I just heard about this 15 cyclist were hit by a car when the car came over the yellow line. The 15 cyclist were on there weekly ride.

just found more new on bay new nine

Accident in Pinellas sends cyclists to the hospital
Sunday, July 6th
Some of the injuries were serious according to a spokesman with St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue.

An accident early Sunday morning involving at least 16 bicycle riders and an automobile has closed 30th Ave. in St. Petersburg.

According to Rick Feinberg, a spokesman with St. Petersburg Fire Rescue, some of the riders injuries were very serious.

"At least five were traumatic in nature; one [rider] was airlifted by helicopter for treatment," Feinberg said. "Two were critically injured while others suffered cuts, bruises, broken bones, fractures."


The bicycle riders were part of the St. Petersburg Bicycle Club and the St. Pete Mad Dogs and were taking part in an organized weekend ride.

Some witnesses reported seeing the vehicle cross a double-yellow line along the roadway just before striking the cyclists. Feinberg said the driver of the vehicle has a medical history and is being evaluated.

"It’s too early to tell what may have led to this," Feinberg added. "We are concerned right now with getting treatment for those that have been injured. Some of the riders have been treated at the scene."

The road will remain closed for several hours and investigators gather evidence and clean up the scene.

Some riders received minor injuries such as bumps, bruises and cuts. Tune in to Bay News 9 for more.

thats odd..

This is very sad.My prayers got out to every one involved.:angel:

Let's see: a car crosses the yellow line and ploughs into a group of 15 riders. Can anyone say "assault"?

The drivers here are the worst I have ever seen; and, I've been in some pretty bad driving areas (Texas, New Jersey). I watched a documentary a few days ago on trio, that discussed austin(where we used to live) and the organization "Critical Mass). The question they posed was "Do you want Austin to have 4 times as much traffic in 20 years?". I can't see how anyone could answer yes. Yet, here it is the same way. More wider roads; more crazy driving jerks; more danger to pedestrians and bicyclists. As was said, our prayers are with them.

DOT HS 809 456 April 2003
Technical Report
Pedestrian Roadway Fatalities

Ugh - you think that you're more safe in a group ride. Apparently not.

If the driver wasn't drunk, (which the article was hinting at by citing the driver had medical problems) it sounds like the driver never even saw the large riding goup. There are some medical conditions that would render the driver completely incapable of controling his or her vehicle :

sudden critical hypoglycemia (lowering of blood sugar to the point where the person passes out.. that's why truck drivers who become insulin dependant diabetics lose their license and thus their livlihood) , massive heart attack (has seen that happen) or seizure (most people who suffer seizures are not supposed to drive for three months after having one but most violate that order).


What a god awful tragedy!!

From CNN:

https://www.cnn.com/2003/US/South/07/....ap/index.html

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) -- A motorist swerved over the center lane in a no-passing zone Sunday and plowed into a group of oncoming bicyclists, injuring 14 of them, officials said.

Joseph Pastore, 60, said he was trying to pass a slow-moving car when he struck the group on a two-lane residential road, said police spokesman George Kajtsa.

The 25 to 30 bicyclists were members of two clubs who were on a weekly outing.

It was unclear how fast Pastore was traveling or if his driver's license was valid. Kajtsa said investigators questioned him and initiated tests to see if he was impaired by alcohol or medication.

Ten bicyclists were in fair or serious condition at Bayfront Medical Center, said hospital spokeswoman Vicky Burkhart.

Others were taken to Tampa General Hospital, St. Petersburg General Hospital and Northside Hospital, Kajtsa said. There was no immediate response to calls seeking the patients' conditions Sunday.

I know I should resist the urge to rush to judgment, but this sounds like grounds for driver's license revocation. However, I'll bet Mr. Pastore will be out driving again before long ...

https://www.cnn.com/2003/US/South/07/....ap/index.html

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) -- A motorist swerved over the center lane in a no-passing zone Sunday and plowed into a group of oncoming bicyclists, injuring 14 of them, officials said.

Joseph Pastore, 60, said he was trying to pass a slow-moving car when he struck the group on a two-lane residential road, said police spokesman George Kajtsa.

The 25 to 30 bicyclists were members of two clubs who were on a weekly outing.

It was unclear how fast Pastore was traveling or if his driver's license was valid. Kajtsa said investigators questioned him and initiated tests to see if he was impaired by alcohol or medication.

Ten bicyclists were in fair or serious condition at Bayfront Medical Center, said hospital spokeswoman Vicky Burkhart.

Others were taken to Tampa General Hospital, St. Petersburg General Hospital and Northside Hospital, Kajtsa said. There was no immediate response to calls seeking the patients' conditions Sunday.

NO resistance necessary. I should think the permanent cancellation of this person's licence is the least that should happen. I refuse to accept the "I didn't see them" argument without a more valid reason than anything presented so far. If this guy has a medical condition that prevents him from operating a motor vehicle safely than he shouldn't be doing it at all. Plain and simple.

Either way, someone has been, at the very least, negligent, and at the most callous.

Way to achieve .... this was already posted, by me, about 2 posts earlier.

.....snip...A motorist swerved over the center lane in a no-passing zone.....snip.....
"Joseph Pastore, 60, said he was trying to pass a slow-moving car when he struck the group on a two-lane residential road, said police spokesman George Kajtsa."

Funny the news reports made NO mention of the alleged "slow moving car" IN THE NO PASSING ZONE They had eye-witness interviews and everything.

On a side note as to how close to home this is for me: A friend of my girlfriend's family rides with one of the groups involved. (From what I understand he wasn't involved) and it's on the same street that I'll be moving to next month (within about 2 miles or so) THIS is what I get to deal with. <grumble>

LOL, sorry. I didn't read the posts, that's why. I just read the first one.

No biggie, I just thought it was funny and couldn't resist giving you a hard time about it!

Don't bet on it. Florida is notorious for being reticent to pull or even suspend their drivers' licenses because of the elderly lobby there.

To set the record straight, this morning's tribune said that the driver had a series of medical problems. Also, the judged speed and a witness, seems to indicate the driver's medical condition may have caused the problem.

I agree that a drivers license should be pulled for all reckless/agressive driving violations. After living here 3 years, I really believe it is the deadly mixture of immaturity (at any age) and the poorer driving habits we use as we age, that are the real problems here. We really do need to get these drivers off the road. Treating them something like DUI violators.

At every job I have ever applied for, I've had to fill out a form that asked (among other things) if I had a medical condition that would prevent me from carrying out whatever duties the job required. There was also a written clause specifying that the provision of false or misleading information would be sufficient grounds for instant dismissal.

Now if such a system is good enough for every employer in the developed world to use, why is it not good enough for those who hand out driver's licences? After all, a driver is behind the wheel of a machine that can be pretty deadly if it's mishandled. For this reason alone we need to be more selective about who we allow to have this privilege and the responsibility that goes with it.

One wonders if a day will come when somebody will get successfully sued for allowing someone like this on the road where they could be such a blatant menace to themselves and to other road users.

I just found out that 2 cyclists from Cincinnati were involved in this crash. They are the VP of the Queen City Wheels Bike Racing Club and his wife.

No word on their condition.

Kathi

In aviation you need to get medically tested every two years. I would support that type of action for for driver's licensing too.

The club is looking to make a "show of force" this weekend. For all you Florida Gulf Coasters...
From the prez of the SPBC, I got this from my club's listserver. He'd like to get as many people show up as possible.

==============================================
The St. Pete Mad Dogs, St. Petersburg Bicycle Club Inc., and anyone else are welcome to ride Sunday, July 13th, in honor of the bicyclists injured last Sunday.

Meet: Main Library parking lot at intersection of 9th Avenue North and 37th Street North in St. Petersburg.
Cyclists take off riding sharp at 8:30 a.m.

Kimberly Cooper

Thanks, Kimberly. The idea for this ride started when Barry Coates, President of the St. Pete Maddogs, informed me that somehow a rumor got started in the media coverage surrounding last Sunday's tragic events that this weekend's scheduled rides with the St. Pete Bike club were cancelled. NOT TRUE. Our club rides will proceed as scheduled, and based on feedback I have received from other cyclists and triathletes, indications are that we will be out in force, both on the Saturday ride leaving from the North Shore Pool parking lot at 8:30 a.m. sharp, as well as on the special ride we are planning on for this Sunday.

Sunday's ride will leave from the Main Library parking lot at intersection of 9th Avenue North and 37th Street North in St. Petersburg, at 8:30 a.m SHARP. We plan on riding a controlled ride, capping the speed at 20 miles per hour MAX with the intent of making the ride a consitent line of riders riding 2 abreast MAX. We plan on riding down 30th avenue north, past the scene of the crash, in honor of the victims of last Sunday's crash. We are planning a shorter route than normal for a Sunday ride, capping the distance to a maximum of 30 miles. The caps placed on speed and distance are put in place to encourage as much participation as possible.

The members of the St. Pete Bike Club and the St. Pete Maddogs are asking ALL area clubs to come out for this ride first and formost to show their support and honor the victims of this horrific crash, to send a message to the community that we are a presence that is legally be entitled to be on the road and we are not going away, and to send a message to the State Attorney's Office, especially in light of driver Joseph D. Pastore's infuriating comments denying all responsibility for causing the crash (reported in yesterday's St. Petersburg Times), that criminal charges must be filed against him. Please come out on Sunday, July 13th at 8:30 a.m. to show your support and solidarity for the cycling community. Please spread the word, and forward this email to as many people as possible.

Anthony Clifton
President, St. Petersburg Bicycle Club

I'm 75% sure of going. It mainly depends if the trails are going to be underwater or not this weekend. (haven't been off-road in MONTHS)

Word is spreading, should be a massive turnout.

I've checked a couple of the local message boards and most everyone is talking about going!

L8R