Fatality at Stevens Creek Reservoir
#51
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However I think a *LOT* more could be done in terms of advocacy and awareness of drivers:
- Don't drink and drive
- Don't drive while distracted
- Don't drive if you're tired
- Have some FREAKING PATIENCE...is it worth someone's life to get there 30 seconds faster?
- etc.
More "needs" to be done.
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More *MUST* be done, or we're going to continue finding ourselves defending our right to ride on the road. So I think what we do is take advantage of the publicity of this horrible incident, and rather than focus on how "dangerous" cycling is or can be, we focus on the driving side of the equation. They would not have died had the vehicle not been there...cycling alone was not what caused this incident.
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More *MUST* be done, or we're going to continue finding ourselves defending our right to ride on the road. So I think what we do is take advantage of the publicity of this horrible incident, and rather than focus on how "dangerous" cycling is or can be, we focus on the driving side of the equation. They would not have died had the vehicle not been there...cycling alone was not what caused this incident.
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The longer I live here, the harder it becomes to ride some of my favorite routes without noting there's been a cyclist fatality on the route. The freak accident which caused Dan Plummer's death in Los Altos Hills is on a favorite peaceful climb of mine. John Peckham's death on Old Page Mill Road was on a road that I always treasured as a respite from the traffic on Page Mill Road. One of my favorite routes when I mountain biked a lot more was climbing Montebello Road and coming down Steven's Creek Canyon. There were some tight turns on the descent, but thankfully, there were never that many cars. Now that route is also marked in my mind where I'll have to pay my respects.
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More *MUST* be done, or we're going to continue finding ourselves defending our right to ride on the road. So I think what we do is take advantage of the publicity of this horrible incident, and rather than focus on how "dangerous" cycling is or can be, we focus on the driving side of the equation. They would not have died had the vehicle not been there...cycling alone was not what caused this incident.
People need to realize that cars/trucks etc . are lethal weapons and when they're behind the wheel they need to focus on driving and nothing else. Way too many people driving while distracted, and the penalties are not nearly severe enough.
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What happened yesterday has nothing to do with cycling in particular. It is only a reminder that the road can be very dangerous and that car drivers have a huge advantage over other road users such as cyclists or pedestrians. The victims could have well been pedestrians, horse riders or even car passengers.
The irony here is that a person whose life and work is to protect us all accidentally killed 2 cyclists and injured another one on a road considered safe because of its wide bike lane.
Freak accidents are part of life, there are cruel but unfortunately there's little we can do about it.
Let's hope the investigation of the accident will bear some clues that may protect all road users from such grief.
The irony here is that a person whose life and work is to protect us all accidentally killed 2 cyclists and injured another one on a road considered safe because of its wide bike lane.
Freak accidents are part of life, there are cruel but unfortunately there's little we can do about it.
Let's hope the investigation of the accident will bear some clues that may protect all road users from such grief.
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It wasn't a "freak accident". The driver was impaired and chose to drive anyhow (assuming the reports of him falling asleep at the wheel are correct). I'm sure he wishes that he'd stopped for a cup of coffee instead, but he should have thought of that before it was too late.
Driving a vehicle at speed carries with it the responsibility of keeping that vehicle from hurting people. People need to remember that when they get behind the wheel.
Driving a vehicle at speed carries with it the responsibility of keeping that vehicle from hurting people. People need to remember that when they get behind the wheel.
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It is worth repeating this LOUDLY when discussing these incidents with non-cyclist family, friends, etc.
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https://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl.../BACTVH7DF.DTL
Surviving bicyclist upgraded to stable condition
Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, March 10, 2008
(03-10) 10:36 PST STANFORD UNIVERSITY -- A bicyclist struck and injured by a rookie Santa Clara County sheriff's deputy in a collision that killed two other bicyclists was upgraded to stable condition today at Stanford University Medical Center, a hospital spokesman said.
The injured bicyclist is being treated at the hospital after the Sunday morning collision on Stevens Canyon Road in Cupertino, authorities said. His name has not been released.
The crash killed bicyclists Kristy Gough, 30, of San Leandro and Matt Peterson, 29, of San Francisco.
The deputy hit the three after crossing over a double-yellow line on the two-lane road, investigators said. The California Highway Patrol, which is investigating the crash, said it had not determined yet why the deputy's car veered into the oncoming bikes.
The deputy's name has not been released. He is on paid administrative leave from the Sheriff's Department.
CHP Officer Todd Thibodeau said he did not know whether drug and alcohol tests on the deputy had been conducted. He said the investigation was likely to take 30 to 60 days, after which the findings will be turned over to the Santa Clara County district attorney for possible charges.
E-mail Henry K. Lee at hlee@sfchronicle.com.
Surviving bicyclist upgraded to stable condition
Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, March 10, 2008
(03-10) 10:36 PST STANFORD UNIVERSITY -- A bicyclist struck and injured by a rookie Santa Clara County sheriff's deputy in a collision that killed two other bicyclists was upgraded to stable condition today at Stanford University Medical Center, a hospital spokesman said.
The injured bicyclist is being treated at the hospital after the Sunday morning collision on Stevens Canyon Road in Cupertino, authorities said. His name has not been released.
The crash killed bicyclists Kristy Gough, 30, of San Leandro and Matt Peterson, 29, of San Francisco.
The deputy hit the three after crossing over a double-yellow line on the two-lane road, investigators said. The California Highway Patrol, which is investigating the crash, said it had not determined yet why the deputy's car veered into the oncoming bikes.
The deputy's name has not been released. He is on paid administrative leave from the Sheriff's Department.
CHP Officer Todd Thibodeau said he did not know whether drug and alcohol tests on the deputy had been conducted. He said the investigation was likely to take 30 to 60 days, after which the findings will be turned over to the Santa Clara County district attorney for possible charges.
E-mail Henry K. Lee at hlee@sfchronicle.com.
#61
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Question... do the DMV handbooks mention anything about cyclists in the manual? It's been so long since I took my permit test that I don't recall if it does or not.
If not they need to or at least dedicate a larger section on the rights of the road pertaining to cyclists and drivers and the right to share the road.
BigSean, maybe you can lobby to get this added if it isn't already.
Ignorance of the law is a big problem between cyclists and drivers, imo.
Just thinking about the story and the different twists some news sources put on it enrages me. It's fairly simple, a car crossed the divider and hit three cyclists in the bike lane. It has nothing to do with cyclists being dangerous or not. The facts do not change anything. This sucks!
My prayers go out to the friends and families of thoes injured and killed.
If not they need to or at least dedicate a larger section on the rights of the road pertaining to cyclists and drivers and the right to share the road.
BigSean, maybe you can lobby to get this added if it isn't already.
Ignorance of the law is a big problem between cyclists and drivers, imo.
Just thinking about the story and the different twists some news sources put on it enrages me. It's fairly simple, a car crossed the divider and hit three cyclists in the bike lane. It has nothing to do with cyclists being dangerous or not. The facts do not change anything. This sucks!
My prayers go out to the friends and families of thoes injured and killed.
#62
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Just thinking about the story and the different twists some news sources put on it enrages me. It's fairly simple, a car crossed the divider and hit three cyclists in the bike lane. It has nothing to do with cyclists being dangerous or not. The facts do not change anything. This sucks!
Eeeevil cyclists! Eeeevil motorcycles! Eeeeevil pedestrians! Eeeevil compact cars! If they'd all been normal, SUV-driving Americans, they'd be alive! And they'd be helping to Save The Economy™!
Sigh.
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It wasn't a "freak accident". The driver was impaired and chose to drive anyhow (assuming the reports of him falling asleep at the wheel are correct). I'm sure he wishes that he'd stopped for a cup of coffee instead, but he should have thought of that before it was too late.
In this case, it's a cop. Years ago I did a ride-along with a friend who was a cop, and right before the end of his shift (11 pm I think) he responded to an incident that involved guns. While it was fun for me, he told me that he couldn't go home, he had several more hours of paperwork to do because of this incident at the end of his shift. Do you think he should have called in sick the next day because he didn't get enough sleep? Again it's not an excuse, but it's an understanding about the realities we have to face in life. We all know people who have occasionally had to work unreasonable hours to get a job done, and still had to go to work the next day.
It's easy to be angry at this driver when you feel for the vulnerability of all cyclists, but I would agree with those who say this is not the typical danger for cyclists. I consider this to be a freak accident. And while we have all experienced drivers who have acted callously towards cyclists, I believe the number one issue is not being seen by drivers.
So I think the best solution is to make cyclists more visible. With the tremendous strides being made in LED technology, I think having blinking LEDS front and back that can be seen in daylight might be an important solution going forward.
If you think we can legislate our way to better drivers (via criminal penalties or more driver education), I think you're deluded. I'm not saying don't try via legislation, I'm saying that people will always be distracted and will always have the occasional circumstance where they have to drive when not in the best shape.
#64
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Posted in ROAD (link to posting in slowtwitch: https://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.c...701833#1701833
NTN @slowtwitch.com forums said:
"Because the third injured riders name was not released I took it out.
From the fourth rider:
All,
Just a few words to let everyone know how I am doing. I am Ok
physically, but feel quite messed up in the head. Words cannot
describe the accident scene, I thought that I was in a nightmare the
whole time. This is what happened from my side - we were a team of
four, Matt, Kristy, ******** and myself were heading towards the
Stevens Creek reservoir as a team. The other 3 put around 20 seconds
on me before the last stretch to the reservoir. When I took the
corner, it was a horror scene. The sheriff officer got out of his car
and was pacing up and down not quite knowing what to do. I could see
that Matt was fatally hit and ********* was hurt, but, concious and
yelling in pain. Kristy was in bad shape, I stayed with her and
encouraged her to keep breathing until the paramedics took over.
There was another cyclist on scene who happened to be a doctor - when
he asked the cop what hapenned, he said, "I must have dozed off...".
Thank you all for the support. I feel like we should get together as a
team to talk about this, it would definitely help me. "
NTN @slowtwitch.com forums said:
"Because the third injured riders name was not released I took it out.
From the fourth rider:
All,
Just a few words to let everyone know how I am doing. I am Ok
physically, but feel quite messed up in the head. Words cannot
describe the accident scene, I thought that I was in a nightmare the
whole time. This is what happened from my side - we were a team of
four, Matt, Kristy, ******** and myself were heading towards the
Stevens Creek reservoir as a team. The other 3 put around 20 seconds
on me before the last stretch to the reservoir. When I took the
corner, it was a horror scene. The sheriff officer got out of his car
and was pacing up and down not quite knowing what to do. I could see
that Matt was fatally hit and ********* was hurt, but, concious and
yelling in pain. Kristy was in bad shape, I stayed with her and
encouraged her to keep breathing until the paramedics took over.
There was another cyclist on scene who happened to be a doctor - when
he asked the cop what hapenned, he said, "I must have dozed off...".
Thank you all for the support. I feel like we should get together as a
team to talk about this, it would definitely help me. "
#65
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Bicycles are mentioned several times.
The problem is, so many drivers don't know or seem to care about the rules.
#66
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A freak accident would be your brake's suddenly failing maybe hitting black ice even qualifies. But dozing off(possibly) because you worked hard does not qualify and is completely avoidable.
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Driving a vehicle is a huge responsibility that many take for granted. It's often 2am by the time I have finished loading up all my drums in my wagon after a gig. It's at that point I have to honestly ask myself, "Am I awake enough to safely and alertly drive my vehicle back to my rehearsal studio, unload the drums, then drive home?" If not, I always have several blankets in my car that I use to cover equipment so I have no excuse to not nap for a few hours in the drivers seat.
I used to think blabbermouth.net and the posters there were the worst of the Internet. The comments on sfgate.com however have changed my opinion. Some of them are beyond ridiculous.
I used to think blabbermouth.net and the posters there were the worst of the Internet. The comments on sfgate.com however have changed my opinion. Some of them are beyond ridiculous.
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I'm not discounting that some people are just jackasses and that some people let their impatience get the best of them, but I'm sure there are a lot of people who just plain don't know how to react. Not an excuse, of course, but it's not always malice.
(Also, I'm surprised at how much bicycles are mentioned in that booklet. Some driver behavior that I'd previously considered weird is actually spelled out right there in the book.)
#69
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CHP's key question in patrol car crash that killed cyclists: Why?
If anyone has first hand information that can help answer the CHP's questions, there is a contact phone number near the end of this article.
https://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8519919
CHP's key question in patrol car crash that killed cyclists: Why?
By Leslie Griffy and Joshua Molina
Mercury News
Article Launched: 03/10/2008 06:13:28 AM PDT
A day after a Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputy crossed a double-yellow line and killed two bicyclists, investigators are still scrambling for answers.
California Highway Patrol spokesman officer Todd Thibodeau said it is unclear how fast the patrol car was going, how far he crossed the center line and and where exactly on the opposite side of the road he struck the group.
"There are a lot of details we are still trying to figure out. 'Why' is going to be a big question," he said.
Investigators are still piecing together what happened at around 10:30 a.m. Sunday on Stevens Canyon Road in Cupertino, where two avid cyclists died. The investigation, he said, could take some time.
At this point, he said, investigators have uncovered no evidence that would give weight to rumors in the cycling community that the deputy, who started his shift at 6 a.m., had dozed off.
"We are asking for no speculation," he said.
The crash on a beautiful Sunday morning left the Bay Area cycling community and the sheriff's department shaken.
"It's just horrible," said Mike Riepe of San Jose, after hauling his mountain bike up a trail near the crash site.
The opportunities for hill climbing and downhill coasting along Stevens Canyon make the road tempting for cyclists. So on Sunday morning four cyclists training for an event decided to give the hills a shot. The group was hit by the deputy's white cruiser while the deputy was on a routine patrol in the area, Sgt. Don Morrissey said.
Coming around a bend near a straightaway, the deputy crossed the center line and struck the group, Morrissey said. He called for help and immediately began CPR on one of the fallen cyclists, Morrissey said.
The sheriff's office did not release the names of the victims. But friends and bicycling Web sites identified the dead cyclists as Matt Peterson, 30, of San Francisco, and Kristy Gough, 31, of Oakland. Peterson died at the scene of the crash and Gough died several hours later after she was airlifted to Stanford University Hospital. Before and after she died, dozens of cyclists gathered at the hospital.
A 20-year-old man, identified by friends as Christopher Knapp of Germany, was seriously injured and was listed in stable condition Sunday night at Stanford University Hospital. The fourth rider was not hurt, Thibodeau said.
Peterson was on a cycling team sponsored by Roaring Mouse Cycles, a San Francisco bicycle shop. The shop's Web site posted word of his death on Sunday night.
The Web site of USA Cycling lists numerous races in which Peterson did well, including a first-place finish in a March 1 road race in Merced. He had a fourth-place finish in the Tri-Flow Menlo Park Grand Prix on Saturday.
Friends on Sunday described Gough as a professional triathlete who recently took up cycling but immediately started winning Northern California races. The most recent was the Merco Credit Union Foothills Road Race in Merced County on March 2.
"It's a huge loss for our team," said Anthony Borba of Campbell, the captain of the Third Pillar, Gough's team. "Besides being a phenomenal talent she was a phenomenal human being."
Interviewed at Stanford hospital late Sunday night, Borba said Gough was "an Olympic hopeful" being scouted for the Summer Games in Beijing.
"It's just so sad that these two athletes who were just coming into their own were struck down," Borba said. "We're all in shock."
Sunday's accident rattled the whole sheriff's department, Morrissey said. The deputy involved in the crash will be placed on administrative leave until the investigation is complete. He's been on the force for about a year and a half.
"He's taking it very hard," Morrissey said. "The whole department is saddened."
Fatal crashes are rare for the sheriff's department, even though deputies often drive as many as 200 miles in a single shift, Morrissey said.
The last fatal crash involving a sheriff's patrol car happened in 1994, when a deputy trying to keep a suspect from running struck and killed the man near the intersection of West San Carlos Street and Bascom Avenue. The deputy was
cleared of wrongdoing.
On a good weekend, thousands of cyclists cruise the winding road leading to Stevens Creek Reservoir, said cyclist Steve Paterson, 49, of Cupertino, as he was turned away from a road block near Ricardo Road set up because of the crash.
"There are so many rides up here," he said. "Club rides, sponsored rides, groups of friends."
It's unclear whether the cyclists involved in the crash were riding as part of a larger group, Morrissey said.
Cyclists along the well-traveled stretch of road talked Sunday about the dangers of their sport - everything from speeding cars to drivers who blare their horns in an attempt to intimidate them. One of the most dangerous things cyclists can do, they said, is ride two-abreast.
That practice is not illegal but can be extremely dangerous on narrow, winding roads with a large amount of traffic.
It was unclear if the cyclists involved in this crash were doing so, Thibodeau said. But cyclists said they've seen dangerous behavior from those on both two wheels and four.
"I've seen bicyclists who ride crazy," Paterson said. "And I've seen cars that go too fast."
In 1996, cyclist Jeffrey Steinwedel, 46, died on Stevens Canyon Road just up the road from Sunday's crash when a quarry driver struck him as he took a winter ride. The driver, Jon Nisby, was sentenced to a year in jail.
The CHP is asking anyone who witnessed the crash to call (408) 467-5354, extension 337.
Contact Leslie Griffy at lgriffy@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5945.
https://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8519919
CHP's key question in patrol car crash that killed cyclists: Why?
By Leslie Griffy and Joshua Molina
Mercury News
Article Launched: 03/10/2008 06:13:28 AM PDT
A day after a Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputy crossed a double-yellow line and killed two bicyclists, investigators are still scrambling for answers.
California Highway Patrol spokesman officer Todd Thibodeau said it is unclear how fast the patrol car was going, how far he crossed the center line and and where exactly on the opposite side of the road he struck the group.
"There are a lot of details we are still trying to figure out. 'Why' is going to be a big question," he said.
Investigators are still piecing together what happened at around 10:30 a.m. Sunday on Stevens Canyon Road in Cupertino, where two avid cyclists died. The investigation, he said, could take some time.
At this point, he said, investigators have uncovered no evidence that would give weight to rumors in the cycling community that the deputy, who started his shift at 6 a.m., had dozed off.
"We are asking for no speculation," he said.
The crash on a beautiful Sunday morning left the Bay Area cycling community and the sheriff's department shaken.
"It's just horrible," said Mike Riepe of San Jose, after hauling his mountain bike up a trail near the crash site.
The opportunities for hill climbing and downhill coasting along Stevens Canyon make the road tempting for cyclists. So on Sunday morning four cyclists training for an event decided to give the hills a shot. The group was hit by the deputy's white cruiser while the deputy was on a routine patrol in the area, Sgt. Don Morrissey said.
Coming around a bend near a straightaway, the deputy crossed the center line and struck the group, Morrissey said. He called for help and immediately began CPR on one of the fallen cyclists, Morrissey said.
The sheriff's office did not release the names of the victims. But friends and bicycling Web sites identified the dead cyclists as Matt Peterson, 30, of San Francisco, and Kristy Gough, 31, of Oakland. Peterson died at the scene of the crash and Gough died several hours later after she was airlifted to Stanford University Hospital. Before and after she died, dozens of cyclists gathered at the hospital.
A 20-year-old man, identified by friends as Christopher Knapp of Germany, was seriously injured and was listed in stable condition Sunday night at Stanford University Hospital. The fourth rider was not hurt, Thibodeau said.
Peterson was on a cycling team sponsored by Roaring Mouse Cycles, a San Francisco bicycle shop. The shop's Web site posted word of his death on Sunday night.
The Web site of USA Cycling lists numerous races in which Peterson did well, including a first-place finish in a March 1 road race in Merced. He had a fourth-place finish in the Tri-Flow Menlo Park Grand Prix on Saturday.
Friends on Sunday described Gough as a professional triathlete who recently took up cycling but immediately started winning Northern California races. The most recent was the Merco Credit Union Foothills Road Race in Merced County on March 2.
"It's a huge loss for our team," said Anthony Borba of Campbell, the captain of the Third Pillar, Gough's team. "Besides being a phenomenal talent she was a phenomenal human being."
Interviewed at Stanford hospital late Sunday night, Borba said Gough was "an Olympic hopeful" being scouted for the Summer Games in Beijing.
"It's just so sad that these two athletes who were just coming into their own were struck down," Borba said. "We're all in shock."
Sunday's accident rattled the whole sheriff's department, Morrissey said. The deputy involved in the crash will be placed on administrative leave until the investigation is complete. He's been on the force for about a year and a half.
"He's taking it very hard," Morrissey said. "The whole department is saddened."
Fatal crashes are rare for the sheriff's department, even though deputies often drive as many as 200 miles in a single shift, Morrissey said.
The last fatal crash involving a sheriff's patrol car happened in 1994, when a deputy trying to keep a suspect from running struck and killed the man near the intersection of West San Carlos Street and Bascom Avenue. The deputy was
cleared of wrongdoing.
On a good weekend, thousands of cyclists cruise the winding road leading to Stevens Creek Reservoir, said cyclist Steve Paterson, 49, of Cupertino, as he was turned away from a road block near Ricardo Road set up because of the crash.
"There are so many rides up here," he said. "Club rides, sponsored rides, groups of friends."
It's unclear whether the cyclists involved in the crash were riding as part of a larger group, Morrissey said.
Cyclists along the well-traveled stretch of road talked Sunday about the dangers of their sport - everything from speeding cars to drivers who blare their horns in an attempt to intimidate them. One of the most dangerous things cyclists can do, they said, is ride two-abreast.
That practice is not illegal but can be extremely dangerous on narrow, winding roads with a large amount of traffic.
It was unclear if the cyclists involved in this crash were doing so, Thibodeau said. But cyclists said they've seen dangerous behavior from those on both two wheels and four.
"I've seen bicyclists who ride crazy," Paterson said. "And I've seen cars that go too fast."
In 1996, cyclist Jeffrey Steinwedel, 46, died on Stevens Canyon Road just up the road from Sunday's crash when a quarry driver struck him as he took a winter ride. The driver, Jon Nisby, was sentenced to a year in jail.
The CHP is asking anyone who witnessed the crash to call (408) 467-5354, extension 337.
Contact Leslie Griffy at lgriffy@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5945.
#70
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Cyclists along the well-traveled stretch of road talked Sunday about the dangers of their sport - everything from speeding cars to drivers who blare their horns in an attempt to intimidate them. One of the most dangerous things cyclists can do, they said, is ride two-abreast.
That practice is not illegal but can be extremely dangerous on narrow, winding roads with a large amount of traffic.
That practice is not illegal but can be extremely dangerous on narrow, winding roads with a large amount of traffic.
And the pictures posted of the specific accident scene show that this was far from being one of those "narrow, winding roads".
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If anyone has first hand information that can help answer the CHP's questions, there is a contact phone number near the end of this article.
https://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8519919
CHP's key question in patrol car crash that killed cyclists: Why?
By Leslie Griffy and Joshua Molina
Mercury News
Article Launched: 03/10/2008 06:13:28 AM PDT
California Highway Patrol spokesman officer Todd Thibodeau said it is unclear how fast the patrol car was going, how far he crossed the center line and and where exactly on the opposite side of the road he struck the group.
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https://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8519919
CHP's key question in patrol car crash that killed cyclists: Why?
By Leslie Griffy and Joshua Molina
Mercury News
Article Launched: 03/10/2008 06:13:28 AM PDT
California Highway Patrol spokesman officer Todd Thibodeau said it is unclear how fast the patrol car was going, how far he crossed the center line and and where exactly on the opposite side of the road he struck the group.
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I think it is quite clear how far across the double yellow he went, all the way across and into the mountian side. Looks to me like all the way and then some. Bad reporting once again by the local journalists.
Hopefully this will also bring to the attention the long hours these police men/women work. At some point it comprimises the publics safety. They make truck drivers stop driving after so many hours, yet they send a patrol man out onto the streets with a gun and a liscense to drive fast. Doesnt make sense to me.
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Man, I hate the SJMN
I just saw the actual printed morning paper, and the story is on the front page.
However the article is that terrible Leslie Griffy article discussed earlier in this thread
Not only that, there is a huge picture on the front page (of the roadblock area), however NO PICTURES of the actual accident scene.
After looking at the paper, I can only imagine what the average person, non-cyclist person must think. They are going to think OMG... Those cyclists are crazy to be out there, that poor officer is going to have to live with hitting those risk takers.
I think this is so terrible for every party involved.
Shame on the SJMN, for publishing this garbage... Then to make it worse, they do a little "copy and paste" to regurgitate the worst paragraph from the 1st article and include it in the most recent article as well
This one...
" The opportunities for hill climbing and downhill coasting along Stevens Canyon make the road tempting for cyclists. So on Sunday morning four cyclists training for an event decided to give the hills a shot."
I just saw the actual printed morning paper, and the story is on the front page.
However the article is that terrible Leslie Griffy article discussed earlier in this thread
Not only that, there is a huge picture on the front page (of the roadblock area), however NO PICTURES of the actual accident scene.
After looking at the paper, I can only imagine what the average person, non-cyclist person must think. They are going to think OMG... Those cyclists are crazy to be out there, that poor officer is going to have to live with hitting those risk takers.
I think this is so terrible for every party involved.
Shame on the SJMN, for publishing this garbage... Then to make it worse, they do a little "copy and paste" to regurgitate the worst paragraph from the 1st article and include it in the most recent article as well
This one...
" The opportunities for hill climbing and downhill coasting along Stevens Canyon make the road tempting for cyclists. So on Sunday morning four cyclists training for an event decided to give the hills a shot."
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One of the most dangerous things cyclists can do, they said, is ride two-abreast.
That practice is not illegal but can be extremely dangerous on narrow, winding roads with a large amount of traffic.
It was unclear if the cyclists involved in this crash were doing so, Thibodeau said. But cyclists said they've seen dangerous behavior from those on both two wheels and four.
"I've seen bicyclists who ride crazy," Paterson said. "And I've seen cars that go too fast."
That practice is not illegal but can be extremely dangerous on narrow, winding roads with a large amount of traffic.
It was unclear if the cyclists involved in this crash were doing so, Thibodeau said. But cyclists said they've seen dangerous behavior from those on both two wheels and four.
"I've seen bicyclists who ride crazy," Paterson said. "And I've seen cars that go too fast."
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Dang, that article did some ridiculous editorializing. Especially egregious is the fact that this accident had nothing to do with the common dangers associated with cycling, it could have been anyone taken out by the dozing cop.
Hmm, I think we have the same taste in TV shows...
Hmm, I think we have the same taste in TV shows...