Originally Posted by
myrridin
Glad no one was seriously injured.
Note that it is called a speed limit for a reason... From your description you were traveling excessively fast. Sure the pedestrians contributed to the accident, but so did you... What if instead of pedstrians it had been a fallen limb or some other obstruction? By your own admission you couldn't stop in time, therefore you were going too fast.
So, if I were driving and hit someone head-on because the were on the wrong side of the road it would still be my fault for going to fast? (this is basically what happened here) I already feel bad enough, I don't need J. Random internet guy beating me up over it. >
Originally Posted by
myrridin
As to other riders going the same speed... I'm sure you remember what parents tell their children when they make such a claim...
You're not my mommy, so come off it already. How are they not, at least, equally at fault here? They KNOW there are other fast cyclists (and I mean skin-suit wearing roadies who could drop me like a bad habit, and sometimes do) on the trail (they would've seen them for sure.), they KNOW there are people coming towards them.
Originally Posted by
myrridin
As to their stopping and staring, I would guess that there wasn't a lot of time to react (speed ~ 30 feet per second)... There is a reason the startled response is called fright or flight.
You mean
FIGHT or flight. In this case, self-preservation would dictate a "flight" response for most people.