Anyone near Weatherford?
 

My condolences to the family. Especially given the clueless law enforcement coupled with idiot driver :mad:

Anyone who's near there, maybe dropping in to the police station and pointing out Texas state law on full lane use (unless I'm very much mistaken) might go a long way towards gaining a conviction for the driver.

http://www.weatherforddemocrat.com/l...208105505.html

Published: July 26, 2008 10:55 am

Cyclist killed on access road in crash

Danie M. Huffman

wdrpeorter2@yahoo.com

A 46-year-old Weatherford man was killed Thursday evening while riding his bicycle on the access road of Interstate 20.

Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Simon DeLaCruz said the man, identified as Thomas Hollrith, was riding his bike in the center of the road and not on the shoulder near the 412 mile marker in Willow Park.

The posted speed limit is 40 miles-per-hour and Hollrith was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, according to the initial Texas DPS preliminary report.

“It was damaged pretty badly,” DeLaCruz said.

The report also indicates the driver of the pickup truck struck Hollrith from behind as the pair traveled westbound, shortly after 8 p.m., when the sun was setting.

The driver claimed the sun was in his eyes at the time of the accident, impairing his vision.

Hollrith hit the front of the truck and landed in the middle of the road.

A medical investigator pronounced him dead on the scene. His body was transported to the Tarrant County Medical Center’s Office in Fort Worth.

The driver of the pickup, Jason Perkins, was employed with Houston-based EOG Resources.

Hollrith’s sister, Ann Volesky, of Port Washington, Wisc., said her brother recently took up riding a bike about a month ago.

“He visited here in late June and bought the bike,” she said. “He had it shipped down there. He was supposed to participate in a big bike race this weekend along with 10,000 other riders. It would have been his first race.

Authorities are unsure of why Hollrith was riding in the center of the road.

“He wore his helmet all of the time, [and] he did have lights for his bike,” Volesky said.

She added Hollrith was a co-owner of Cornerstone Restoration, a damage repair business for commercial and residential homes after floods and fires.

“He was pretty great and loved kids,” she said. “He didn’t have any of his own. He was a fourth-degree black belt in Taekwondo, and recently acquired a black belt in Aikido in February and also had a black belt in Judo.”

Volesky said Hollrith volunteered regulary by working with the homeless, helping them find shelter.

“Two weeks ago, he spent time with all of our family while celebrating our parents 55th wedding anniversary July 4th,” Volesky said. “He moved down [to Weatherford] about five years ago to open the restoration business.”

Hollrith was born in Grafton, Wisc., the son of George and Ann Hollrith.

A memorial service for Hollrith is pending.

http://tlo2.tlc.state.tx.us/statutes/tn.toc.htm
http://tlo2.tlc.state.tx.us/statutes...htm#551.101.00

§ 551.103. OPERATION ON ROADWAY. (a) Except as
provided by Subsection (b), a person operating a bicycle on a
roadway who is moving slower than the other traffic on the roadway
shall ride as near as practicable to the right curb or edge of the
roadway, unless:
(1) the person is passing another vehicle moving in
the same direction;
(2) the person is preparing to turn left at an
intersection or onto a private road or driveway;
(3) a condition on or of the roadway, including a fixed
or moving object, parked or moving vehicle, pedestrian, animal, or
surface hazard prevents the person from safely riding next to the
right curb or edge of the roadway; or
(4) the person is operating a bicycle in an outside
lane that is:
(A) less than 14 feet in width and does not have a
designated bicycle lane adjacent to that lane; or
(B) too narrow for a bicycle and a motor vehicle
to safely travel side by side.
(b) A person operating a bicycle on a one-way roadway with
two or more marked traffic lanes may ride as near as practicable to
the left curb or edge of the roadway.
(c) Persons operating bicycles on a roadway may ride two
abreast. Persons riding two abreast on a laned roadway shall ride
in a single lane. Persons riding two abreast may not impede the
normal and reasonable flow of traffic on the roadway. Persons may
not ride more than two abreast unless they are riding on a part of a
roadway set aside for the exclusive operation of bicycles.
(d) Repealed by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1085, § 13,
eff. Sept. 1, 2001.

Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 165, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1995. Amended
by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1085, § 10, 13, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.

That pretty much says it. That is a major highway which has 2-lane access roads.

Not really. Still sounds like clueless cop meets idiot driver to me, sorry.

...unless:
(1) the person is passing another vehicle moving in
the same direction;
(2) the person is preparing to turn left at an
intersection or onto a private road or driveway;
(3) a condition on or of the roadway, including a fixed
or moving object, parked or moving vehicle, pedestrian, animal, or
surface hazard prevents the person from safely riding next to the
right curb or edge of the roadway; or
(4) the person is operating a bicycle in an outside
lane that is:
(A) less than 14 feet in width and does not have a
designated bicycle lane adjacent to that lane; or
(B) too narrow for a bicycle and a motor vehicle
to safely travel side by side.

What I meant was that the cyclist was riding in a lawful manner.

Ah sorry, my bad. Yes, that's what I believe from the reporter's piece but, until someone local can check, we won't know for sure.

I really hope it doesn't end up like this:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=442694

That's horrible, and unusual. That's the first I've heard of a cyclist being struck and killed while taking the lane, as opposed to riding the shoulder...But that's a horrible time to be riding in that part of town - it gets very busy. My condolences...

I've pedaled that stretch. It's all chip-seal, the shoulder is plenty wide enough - I guess 8 feet - but it's rough chipseal, so you want to be in the tire track where it's a bit smoother. In general the road is clear and open, but there are rolling hills which explains the sun-in-my-eyes excuse.

I live NW of Weatherford. I purposefully avoid riding westbound within an hour of sunset or eastbound at sunrise if riding in the morning. I consider my course of action to be defensive cycling.

Regardless of the right or wrong situation by driver or cyclist, the cyclist lost his life and nothing can change that. A glance away from the road for only a moment by the driver could have caused this accident.