Jeez....took them long enough. Glad to hear this though.

Good news for a tragic story. He'll make a good prison ***** I'm sure.

This story is so sad. I still can't believe there are cowards out there who would hit cyclists or pedestrians and just leave. If they get away with it, how can they live with themselves? This is why I don't really ride on the street. I leave home, takes only 1 mile of neighborhood streets to get to the bike bath and then I have about 30 miles of quiet, smog free proctected paved road. I have a 17 month old at home to get back to.

Lucky you!

I ride in SoCal, and with all the recent mauling/killing of cyclists, I am very weary of cycling on SoCal roads. My problem is that I still have to ride some stretches of road and joust with motorists before getting on longish bike paths. I am an experienced cyclist, but it just seems that there are far too many inattentive/drunk/drugged motorists out there now. Hardly a week here without some mauling/killing of a cyclist by a motorist. It is a serious problem indeed.

I am happy that the the horrible excuse of a human being got 12 years for what he did. He deserved to get more. Unfortunately there too many drivers that drive while distracted. The problem has gotten worse since I was hit by a car going 55 mph on July 5, 2009 by a driver distracted by 2 dogs in the car. In my case I almost died twice and I am partially disabled. The elderly woman that hit me got a minor traffic ticket.

What is needed is more awareness of cyclists, better infrastructure, and stiffer penalties, much like the Netherlands and Denmark. There if you hit a cyclist you are presumed to be guilty, unless you can prove that the cyclist was at fault and the penalties are very stiff. We also need more dedicated bike lanes and bike paths. Cycling is a great thing for society and the cyclist. We need to lobby for more funding for cycling improvements to our infrastructure and stiffer penalties.

Water rockets is correct. Hitting and leaving is very common. Happens at least once a week here with car and some sort of pedestrian.

These things are horrible to hear. People with their iron and plastic shells and petrol guzzling engines are completely disconnected from the outside world.
Pretty sure I've had a few close calls myself, little old ladies at intersections going down hill. I engaged the turn shortly after the light changed and I was sure everyone could see me but she barrelled in behind me. I had to boot it to stay ahead till I could sneak off to the side. Another time, biking home from work at something like 2 AM, reflective vest over my backpack so I would be visible and there was this loud noise behind me and getting closer. I pedaled faster and faster, probably broke 50 or 60 kph, till an opening on the side of the road, not 2 seconds after I got off, an 18 wheeler whips past. I dare not imagine the mess if I had wiped out with either of them seconds behind me.

The people who hits somebody or another vehicle and flees are usually the ones driving like A-holes speeding, weaving in and out of traffic. I always tell others that you can learn a lot about a person's character by the way they drive.

Reminds me when I got a new bike for Christmas last year and took it for a ride later in the evening. It was my turn to cross a crosswalk and a lady nearly hit me head on, I was lucky enough to only hit the side of the car, but she kept on driving and somebody had to chase her down. She claimed she didn't feel it, but the massive passenger side dent leads me to believe otherwise.

It's always horrible when these things happen, Rest In Peace.

So true.

Did not sound like an accident to me, may not have been intended but if he's speeding then its no "accident"!

Due to the likelihood of thread drift, it's best to take this to A&S. There is a thread about it HERE