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Fellow Cyclist/Messenger Killed in Midtown (victim of an apparent dooring)
This morning, November 18th 2004, a messenger was killed at 49th Street and 8th Avenue. When a death happens in our community, it is a tragedy that effects us all. There will be a vigil & memorial ride for him on Friday, November 19th at 6pm @ 49th & 8th Ave. Bring flowers and your support.
Our deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends. May he Rest In Peace. Ride Safe.
I am going to ride, and I encourage anyone else who can to do so. Or think about this cyclist as you ride in your hometown.
Ride on.
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That's very sad... My condolensces to the family...
I saw the thing in the news, apparently he wasn't hit by a car or anything after he was doored. They say he just flew head first into the ground.
They didn't say what the truck driver was charged with, if anything at all. It's absolutely appalling that he'll probably get away with it too. Drivers and passengers need to watch out when they open their doors, not just for the people around them but for their own good as well. And people should (not need to but should) wear helmets; cat like reflexes don't exactly work for humans.
Wanna bet he's charged with nothing because of his overwhelming grief and recognition of his mistake?
Wanna bet he's charged with nothing because of his overwhelming grief and recognition of his mistake?
Wanna bet this doesn't get any press in the Daily News tomorrow, after their bike-bash-a-thon today?
Wanna bet he's charged with nothing because of his overwhelming grief and recognition of his mistake?
Nah, you'll lose the bet.
It's because drivers, the law, and politicians for the most part don't give a damn about us. Grief has nothing to do with it. :(
Wanna bet this doesn't get any press in the Daily News tomorrow, after their bike-bash-a-thon today?
I know exactly what u mean. Every paper has something on that lady that got hurt by a van backing up. None has anything about a biker being KILLED.
I only heard about this from the Time's Up newsletter. What did the press say? What was the whole story? I'm guessing he wasn't wearing a helmet? How old was he? What exactly happened?
I'm horrified. I work on 44th and Broadway and bike to work just about every day. This is pretty chilling. :(
I only heard about this from the Time's Up newsletter. What did the press say? What was the whole story? I'm guessing he wasn't wearing a helmet? How old was he? What exactly happened?
I'm horrified. I work on 44th and Broadway and bike to work just about every day. This is pretty chilling. :(
http://www.ny1.com/ny/TopStories/SubTopic/index.html?topicintid=1&subtopicintid=1&contentintid=45359
Pretty basic summary. But hey, he was just a bike messenger, right? :mad: :(
I only heard about this from the Time's Up newsletter. What did the press say? What was the whole story? I'm guessing he wasn't wearing a helmet? How old was he? What exactly happened?
I'm horrified. I work on 44th and Broadway and bike to work just about every day. This is pretty chilling. :(
I was actually surprised channel 5 had a news chopter over the scene for a while.
The guy actually landed right next to his bike, the cloth over the body covered the front wheel of the bike. It was right next to the truck that was double parked with the passenger side door open. They said that witnesses saw the guy hit the car door then fall over to the side head first off his bike.
But hey, he was just a bike messenger, right? :mad: :(
exactly. I was just thinking today about how most people looked down on us like they would any other "pest". Yet it's one of the toughest jobs around. Messengers are hard, dedicated sonsab!tches but don't have much to show for it. Something like this happens, and people think it's of not much consequence...there's always another one to fill in.
It's just a matter of time before it happens to a cyclist again...this couldn't have happened at a worse time. Or could it? People need to be aware of these dangers we all face every day. It's too bad that it's got to go this far.
exactly. I was just thinking today about how most people looked down on us like they would any other "pest". Yet it's one of the toughest jobs around. Messengers are hard, dedicated sonsab!tches but don't have much to show for it. Something like this happens, and people think it's of not much consequence...there's always another one to fill in.
It's just a matter of time before it happens to a cyclist again...this couldn't have happened at a worse time. Or could it? People need to be aware of these dangers we all face every day. It's too bad that it's got to go this far.
I don't want to mislead anyone here...I love and respect my messenger friends but I am not a messenger and haven't been for a long time.
I feel a special sympathy for this guy because I used to do it, but at this point in my life I'm just another commuter cyclist trying to get by...I don't make my living at it anymore.
Point I'm trying to make is my rage and grief is as a cyclist, not a fellow messenger. I know there's a pride of place among mesengers, and I don't want any current couriers thinking I'm trying to glom onto that.
Just so you know, I didn't mean to make it sound any other way, I do see where you're coming from..am in that same exact situation.
Not a big fan of mesengers. I find them to be an arrogant, self absorbed and insular lot who break a ****load of traffic laws and give us all a bad name.
And while the blame for his death is 100% on the driver, it's truly sad that his death could probably have been prevented had he been wearing a helmet.
All bike related deaths bother me. I ride in traffic every day and this could happen to me in a second.
Many sympathies to his friends and family.
Not a big fan of mesengers. I find them to be an arrogant, self absorbed and insular lot who break a ****load of traffic laws and give us all a bad name.
And while the blame for his death is 100% on the driver, it's truly sad that his death could probably have been prevented had he been wearing a helmet.
All bike related deaths bother me. I ride in traffic every day and this could happen to me in a second.
Many sympathies to his friends and family.
I don't dislike messengers, but I think they often ride dangerously. Messengers have a tough job that many people rely on, but too many take pride in breaking traffic rules. In this case, it may have been unwise to ride in the door zone, even of a double parked truck. It was definitely unwise to ride without a helmet. He might be alive today if he had a helmet.
I'm not talking about legal responsibility, I'm talking about lessons the rest of us can learn from this young man's death. My condolences to his fellow NYC bike messengers.
Edit: It's not clear whether there was enough space between the truck and the police van on the other side of the road. It's also not clear whether the cyclist was going too fast, or whether the door opened at just the wrong time. Given the dearth of facts, I won't blame the cyclist for riding unsafely.
http://www.ny1.com/ny/TopStories/SubTopic/index.html?topicintid=1&subtopicintid=1&contentintid=45359
Pretty basic summary. But hey, he was just a bike messenger, right? :mad: :(
NY! first reported it as a hit and run.
Today Newsday (http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/manhattan/nyc-bike1119,0,2478983.story?coll=nyc-homepage-headlines) is reporting the driver claims the cops hit him but Internal Affairs couldn't find any evidence to back that up.
Stacy
Every paper has something on that lady that got hurt by a van backing up. None has anything about a biker being KILLED.
News is too often reported based on what editors think people want to read about, or which furthers a political agenda.
Here's a major part of the problem in this city. From the Newsday article Stacy quoted:
While police blamed the death on the truck's door, an official from Vesuvio Foods Co., the company that owns the truck, said his driver says the police van hit the cyclist.
Steve Manning, a Vesuvio vice president, said his drivers did not open the door until after they heard a thump on the side of the truck.
They looked out and saw the victim, 42, lying in the street, blood pouring from his head, he said.
"His door was shut," Manning said, speaking from his office in Edison, N.J. "He heard an impact on his door -- a bang, a clang, a crash. He opened the door and he found a bent up bicycle and a bicyclist lying in the street."
According to his driver and his helper, it was the police van moving at a high rate of speed that threw the cyclist into the door.
Manning said Vesuvio would continue to investigate.
A police official said that after a thorough investigation by both the Accident Investigation Squad and Internal Affairs, police discovered fresh marks on the truck's passenger door consistent with the dead cyclist's bike.
"They went over the PD vehicle and there were no fresh marks on it whatsoever," the official said. "I am confident in the investigation, it was thorough. It appears to be an unfortunate accident caused by the door of the delivery truck." The cyclist was not wearing a helmet.
After three hours of questioning, the police let the drivers make their delivery of Pellegrino water, eggs, oil and vinegar to Ciro Trattoria, a nearby restaurant.
Police did not issue a summons for double parking, but did issue a ticket for a slash in one of the trucks tires. The ticket will be squashed if the tire is repaired in 48 hours.
Why did they not issue a summons? There's no contesting that he was double parked. His negligence could be the cause of death of this young man, and instead of pursuing the issue, they let him off with a "fix it and forget it" summons.
This is representative of the crap cyclists in this city face. Crappy greenways with gaping holes and overgrown brush. Bike lanes that are routinely used by cabs and buses, and double-parked in by delivery vans.
In this case I don't know if the double-parked truck was in a bike lane, however double parking is still illegal and the guy doesn't even get a ticket for it.
On WABC Radio this morning, George Weber introduced a story about the messenger's death as "Something some of us feel like doing on purpose," referring to the dooring of the messenger. As I've said in previous threads on other areas of this board; we are targets. If you ride in New York City, better polish up that bull's eye.
Wonder when the police will stop going after the two people who veer off the CM route and start enforcing the "share the road" philosophy we have rammed down our throats. I for one am not hopeful.
Why did they not issue a summons? There's no contesting that he was double parked. His negligence could be the cause of death of this young man, and instead of pursuing the issue, they let him off with a "fix it and forget it" summons.
.
It really does make you wonder what kind of involvement the police van had. Or did they not know that double parking is illegal? Certainly in the current climate, any kind of police responsibility in a cyclist's death would be explosive. I wonder if there are any witnesses who have their own version.
stacy
I'm sure there are, Stacy. I'm also sure that the local media will try as hard as possible to find them and get both sides of the story.
I'm also sure Santa will be leaving a Scott C1 under my Christmas tree before those people are quoted on TV or in print.
aw man, i'm so sad. WHY DON'T PPL LOOK!? and i'm getting a helmet this weekend..
:(
[http://1010wins.com/topstories/local_story_324070227.html]
Bike Messenger Dies In Truck Crash
Nov 19, 2004 7:02 am US/Eastern
(1010 WINS) NEW YORK A bicycle messenger was killed when the door of a delivery truck opened in his path, knocking him to the ground, police said.
The accident happened shortly after 9 a.m. Thursday when the 42-year-old man, whose name was not released pending notification of his family, was making a delivery on Eighth Avenue between West 48th and West 49th streets, police said.
The passenger door of a truck parked on Eighth Avenue opened in his face, sending him sprawling head-first onto the pavement.
Emergency workers pronounced him dead at the scene.
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=75754
Here's another article. It happened a block from where I work.
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/manhattan/nyc-bike1119,0,2478983.story?coll=nyc-homepage-headlines
RIP
A tragic event. Our anger and frustration will not reduce the number of such events. We live in a world run for the benefit of motor vehicles. To survive, we must study the enemy and deal with the enemy.
There are three ways the number of such tragic injuries can be reduced:
-Drivers should remember to always look for on-coming bikes and vehicles before opening their doors
-Courts should send drivers to prison for injuring or killing people by opening their doors into traffic
-Bike riders should learn to stay at least four feet away from parked vehicles
Two of those things will happen only in your dreams. The third is a choice every bike rider can make.
Why did they not issue a summons? There's no contesting that he was double parked. His negligence could be the cause of death of this young man, and instead of pursuing the issue, they let him off with a "fix it and forget it" summons.
I imagine a substantial civil action will result and the victim's survivors will be well-compensated. The business that owns the truck probably has at least $1M in liability insurance... and quite possibly another $1M in a liability umbrella. Even a less-than-talented attorney should be able to win a wrongful death suit in this case. Usually insurance companies are eager to settle for the full amount of coverage in cases like this because because they know they're likely to lose anyway... so why spend a lot of money fighting it?
Although the truck owner may not have to pay out money in the form of a fine, they'll pay dearly in increased insurance premiums. They may even face cancellation based on loss history, which means their next insuror will eat them alive with higher premiums.
I don't know... Vesuvio is, er, special...
We'll leave it at that...
I'm not 100% sure obviously, but consider that all the italian restaurants in our fair city (or at least 92% of them) use Vesuvio as their distributors.
Maybe they're just really really good at what they do.
The NY Times had a good sized article with a picture onthe 2nd page of the Metro section on it today.
It's not that bad and I'm surprised they ended it with a quote from a former messenger, Eddie McCormick, "This is the risk bike messengers take, I know, I used to be one. I quit after I almost got run over by a taxi. This guy was following all the rules, going with traffic, not against the traffic, and look what happened."
I saw the thing in the news, apparently he wasn't hit by a car or anything after he was doored. They say he just flew head first into the ground.
They didn't say what the truck driver was charged with, if anything at all. It's absolutely appalling that he'll probably get away with it too. Drivers and passengers need to watch out when they open their doors, not just for the people around them but for their own good as well. And people should (not need to but should) wear helmets; cat like reflexes don't exactly work for humans.
Why should the law care about a lone cyclist? A child was killed by a drunk driver not too long ago and that driver will only get 1 year tops because the motorist was not speeding or breaking any other law other than intoxicated.
I would rather ride at 5 mph alive then at 20 mph and get killed. But, riding slow does not cost me money. And time is money for bike messingers.
According to what the newspapers say, this guy was delivering coffee and pastries. There are tons of folks doing this in the city, for local restaurants or delis. They ride beat up MTB, in a 2 mile radius from their shop and usually go like 5mph. They are not messenger, their job duties include cooking, cleaning, and sometimes also delivering stuff to the customers.
I don't get how someone can just die from a falll while carrying coffee on a bike... I don't get it.
This one hit close. These folks deliver to my work, my home, we ride side by side in the city, they deliver in the rain, snow or 100F weather... 24 hours a day. They are not speed junkies riding vicariously through the city.
This is so sad.
The memorial ride is in 20mins. Am going.
Why should the law care about a lone cyclist? A child was killed by a drunk driver not too long ago and that driver will only get 1 year tops because the motorist was not speeding or breaking any other law other than intoxicated.
That being said, a year in prison is a LONG time for a person who is not "prison ready." Child killers are not treated very well, if you know what I mean.
Here again, we only get part of the story from the pro-Critical Mass crowd. Here is the rest of story they didn't report. I'm sorry to see a cyclist die but please read what probably lead up to it.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/nyc-nybike194047710nov19,0,3839179.story?coll=ny-nynews-headlines
A bike messenger was killed yesterday morning when he fell headfirst from his bike in midtown after a deliveryman opened a truck door and knocked him down, police said.
But officials from the truck company blamed the accident on a police van they say hit the cyclist and threw him into the truck.
At 10:45 a.m., the messenger, Dell Covington, 42, of Woodhaven, was riding north on Eighth Avenue near 49th Street. <b>He tried to negotiate a narrow space between a double-parked delivery truck and a police prisoner transport van while holding a cup of tea in one hand and a large muffin in the other, police sources said. </b>
<rest at link>
According to what the newspapers say, this guy was delivering coffee and pastries. There are tons of folks doing this in the city, for local restaurants or delis. They ride beat up MTB, in a 2 mile radius from their shop and usually go like 5mph. They are not messenger, their job duties include cooking, cleaning, and sometimes also delivering stuff to the customers.
I don't get how someone can just die from a falll while carrying coffee on a bike... I don't get it.
This one hit close. These folks deliver to my work, my home, we ride side by side in the city, they deliver in the rain, snow or 100F weather... 24 hours a day. They are not speed junkies riding vicariously through the city.
This is so sad.
The memorial ride is in 20mins. Am going.
Actually I got the impression that he was a bike messenger and the muffin and coffee was his breakfast. I think one of the articles just said he was carrying his breakfast, and another article had an eye-witness stating that after the crash he was still clipped into his pedals.
But regardless of what job he had, it certainly is tragic.
Here's a major part of the problem in this city. From the Newsday article Stacy quoted:
Why did they not issue a summons? There's no contesting that he was double parked. His negligence could be the cause of death of this young man, and instead of pursuing the issue, they let him off with a "fix it and forget it" summons.
By not issuing the summons, the family of the victim will find it more difficult to collect money because the truck was not in the wrong by being double parked. Insanity.
was riding north on Eighth Avenue near 49th Street. He tried to negotiate a narrow space between a double-parked delivery truck and a police prisoner transport van while holding a cup of tea in one hand and a large muffin in the other, police sources said
While any death is tragic (they just pulled the body of a 20 yr old student from the local river), this point really set me back.
Maybe its old age, senility setting in, or just the fact that I'm at that point where I realise that someday I'll be dead. Shooting the gap between vehicles and encumbered with objects in each hand. Man, thats just not right.
By not issuing the summons, the family of the victim will find it more difficult to collect money because the truck was not in the wrong by being double parked. Insanity.
Actually, the summons is of little consequence in civil court. The verdict is based on a preponderance of evidence, not a criminal conviction. It's a fairly easy case.
Do not ride with coffee or muffin in your hands. NYCcommuter says he was delivering the coffee and muffin, the accounts I read imply it was his own coffee and muffin. Messengers must not agree to deliver anything that can't go in bag or on rack. Nobody should ride with coffee and/or muffins in their hands. Everybody should wear a helmet. Tragic that he died, if someone can learn something from this, a similar incident might be avoided.
The memorial ride was OK. I'm not good at guessing numbers...more than 30 and less than 150 were there? call it 75? I really don't know. There was a sort of vigil for about a half hour at the accident site. The police had set up a pen made of metal barricades, everybody stood around in there, then afterwards there was a ride across 49th to Broadway, down Broadway to 14th, across 14th to Avenue A and down A to E7th, where everyone got off their bike and went to Phoebe's, I think. I wasn't thirsty and so I went home. People seemed in OK spirits, I guess. No one was really angry or more antisocial than usual and there seemed to be decent cooperation with the NYPD.
Well, that happened, anyway. It's an unpleasant, dangerous avenue to ride on. You're all right that probably everyone involved could have done a better job taking care of each other and themselves, but only the guy on two wheels is dead, so maybe lay off of him, huh? I'm sure he'd rather be alive than an object lesson in cycling safety or whatever. I don't know. I guess you're right. He should have just stopped and had his muffin or whatever. I wish it hadn't happened.
There were a lot of messengers at the ride. As Laika mentionned, there were about 75 people there. The memorial was nice, with a moment of silence. The ride down broadway escorted by NYPD was interesting... quiet.
Maybe I misread the whole thing and the guy was a messenger more than a delivery guy... regardless, he was a guy like us, on a bike, who died a block from my office.
Not many (any) people at the memorial seemed to know him, but it sure got a lot of attention from the police and the media...
I guess we'll never really know what went on, the whole thing is just sad, stupid, pointless and should not have happened.
O.
I for one think he could've stood on the top tube doing a dance while holding the bike with a waterskiing rope flying down 8th avenue at 30 mph, and as long as that truck opened the door while double parked he'd still be wrong.
Yes, I care, I'm a messenger. Perhaps it's wrong to point out what he could have done differently and maybe survive. Some one who is still alive might do something different after hearing this story and not get killed. That's my only hope. I'm sorry that my previous post sounded critical of the deceased. It could happen to any of us who ride in traffic.
What an interesting phrase. There are no "fresh" marks on the police van.
I for one think he could've stood on the top tube doing a dance while holding the bike with a waterskiing rope flying down 8th avenue at 30 mph, and as long as that truck opened the door while double parked he'd still be wrong.
I agree
So channel 7's eyewitness news just covered this. The story's title, "Wild Rides?" pretty much sums up the tone of it. My takeaway from it was that they a) blame the messenger for getting killed, despite the fact that state law places the blame for doorings squarely on motorists and b) they think that his death justifies the bike license bill.
No mention, of course, of the fact that a police vehicle was involved in the accident. But there was a good fifteen seconds of footage of the October Critical Mass, despite the fact that there's was no mention of whether the dead man had ever ridden in CM.
I swear the t.v. media is skrewing up our society because nobody thinks they have the time to read and stay informed. When everyone gets that homoginized bull that is blatantly someone's opinion and not the facts, then everyone starts following someone's opinions as facts. Sickening.
What a piece of sh*t article! First the “10 hardest sports”, now this! That’s Daily News for you. Ok they guy was eating a muffin and?...... what, drivers don't eat while driving, what, they don’t shave or put on makeup while driving? They made it out as only cyclists fault. What are you suppose to do when a car door swings open right in front of you, bunny hop? The accident happened because passenger didn't care too look before opening the door, however cyclist died because of his own stupidity.
To Moderators: Why was my original reply edited? I belive you have to be over 13 to regester. My search found 23 replies with word “sh*t” in them, so why does my get edited?
Something I just realized: New York traffic rules state that opening the door on the traffic side of your car without looking would put the vehicle operator at fault, but in this case the delivery truck opened the side facing the street. I don't think we can really blame the delivery truck for opening the door without looking, as who would expect a vehicle to go through the narrow gap between two vans?
Of course, this does not excuse the delivery van for double parking, which I think should have been dealt with with the utmost severity.
That's what I don't understand. At the very least, the truck should've gotten a summons for double parking, not a "fix it and forget it" ticket for a tire. I just don't get it. There's no doubt the truck was double parked. None whatsoever. It's not open for debate.
Sad. I'm so sad and friggin angry.
Wear a helmet. If you don't, you're an idiot. If you think you look cool riding without a helmet, think of it this way, Brain damage isn't cool. Being dead from stupidity is even less cool.---I'm not at all saying that it was the biker's fault for not wearing one, it was the truck driver's fault, for sure. But he may be alive if he had a helmet on. Poor dude.
To all motorists in NYC, and heavily trafficked areas--
OPEN YOUR DOORS CURB SIDE!!!! CURB SIDE, I TELL YOU!!!
If you open your door into traffic and hit or kill a bicyclist, you go to jail. No questions asked. Involuntary manslaughter, or attempted manslaughter. Criminal.
Educating the public is the only way to keep us safe. Motorists are NEVER told to look for bikes. EVER. You are taught to look for other cars.
Here's what I want. I know this will happen when pigs fly, but here it is anyway:
5th ave. turned into a pedestrian/bike greenway. No cars allowed. Cars can cross over every 5 blocks, and must wait for the green light on their side, which is a long wait...ha ha.
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