Advocacy & Safety - Bicyclist killed by military truck (Washington DC)

Bicyclist killed by military truck (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-breaking-news/pedestrian-struck-on-ny-avenue.html?hpid=dynamiclead)
Bicyclist killed on N.Y. Avenue - Vehicle was in a convoy connected with the nuclear security summit
Story by Martin Weil
April 12, 2010

Update, 7:23 p.m.: A bicyclist was fatally injured Monday night after she was struck by a vehicle in a military convoy connected with the nuclear security summit being held at the Washington Convention Center, authorities said.

The bicyclist, a woman, was hit about 6 p.m. at the corner of 12th and New York Avenue NW, said D.C. police spokesman Quintin Peterson.

“It was horrific,” said a woman who declined to give her name, but was clearly shaken after seeing the incident as she emerged from a nearby restaurant.

Further details were not immediately available.

Video: (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2010/04/12/VI2010041204073.html)Police Chief Lanier at the scene of the collision (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2010/04/12/VI2010041204073.html)

This has me twisted; one of my "brothers" was involved in the killing of another....

I'm a vet, and while I know a certain amount of vets are piecees o' feces, I'll give a vet the benny of the doubt over a civilian. But then, I can't just automatically condemn a fellow rider, either.

Tragic.

RIP, rider; heal your soul, soldier.

Edit: oops, skimming isn't good -- the rider was female... so, a "sister"....

We can see where this is headed. The was a collision between the truck and the cyclist. Aprox. what the video said.

All I can say is that I wish her family my deepest condolences.

If it turns out that the truck driver was as fault and negligent I hope he/she is prosecuted.

Whose brilliant idea was it to use military 5 ton trucks and reservist as police escorts?

No national news coverage?

This one looks like whatever happened, the cyclist will somehow get blamed.

Bicyclist killed by military truck (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-breaking-news/pedestrian-struck-on-ny-avenue.html?hpid=dynamiclead)
Bicyclist killed on N.Y. Avenue - Vehicle was in a convoy connected with the nuclear security summit
Story by Martin Weil
April 12, 2010

Update, 7:23 p.m.: A bicyclist was fatally injured Monday night after she was struck by a vehicle in a military convoy connected with the nuclear security summit being held at the Washington Convention Center, authorities said.

The bicyclist, a woman, was hit about 6 p.m. at the corner of 12th and New York Avenue NW, said D.C. police spokesman Quintin Peterson.

“It was horrific,” said a woman who declined to give her name, but was clearly shaken after seeing the incident as she emerged from a nearby restaurant.

Further details were not immediately available.

Video: (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2010/04/12/VI2010041204073.html)Police Chief Lanier at the scene of the collision (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2010/04/12/VI2010041204073.html)

The problem withe facts about the incident is some of the local news outlets were saying:

1. It was a pedestrian, others said it was a cyclist
2. The vehicle involved was two tons, others were saying it was five tons

Whose brilliant idea was it to use military 5 ton trucks and reservist as police escorts?

No national news coverage?

This one looks like whatever happened, the cyclist will somehow get blamed.

I agree.

The title of the article subliminally suggests that a bicycle is not a vehicle:


Bicyclist killed on N.Y. Avenue - Vehicle was in a convoy connected with the nuclear security summit

Most people here at A&S will note that the wording implies that the bicyclist was a vehicle in the convoy. However, to anyone outside the cycling world, the terms "bicyclist" and "vehicle" are being used as mutually exclusive terms; hence, the vehicle is not describing the bicyclist.

An observation for the A&S'ers who want to raise hell over whatever they read.

-Kurt

Is this an appropriate time to open a debate about who is a "bicyclist"?

Is this an appropriate time to open a debate about who is a "bicyclist"?

Absolutely not. This is A&S.

-Kurt

From what I gather the cyclist was running a roadblock when hit. While that's no reason to hit her with a truck, I highly doubt hitting her was a deliberate act on the part of the driver.

I wouldn't have tried to run the roadblock. Would she have tried to run the roadblock if she were driving a car?

From what I gather the cyclist was running a roadblock when hit. While that's no reason to hit her with a truck, I highly doubt hitting her was a deliberate act on the part of the driver.

I wouldn't have tried to run the roadblock. Would she have tried to run the roadblock if she were driving a car?The way I understand things from the limited info, was that the road block was suppose to be the 5 ton truck that ran over her. And since the truck was still moving and did not have emergency lights, I fail to see how it actually established a road block.

The problem withe facts about the incident is some of the local news outlets were saying:

1. It was a pedestrian, others said it was a cyclist
2. The vehicle involved was two tons, others were saying it was five tons

There is a suggestion that she might have been walking her bike.

I've seen people try to cross the street when every swingin' thing is being directed by police to stay on the sidewalk before a presidential motorcade hustles through. You'd think that something unusual is going on when you walk to Pennsylvania Ave. and you see people standing around and absolutely ZERO traffic on the street, right?

How she could miss seeing a 5-ton is beyond me -- I don't think they were blasting through at fifty miles an hour. This is a hard way to be reminded of what your mother told you: "Look both ways before crossing the street."

*edit* and, yes, I know that this accident wasn't on Penn Ave. My point is that people can be totally oblivious to stationary crowds, blocked traffic, and a large police presence.