Police: Bike mechanical issues contributed to fatal van collision
 

Times Colonist, Oct. 3, 2014:

Official government press release:

I'm still not exactly sure how this happened. I guess he veered into traffic and the squishy tires prevented a quick correction.

Sounds like he fell off, then got hit. Maybe a really low tire rolled off the rim during a turn.

Or, because it was a car/cycle collision, authority people need something, anything as a reason to dismiss it and let the driver off.
Tire and pedal :lol: is as good as any.

maybe he flatted and was trying to unclip when he fell into traffic?

Low pressure based on what?
Tire sidewall reads 120psi, and he had 105psi??

Video clip: (warning: embedded auto-play with ad): Cyclist Dies After a Crash on the Pat Bay Highway - CHEK

It looks like a straightaway between two turns. I do know that when these incidents occur the local cops are out there for hours on their hands and knees measuring and gathering evidence. It comes down to finding exactly where the impact occurred. I've biked that route before--you do have to keep your wits about you as an interchange is nearby and drivers are coming off the highway at high speed.

Two possible scenarios.

The first is that he had a solo crash possibly from a flat, a pedal strike or simple loss of traction or balance, fell and was struck while down.

The other is that he was struck first then fell.

There's a big difference between the two, and it's not clear which from the reports. If he was struck before falling, then it's a question as to why and how.

For example, a broken pedal or simply his foot slipping off could have caused a sudden lane change (my record is the full width of the road, when a pedal broke during a sprint), or a very low tire making handling sloppy.

Of course, he could be one of the thousands struck from behind while riding a perfectly straight line.

All I see wrong with the van is the bumper is tilted down a bit. Not likely an upright hit from behind.
My 35c tires going flat never bothered my steering on a flat road, slowed braking some. I had a fast leak one day and was pumping it up every 1/2 mile. 4 wires and mised one. A lot different from 23c of course, never used them.

Maybe he just passed out.

That is the way it reads to me.

I'm surprised they didn't say his chain had rust and his reflectors were missing also.

RIP to the cyclist

Why would he be unclipping when traffic is moving?

When I am driving and encounter any vulnerable road user, I give more than enough berth for error. If I can't, I slow appreciably.

I assume investigators have more info than we do. If the pedal came off, that would definitely make him fall. Low tire pressure could have led to tire failure, also causing the bike to change direction rapidly.

I don't know about you, but when I get a flat tire, I normally unclip and attempt to stop at what is the most convenient place possible in that particular instant. Be it where I am on the shoulder or turned off a bit further or in the grass... where ever. I generally associate the potential risks of a flat clincher as needing relative immediate attention and not something I'm going to continue to ride upon. irregardless of if traffic is moving or not.

Having experienced a lose cleat and the resulting inability to unclip because of it (and the ensuing fall), I could see how a pedal issue and being able to unclip combined with some mechanical issue with the tire, being flat or other failure... could cause a person to accidentally fall down.. potentially into moving traffic

given the potential suddenness of such fall, I could see how a driver may not have time to react to it and thus hit the cyclist.

in either case, hopefully the rider's family can overcome and deal with their loss.

An accident investigation must list the primary collision factor (I.E. what caused the accident) and any associated factors (what may have contributed to the accident). It's just the sign of a thorough accident investigation, nothing more.

If hey don't know the condition of the pedal, and the tire pressure, before the incident ------- it's all speculation and dreams. What about eyewitnesses????

Third possible scenario: defense is scrambling to blame the victim over trivial details which did not contribute to the crash.

What is the civility in that comment? You can be angry and yet respectful.

I'm going to point out something that won't be so popular yet is a really sore point at A&S.


People die in accidents every second. They are tragic. Ways to prevent future occurrences should be of the highest priority. That is why A&S exists.

We are here to discuss these problems and how to find solutions. One thing we get a bad reputation for is having more bad attitudes about authorities then all of the 1960s.

We aren't here to avenge everyone who dies in a bicycle-related accident. We aren't here to go off the rails and spit out obscenities at other people we don't even know, especially based on a text or video story...we probably don't have every angle in all but a few cases that might be more obvious.

We get no respect when we give none. If you really need to rant we have forums for just that. Those kinds of threads tend to get closed here or burn out quickly, or they get repeated over and over. Nobody has given you the right to act like this in the TOS, everyone must act to the same rules...we are not an elite group and we are here for EVERYONE to see, even unregistered users.

If this is to be the 'morals and spirit' of Bike Forums, it must have morals and spirit.

I don't care if you dislike cops or anyone else, you do not call them fornicating pigs. You have no right to. All of us at Bike Forums demand that our name be honored and upheld with dignity. This is not your coffee break.

I have said this enough.

I don't know about you, but can we blindly speculate some more? Not sure, but I am thinking Iran and drones here.

Further, can we go truly status quo now and get at least a dozen responses solely written as delivery factories for the personal anecdotes of unknown cyclists the world over?

Most of us have had many many experiences where motorists behave badly, putting our lives at risk. Luck and perhaps skill keep us alive. Sometimes their behavior is combined with words or gestures that make it clear their actions were intentional. At the same time, we see when cyclists are killed in traffic, the cyclist is often blamed.

The reaction is a heavy dose of skepticism in each and every case we see, even though we don't know what actually happened.

Bike forums has it's own rules but I absolutely do have the legal right to insult law enforcement officers in the USA.

Respect and prayers for the deceased, and respect, not inflamitory rantings, for the authorities, especially when we disagree with them.