Originally Posted by
mr_bill
To make it clear, the truck operator turned right from half way in the far left lane across the through lane *and* right turn lane onto Beacon Street.
There is zero reason to make that turn that way.
Beacon Street is not a truck route, the operator should only need to turn there for a local delivery. (Beacon Street is now night-time truck restricted as well.)
Not that we'll ever know, but if the truck's extremely visible, multiple turn signals were on, I think it's the fault of whoever pulled to the right of them. It's well known that trucks make wide turns. I've often seen trucks make turns that wide in Pittsburgh, I always assume they're making the right turn unless they keep going straight. It's sad, but honestly cyclists DO have to be wary of their surroundings. It's THEIR life on the line. If I saw a tractor trailer cutting across two lanes to the left right by a right hand turn, I'd at least slow down to see WTF he was doing...
It seems to me that the driver was lost since it's not a truck route, and was being extra careful not to get stuck. Can you blame the driver for being lost? Does that make him guilty of killing this cyclists? The fault lies with both parties, as both have to not be paying attention for this to happen.