Posted on 06/08/2016 4:34:32 AM PDT by Wilderness Conservative
A pickup truck sought by cops for reckless driving plowed into a group of bicyclists along a western Michigan road, seriously wounding four and killing at least five people, authorities said.
A flurry of 911 calls made before the deadly collision alerted police to a blue truck driving dangerously throughout northern Kalamazoo County Tuesday evening.
The calls began at 6:08 p.m. and repeated at 6:13 p.m., and 6:21 p.m. The final call at 6:36 p.m. told police of a pickup truck that slammed into nine bicyclists on a rural road three miles north of Kalamazoo
Police were “looking for the blue pickup truck at the time it struck and killed five people, injured four others,” Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting said at a media briefing.
(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...
In all candor, that comment is sadly correct.
In EVERY cycling club ridden over the course of Many Hundreds of miles, there is a sense of entitlement / owning the road by fellow cyclists.
Cyclist road riding education actually encourages riders to “assert themselves” on the road.
In Every club I’ve ridden with I’ve been appalled at the two / three abreast social hour swarm behavior of most cyclists I know.
This accident is tragic, and an awful reminder that cyclists must ride defensively, and stay out of harm’s way.
As for me, I don’t road ride much anymore, and when I do, it bright lights on, and ride on the road’s edge.
Better safe, than sorry...
RE: “”Stop riding 5 abreast taking up the whole lane.”
Bingo. The roads where I live have nice bike lanes on both sides, yet even a pair of cyclists will pedal side-by-side and thus block part of the street, necessitating a swerve into the oncoming traffic opposite lane to get past the “snails”. If they want to converse....get helmets with two-way radios.
Bicyclists have the worst road etiquette of any set of wheels rolling.”
Agreed, but it's still against the law to kill them. (Gotta confess, I've occasionally wished ill on packs of bicyclists spreading out over the whole vehicular lane when thee was a bike line handy)
And now there will be more calls for autonomous or “driverless” vehicles. RIP
“Bicyclists have the worst road etiquette of any set of wheels rolling.”
Bingo, again.
I say this as a former distance rider. I wasn’t a rude, pushy or “in-your-face” rider. I did a number of sponsored rides for various “cures”. I loved the exercise and being outdoors. I didn’t particularly like riding in a group, so spent a lot of time out by myself.
I walked away from it the day someone in a car bounced a full pop bottle off my back. I didn’t get the plate number because I was crossing a bridge, and there were a number of cars that had just come up behind me.
Cyclists can be aholes, but cage-drivers are nuts.
Tragic hit and run but why would you expect a report on party affiliation in a case like this?
noun
1. the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another.
Cyclist road riding education actually encourages riders to “assert themselves” on the road.
When I was a kid on a black top road, my parents taught me to stop, get off the road and into the ditch. They weren’t too concerned about my rights.
From my old Michigan days:
1st Degree Murder: Willful, premeditated commission of homicide with malice aforethought.
2nd Degree Murder, remove the “premeditated”.
"Definition of wounded : injured by a weapon"
"Mowed down by high capacity military grade assault vehicle."
Yep, they were "wounded".
(BTW, I am not making light of the dead or injured, but rather the 'journalist')
I was stopped at a light along with two other cars in lanes to my left. (road with 3 lanes each way)
As the light was about to turn green to go, I saw a 20’s yr old woman riding a bike on the sidewalk not even phased to think she should stop so I stayed stopped. The car next to me stayed stopped, the third car took off and another car that had not been stopped came up quick and hit the bike rider. she went up in the air and came down hitting the pavement.
I’ll never forget that image. I have no clue what she was thinking to not stop for the orange hand signal that was clearly lit.
Still requires malice aforethought. Drunk drivers should be severely punished when they kill someone, but near as I can tell it doesn't fit the definition of murder.
Where is the outrage calling for truck control and banning of assault trucks?
Appears the driver aimed at the cyclists based on the witness description.
” I had one kick my door when I told him to stay on the shoulder”
Here in Boulder County, Colorado we have bike lanes installed at great expense to the public and they will not stay in them. We have a single file rule but they will not obey it. The law says you have to stay five feet away from a cyclist so you’re forced into the oncoming lane. I’m considering air horns just for fun. Really LOUD air horns. :)
"Aimed" implies intent which is possible. But never attribute to malevolence what might be attributed to incompetence, stupidity, drunkenness, etc.
Not suggesting that I know but the eyewitness description doesn't shine any light on intent.
I cycle all the time on paved roads...with a wide paved shoulder...with lights flashing...and wearing bright clothing. I respect the laws of physics. Some cyclists seem to deny those laws and end up the worse for it.
When I was a child we were told to ride facing traffic so that you could see what was coming at you, to ride single file and to stay on the sidewalk if there is one. It’s all different today.
To be charged with Murder 1, yes.
There’s nothing fruitier than a modern American “cycling enthusiast” with all his gear on.
Could be a hate crime against the gays...
It’s easy to see how this happens, as those spandex clad sissies love to ride 2 or 3 abreast, hogging the road and generally being assholes.
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