John E

Very bad news from one of my cycling friends, about a mutual friend who was 67 years young:

"San Diego cyclists are reeling in grief this morning upon learning that our friend, Bike Coalition board member, and cycling instructor Kerry Kunsman passed away this morning from complications stemming from a car-bike crash near Tillamook, Oregon on Friday afternoon.

"I understand this west coast bike tour was a lifelong trip for him, and he had been having a great time. You can read about this trip through Friday morning on his blog.

West Coast Tour 2014 "


Bicyclist seriously injured in collision along curve on Highway 131 | Tillamook County Pioneer

mud

So sorry.....

volosong

Dang! Blind curve with no shoulder, late afternoon with the sun shining in their eyes. The odds were against the poor fellow. i wish for peace and comfort to his family.

Correction: I'm conjecturing that it was a blind curve. It certainly happened on a curve with no shoulder and the sun in everyone's eyes.

qcpmsame 

Man, this bites, prayers for his family and friends.

Bill

B. Carfree

Nope, the sun was probably not in anyone's eyes at that time of day. Nearly two hours before sunset there's no "the sun was in my eyes" excuse because the sun is still high enough that is just isn't a factor (it's never a valid excuse anyway since one is legally required to not overdrive one's vision).

This sort of thing happens in that particular part of our state multiple times per year. People come from more-civilized regions and expect that they will be treated similarly to what they get at home. Unfortunately, Tillamook County is notoriously anti-bike, a situation that is exacerbated by the indifference of law enforcement to the unlawful endangerment of cyclists by motorists in that neck of the woods. Notice that no citation was even issued in spite of the clear language in ORS 811.065 that requires motorists to give cyclists room to fall in their direction when overtaking and specifies that any contact is an automatic violation. It's only a $400 ticket, but it's automatic and doesn't preclude additional charges after the investigation is completed. Likely, no citation or other legal consequences will be felt by the motorist who ran him over other than a civil suit by his victim's survivors.

These things really leave me raw because they are such unnecessary deaths. I hope his friends and family find what solace they need.

OldsCOOL

Ugh. So sorry to hear this.

John E

Thank you for your local's insights, B. Carfree. I should probably also contact my bicycling cousin, who lives in Corvallis, to see what he knows about this. Unless the motorist was distracted (checking cell phone logs should be standard procedure after any collision), I suspect he was indeed violating the basic speed law (what we call it in California) by driving faster than was prudent. My high school driver's ed. teacher always stressed that "you have learned the stopping distance for any given speed. Whenever you cannot see at least that far ahead, you need to slow down."

VNA

So sad to read about stories like these--my condolences to the family and friends.

Ride up there at least 4/5 times a year around Cannon Beach/Astoria and gave up riding on the road--mountain biking is by far more enjoyable.

Not only drivers are not as friendly to cyclists and pedestrians as some other places, but mainly way too many tourists with large SUVs/campers and RVs. Also the police in general is bias toward cyclists and not just in Oregon.

Beautiful country but unfortunately none of our comments will bring back Kerry!

GFish

This makes me terribly sad and as an Oregonian, I feel even worse. What B. Carefree said is true, every year a cyclist traveling along the coast is struck by a vehicle and killed. Happens way to frequently to ever feel safe on the roads. And for some reason, the people who seem to be less aware or intolerant to road cyclist are older drivers, the retirees. At least that's my observation.

Rest in peace Kerry....

John E

Two additional thoughts.

1) The motorist was driving with a suspended license, although the reason for the suspension has not been revealed. Inquiring minds ask, "Why?"

2) At age 74, unless he had already been given lens-replacing implants, the motorist had cataracts, to at least some extent. My ophthalmologist tells me that the German equivalent of most US DMVs tests older drivers' ability to discern shapes / read letters under low-contrast, low-light conditions. We can probably make our roads safer by demanding that our respective DMVs adopt the stricter German standards of visual acuity in determining motorist fitness. As technology has improved, the average age of lens replacement patients has steadily decreased -- there is no longer a reason to wait until one is almost legally blind and has already been a public road hazard for several years.

Pars 

Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend.

I certainly hope the motorist is charged as warranted, but that seems unlikely from the sound of the local climate from a previous poster.

prathmann

"Frank Bohannon, 74, has been cited for Careless Driving (ORS 811.135(3)) and Driving While Suspended. Prior to this decision, the OSP says they conferred with the Tillamook County District Attorney’s Office and decided there will be no additional criminal charges. Additional penalties will be triggered because Bohannon’s actions resulted in the death of a “vulnerable roadway user.”

Oregon was the first state to pass a Vulnerable Roadway Users law in 2007. It adds additional consequences above and beyond the standard traffic violation penalties. Bohannon will now have to choose between doing 100-200 hours of community service (which “must include activities related to driver improvement and providing public education on traffic safety”) and completing a traffic safety course or paying a $12,500 fine and having his license suspended for one year."

Still doesn't sound like much for deliberately driving with a suspended license and doing so with such carelessness as to fatally strike a cyclist.