unlicensed drivers should face mandatory jail time if they kill / injure someone.


Just my opinion

I drive a forklift for a living. If I were to kill or injure someone from negligent operation of my forklift then I should be held to a higher standard than someone that has a forklift ticket but operates it for recreation.

People ride forklifts for recreation?

It's sad that I'm actually shocked when justice is served to the vehicularly homicidal.

I’m willing to bet that the truck driver was a professional truck driver. That is, he was driving the truck to earn money. Professional drivers (taxi’s, Ambulance, couriers, truckies etc) need to be held to a higher standard and when the courts mete out justice this needs to be taken into account and the drivers should face a lengthy custodial sentence.

I drive a forklift for a living. If I were to kill or injure someone from negligent operation of my forklift then I should be held to a higher standard than someone that has a forklift ticket but operates it for recreation.

Unlicensed drivers should face mandatory jail time if they kill / injure someone.


Just my opinion

Professional truck drivers(moving companies, delivery companies) in my experience take notice of cyclists' and respect them. So, The driver that killed the cyclist, had intent.

The judge only gave the driver three years in prison. Usually people who rob banks will get ten years. So the driver got off terribly easy. He will be just past retirement age when he would be released.:notamused:

Here are some articles. http://www.sylviabinghamfund.org/articles.php

I used to respect professional truck drivers years back, but do to tighter business schedules, personnel cutbacks, they've now become some of the worst drivers out on the road.

Regularly have I seen large delivery trucks speeding through narrow streets, and they are at their worst when the truck is empty, they think that they are driving a small sports car in comparison to a fully loaded truck.

Large trucks often move left and slow down just before turning right. In that moment, it's easy for a cyclist to be tempted into passing on the right. This happened to me just a month ago, when a slow moving truck moved into the left through lane just before initiating a turn to the right without signaling. I'm glad I hesitated before passing in the right hand thru lane, or I would have been knocked under the rear wheels.