I came home from work sick today. My sinuses are wacky enough that I took the bus instead of cycling because I keep getting dizzy. Anyway, I caught a ride home with a family member at lunch time (who was coming home to near where I live), and we saw the aftermath of a TERRIBLE accident at Lafayette and Maryland Avenue, near where you enter the Jones Falls Trail.
There was a firetruck, police and patrol car, caution tape. I said out-loud, “Oh, please don’t let it be a cyclist.”
But it was. I saw a bike. And I saw a cyclist on the ground, face-down, still wearing a helmet. He (?) looked bad. (I certainly didn’t take any cell phone photos because I’m not deranged.) As we headed North, I heard an ambulance in the distance. Given that there was caution tape blocking the scene and that no one on the firetruck seemed to have moved the cyclist, I can only assume the worst.
My heart is sick. If you’re the praying type, have at it. Pray, metta, anything. This is terrible news for all of us.
John
Dan-o
bigbikingbrown
Frankie
greaterbrown
cube
Nate
C. Ralls
travelxlight
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36 comments
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08.04.09 at 1:47 pm
rb2rider
Holy crap, I bike through this intersection on my commute home, three days a week. I’m glad the cyclist was wearing a helmet. Still, this is indeed horrible, sad news.
08.04.09 at 2:04 pm
The human car
From my mail bag:
FYI -
A bicyclist was killed by a hit and run driver at the corner of Maryland Avenue and Lafayette Avenue at around 1PM today. I was getting off the bus just as police were covering the body. I was told by a bystander that it was a truck that hit the individual. It apparently dragged the cyclist about 5-10 yards and drove off. He was riding a red mountain bike. Not sure of any other details.
- RC
08.04.09 at 2:12 pm
rb2rider
F**king hit-and-run. Dammit!!!
08.04.09 at 2:27 pm
Johnny
OH. MY. GOD. We need to find this person. “Person.” I hope there are some leads. Central District has a new Major; I hope he’s got some folks on this.
I can imagine a truck right-hooking the cyclist on its way to Falls Road. But, hell, I don’t want to speculate. I just hope they find the fucker.
I saw the body before they covered it, and I’ll never forget it.
08.04.09 at 2:46 pm
The human car
From Face Book:
Baltimore PoliceDept: We are currently investigating the scene and will have information once detectives get a sense of what transpired.
08.04.09 at 2:51 pm
Johnny
Thanks, Barry. I hope they catch this person and soon.
08.04.09 at 3:02 pm
Johnny
From WJZ:
BALTIMORE, Md. (WJZ) ―
A bicyclist was struck and killed downtown late this morning.
Fire Chief Kevin Cartwright tells WJZ-TV a person on a bike was struck at Lafayette and Maryland Avenue at 11:37am.
The cyclist was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Baltimore City police department is now handling the investigation.
http://wjz.com/local/cyclist.2.1114383.html
I got there at like 11:40.
08.04.09 at 3:13 pm
dukiebiddle
J, like you, I don’t want to speculate, but something really has to be done to raise awareness of the incredible danger associated with proper lane position for cyclists and right turning trucks and panal vans. Oftentimes, they just don’t see us. I’ve only recently learned myself about how much of a killer this is.
08.04.09 at 3:31 pm
rb2rider
The WJZ pic is from a weird angle, and very closely cropped. The intersection isn’t recognizable, and the bike doesn’t look red. That is an unusually wide skid-mark behind the rear-tire of the bike.
08.04.09 at 3:41 pm
dukiebiddle
I just looked at the photo. Whatever happened, it appears the bicycle was dragged into a left hand turn.
Condolences to the family.
08.04.09 at 3:46 pm
The human car
Don’t get me started on Commercial Truck Driver Training. http://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20081224105516487
08.04.09 at 4:09 pm
kristen
only this is, you can’t turn left there. this site has a wider view
http://breakingnews.baltimoresun.com/2009/08/05/cyclist-struck-killed-in-downtown-baltimore/
08.04.09 at 4:22 pm
dukiebiddle
yeesh. Just saw the video the photo was taken from. Looks like a right hand turn, and that mark is probably not from the tire.
08.04.09 at 4:28 pm
Johnny
From THE SUN, with video of coverage:
http://breakingnews.baltimoresun.com/2009/08/05/cyclist-struck-killed-in-downtown-baltimore/
P.S. Don’t let that first comment get you down. Read them all if you’re going to read that one. And leave your own. The trolling on THE SUN’s website is just a pain in the ass.
08.04.09 at 5:23 pm
rb2rider
This really sucks. I live within a 10-minute walk from that very intersection. There are cyclists all over that area. Velocipede is right there, the other bike shop is right there, that section of Falls Road connecting with Maryland Avenue is hugely popular junction for cyclists riding to/from Hampden. I’m going to be going through there in about an hour or so. I just feel sick about this.
08.04.09 at 6:22 pm
dukiebiddle
I posted this on the Sun thread, but I’m cutting and pasting it here, as I think it is important note in a cycling friendly forum as well:
As much as a tragedy as this is, I think it is important to note, contrary to popular opinion, cycling is incredibly safe from a statistical standpoint. Measured against a million miles walked and cycled as well as against per million hours walked and cycled, cycling is nearly as safe as walking, and clearly safer than driving. Every year seven times as many pedestrians are struck and killed by automobiles as all fatal bicycle accidents combined. For every cyclist death, there are 42 automobile deaths. More Americans are killed every year in train accidents than bicycle accidents. It would take the average cyclist 8000 years to be the likely victim of a serious head trauma, and 22,000 years to likely be a fatality victim.
Statistically, a city the size of Baltimore will suffer about 1.5 bicycle related deaths every year. Clearly, this accidental death, like all accidental deaths, is a tragedy. But it is certainly not indicative of a large scale public safety problem… like, say, obesity is.
Sadly, it is looking like this may possibility be a classic right turn commercial truck/van blind-spot accident, or at least the police are not yet willing to rule this out. There is still the possibility that driver and cyclist were both following the letter and spirit of the law. The irony being women and senior citizens are far more likely to being the victim of this type of accident, as they are following the law which places them in the truck’s blind spot. A recent study found that more than 85% of London bicycle fatalities were of this very type, and 7 out 8 of the victims were women. Younger men, ironically, are far safer from this due to their more aggressive and visible cycling style, as well as their penchant for running red lights or positioning themselves in a place to make it easier to run the red light if such an opportunity arises.
Be this all as it may, I think it is important to note that we stay to the right of traffic, and Maryland law says that we have to, not for the sake of our own safety but for the convenience of motorized vehicles. The victim here, tragically, may very well have been a victim of the law, not an aggressive driver.
08.04.09 at 6:33 pm
Tdogg
Man, that’s so scary. I ride by that corner going to/from Falls Rd, and I know that tons of other people do too, with the sort-of-bike-path and 2 bike businesses right nearby. I feel terrible for the guy and his family and friends, and it makes me scared to get back on my bike. I’m also sorry you had to see that – I’m sure the image will stay with you and that intersection will always remind you.
The update (http://wjz.com/local/cyclist.2.1114383.html) now says it was a white man in his 60′s hit by a truck driver who may or may not have known he hit anything. Hmm.
08.04.09 at 7:01 pm
The human car
Just to note that I believe Baltimore City is still averaging less then one cyclists death a year (vs 16 pedestrians and 27 motorists fatalities in 2006)
Also note state law:
§ 21-1205. Riding on roadways or on highway.
(a) Riding to right side of roadway.- Each person operating a bicycle or a motor scooter at a speed less than the speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions then existing on a roadway shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable and safe, except when:
(1) Making or attempting to make a left turn;
(2) Operating on a one-way street;
(3) Passing a stopped or slower moving vehicle;
(4) Avoiding pedestrians or road hazards;
(5) The right lane is a right turn only lane; or
(6) ***Operating in a lane that is too narrow*** for a bicycle or motor scooter and another vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane. [Most lanes fall in this category in Baltimore.]
Also see our PSA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oPIhMSPfp0
08.04.09 at 7:23 pm
Johnny
One wonders:
If this truck driver hit a mother walking her kids or a Mustang convertible, would he be given the benefit of the doubt by police?
08.04.09 at 7:53 pm
dukiebiddle
“If this truck driver hit a mother walking her kids or a Mustang convertible, would he be given the benefit of the doubt by police?
”
In the case of the mother, I would think so, if she was in the street in the cycle zone. If they did not, it would probably be more due to an impassioned response to her personal story than to police objectivity.
In the case of the mustang, no. It’s very difficult to not notice hitting 2 tons of steel, even for a truck.
The human car, that’s very positive news indeed. I knew we had gone a couple of years without a fatality, which puts us way ahead of the curve, especially for an urban area, as urban areas are usually slightly ahead of the national average.
These situations give me ambivalent feelings, aside from the tragedy itself. Part of me knows that a society that is already unjustifiably hostile towards transport cyclists will use this to justify their prejudices, which are completely contradictory to the safety statistics that the federal government has compiled. I just don’t know how to deal with that in a constructive way.
08.05.09 at 9:16 am
Johnny
More comments on Baltimore Spokes:
http://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20090804123506406
Ghost Bike, most likely Thursday. I’m still sick, but I’ll be there. I’ll post details as they come in.
08.05.09 at 9:18 am
rb2rider
I went through Maryland and Lafayette yesterday on the ride home, and happened to meet up with the coordinator of Velocipede. He said he’s going to make a ghost bike from an old bike out of the shop. I’m not sure if he means to put it up right there at the intersection, or somewhere else. Anyway, I think it’s a good idea, and I told him so. I encourage all who are in agreement to do the same. The Velocipede link is on the sidebar here at NBBB.
08.05.09 at 9:32 am
Johnny
More from THE SUN:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-md.briefs052aug05,0,1780121.story
Am I the only one who thinks it’s complete bullshit that the police are giving the driver the benefit of the doubt? I saw the man on the ground. Let’s just say that there would be evidence on the truck’s wheels and fenders.
08.05.09 at 9:38 am
Johnny
Longer video, if you’re inclined to want to watch it:
http://wjz.com/video/?id=58893@wjz.dayport.com
08.05.09 at 9:43 am
rb2rider
Johnny – I was thinking about this yesterday, after checking out the scene. Now that we know that the rider was “entangled” in the wheels of the truck, I am more convinced that this was a hit-and-run. Let’s say the cyclist weighed, what, 150 lbs? If you’re driving a box truck, how do you fail to notice something weighing 100-150 pounds becoming entangled in your rear wheels?
The police are deliberately taking leave of any common-sense analysis of this incident.
08.05.09 at 9:44 am
Debbie
A similar accident was all over the Washington media last year – a similar right-turning-truck accident. Don’t let this accident fade from memory – keep the issue alive.
Alice Swanson’s ghost bike:
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM4C6Q_Alice_Swansons_Ghost_Bike_Washington_DC
08.05.09 at 10:33 am
Johnny
I really really don’t wanna describe in too much detail what I saw (for taste and because I’m trying to get it out of my head), but there would be blood on the truck. There had to be. There’s no way in hell no one noticed that on their truck.
08.05.09 at 11:07 am
dukiebiddle
Johnny, I would be exceedingly upset if I was or am left the impression that the police are not aggressively pursuing the identity of the truck and driver, but the police did investigate the scene of the accident for hours and speak with witnesses. I’m not yet ready to chuck this up to police laziness, apathy or anti-cycling prejudice. Although, I do think it would be justifiable and positive for the family and/or cycling advocates to press the police as to why exactly they are leaning toward driver obliviousness over hit and run in this instance.
08.05.09 at 11:21 am
The human car
Right now all we have is reporters reporting what the police are saying, which can have a bias on a bias. The fact of the mater police are not going to commit to anything one way or the other till they are done with the investigation.
If you want to see better relations between the police and the cycling community please act on this: http://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20090804094101521
08.05.09 at 2:48 pm
liam
And the Sun is already giving the driver the benefit of the doubt. Nasty.
08.05.09 at 4:12 pm
Eric
They’ve updated the story with the name of the cyclist. Horrible.
John R. Yates, RIP
08.05.09 at 6:12 pm
Johnny
Thanks, Eric. Turns out my wife knew him through work. He was a former board member at GHCC. By all accounts, he was a fantastic person.
08.06.09 at 12:07 am
Dan-o
Thank you dukiebiddle. I agree with you.
08.06.09 at 11:27 am
Bane McCracken
In 1985 Jack came over to our home to attend my father’s funeral. Since my father and my brothers are all avid cyclists, we took a ride after the funeral along Dad’s favorite route. Of course our cousin Jack went along. Please let me know when the Jack Yates Memorial Ride will take place. W’ell be there.
The McCracken Brothers (Jack’s Cousins)
08.06.09 at 7:35 pm
Pragmatik · Where I’ve been.
[...] more here and [...]
08.06.09 at 8:19 pm
Johnny
Bane,
I tried to email you, but it was returned. Can you leave another comment with your address in the space? It won’t get shown (they never do), and I’ll delete it after I get it.
Thanks,
Johnny