"Bents are known to be safer." requires some kind of supporting data. Just saying stuff because it serves your agenda isn't very convincing.

I ride recumbents. I like recumbents and I'll never go back for the majority of miles that I ride. For riding in urban areas, however, I prefer my DF beater bike because it's so much easier to twist your torso look side-to-side at intersections. On a recumbent you have to lean forward before you can twist because your shoulders are leaning against the comfy backrest. When I bought my first recumbent the first thing the sales guy asked me was what kind of rear view mirror I was used to because you can't twist around to look back like you can on a DF bike.

Does anybody here know how Kerry actually fell? One common type of bike fall, even for experienced riders, involves riding off the road and trying to steer back on. If your front wheel doesn't roll back onto the pavement you'll fall over on your side and, whether on a DF bike or on a recumbent, usually hit hip first. That's what I did on my recumbent tandem and I have a personal friend who did the same thing, but on a DF bike, with the same result. It's not hard for me to imagine that's what Kerry might have done too.