Former Miss America kills cyclist

WBtobal said:

What makes my blood boil is "sun was in her eyes" is NOT an excuse...if you can't see, you don't
drive. "struck the 43-year-old woman, who was crossing outside the crosswalk"....she was a cyclist
and didn't need to be in the crosswalk!!!

But she did need to wait for a green light. According to the report, the cyclist was running a red
light. Yes, the driver was also at fault for not stopping when she could not see -- although many
drivers do continue despite sun glare.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Deserves death! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve _`\(,_ | death. And some that die
deserve life. Can you give it to (_)/ (_) | them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in
judgement. -- J. R. R. Tolkien

David L. Johnson said:

WBtobal said:

What makes my blood boil is "sun was in her eyes" is NOT an excuse...if you can't see, you don't
drive. "struck the 43-year-old woman, who was crossing outside the crosswalk"....she was a
cyclist and didn't need to be in the crosswalk!!!

But she did need to wait for a green light. According to the report, the cyclist was running a
red light.

Not necessarily: "Heather French Henry, who was Miss America 2000, told police the sun was in her
eyes as she was turning at an intersection Sunday evening and struck the 43-year-old woman, who was
crossing outside the crosswalk."

Since Mrs. Henry was turning, the cyclist may have been crossing with the green when Mrs. Henry
turned into her. Journalists being what they are, the reporter never tells us which way the cyclist
was crossing.

Quoted message said:

Yes, the driver was also at fault for not stopping when she could not see -- although many drivers
do continue despite sun glare.

--
"And I'm very glad we've got the great team in office, men like Colin Powell, Don Rumsfeld, [censored]
Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Paul O'Neill - people I know very well - our president George W. Bush. We
need them there."
-- Gen. Wesley Clark at a GOP fundraiser, May 11, 2001

In article <[email hidden]>, "David L. Johnson"

Quoted message said:

But she did need to wait for a green light. According to the report, the cyclist was running a red
light. Yes, the driver was also at fault for not stopping when she could not see -- although many
drivers do continue despite sun glare.

I saw no report that mentioned any "green light", what's your source, and if you please.....post it.

Regards,
Bill

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

The below quoted article is from an AOL "pop up" news release.

ARTICLE QUOTE: LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Oct. 13) - A former Miss America and wife of Lt. Gov. Steve Henry
struck a bicyclist with her car, killing the woman, police said.

Heather French Henry, who was Miss America 2000, told police the sun was in her eyes as she was
turning at an intersection Sunday evening and struck the 43-year-old woman, who was crossing
outside the crosswalk.

Witnesses told police Henry had a green light at the time. Henry and her infant daughter were not
injured.

The victim later died at University of Louisville Hospital. She was not wearing a helmet,
police said.

Louisville Metro Police spokeswoman Alicia Smiley said she did not expect charges to be filed,
though an investigation was continuing.

"We're very concerned about the lady," Steve Henry said in a phone interview. "We've been in touch
with the physicians at the hospital. That's where our primary thoughts are. Heather is extremely
concerned about the lady and obviously very upset." END QUOTE
===========================
What makes my blood boil is "sun was in her eyes" is NOT an excuse...if you can't see, you don't
drive. "struck the 43-year-old woman, who was crossing outside the crosswalk"....she was a cyclist
and didn't need to be in the crosswalk!!! "Henry and her infant daughter were not
injured."...that's

She was also crossing against the light, according to the witnesses quoted in the article, so I'll
reserve judgement for now.

....

--
Dave Kerber Fight spam: remove the ns_ from the return address before replying!

REAL programmers write self-modifying code.

David L. Johnson said:

WBtobal said:

What makes my blood boil is "sun was in her eyes" is NOT an excuse...if you can't see, you don't
drive. "struck the 43-year-old woman, who was crossing outside the crosswalk"....she was a cyclist
and didn't need to be in the crosswalk!!!

But she did need to wait for a green light. According to the report, the cyclist was running a red
light. Yes, the driver was also at fault for not stopping when she could not see -- although many
drivers do continue despite sun glare.

I am not sure that the report stated that the cyclist ran a red light. Just because she had a green,
doesn't mean she wasn't required to yield to oncoming traffic. Now if she had a green arrow, that's
a different story.

Again the clueless reporter or police spokesperson have to throw in a statement to initially
find fault with the pedestrian/cyclist (out of cross-walk, not wearing helmet, not having a
light on, etc.).

Kerry

"David L. Johnson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

WBtobal said:

What makes my blood boil is "sun was in her eyes" is NOT an excuse...if you can't see, you don't
drive. "struck the 43-year-old woman, who was crossing outside the crosswalk"....she was a
cyclist and didn't need to

be

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

in the crosswalk!!!

But she did need to wait for a green light. According to the report, the cyclist was running a red
light. Yes, the driver was also at fault for not stopping when she could not see -- although many
drivers do continue despite sun glare.

The account I heard said that the cyclist was also on the wrong side of the road (facing traffic).

Bill "withholding judgment since I wasn't there" S.

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] (WBtobal)

Quoted message said:

I saw no report that mentioned any "green light", what's your source, and if you
please.....post it.

Re-read your own post. "Witnesses told police Henry had a green light at the time. Henry and her
infant daughter were not injured."

Look at the totality of circumstances. Just for ease of explanation, let's say a northbound car
turns east onto an east/west street from a north/south street. The car driver has a green light. If
the car strikes a cyclist travelling northbound on that north/south street- IOW, a classic "right
hook"- then the driver is 100% at fault. If the cyclist in that situation is traveling in any other
direction then a good part of the blame for any crash rests on the cyclist. In that case it's a
shame but hardly murder. Since the news clipping doesn't give enough details about the cyclist's
direction of travel condemning *anyone* is just baseless supposition.

Regards, Bob Hunt

P.S.- About that "police gloss"... did you ever consider that the reason the lack of a helmet was
even mentioned is because a reporter asked if the deceased cyclist was wearing one? I've had
reporters ask me if people killed in cars were wearing a seatbelt. Some of those times I've had
to bite my tongue to keep from asking them, "He bled to death on the way to the hospital after
being shot. Exactly what kind of seatbelt protects against that, a tourniquet?"

WBtobal said:

In article <[email hidden]>, "David L. Johnson"

Quoted message said:

But she did need to wait for a green light. According to the report, the cyclist was running a red
light. Yes, the driver was also at fault for not stopping when she could not see -- although many
drivers do continue despite sun glare.

I saw no report that mentioned any "green light", what's your source, and if you
please.....post it.

Original poster:

"Witnesses told police Henry had a green light at the time."

I do agree with others that that does not confer right-of-way on the driver, nor does it imply
necessarily that the cyclist had a red light. But it might mitigate against the assumption that the
driver was a "murderer" as asserted in this thread.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | "What am I on? I'm on my bike, six hours a day, busting my ass. _`\(,_ | What are you on?"
--Lance Armstrong (_)/ (_) |

David Kerber said:

She [the cyclist] was also crossing against the light, according to the witnesses quoted in the
article, so I'll reserve judgement for now.

Not to blame the victim - but mentioning any cycling errors would do much more to prevent
recurrences than mentioning choice of head covering.

--

Frank Krygowski

14 Oct 2003 01:13:59 GMT,

Quoted post said:

Since the news clipping doesn't give enough details about the cyclist's direction of travel
condemning *anyone* is just baseless supposition.

"Henry's vehicle — a Lincoln Navigator — was westbound on Lexington and had just turned left onto
Grinstead, striking the cyclist in the right-hand lane just south of the crosswalk on Grinstead,
said Alicia Smiley, a Louisville Metro Police spokeswoman. The impact carried the cyclist a bit
farther down the road;. . ."

"The cyclist and Brand had been riding for a couple of hours and were returning to his car, which
was parked nearby in Cherokee Park, when the crash took place. "

Cherokee Park is bounded by Lexington and Grinstead on the north-west corner. Being just south of
the crosswalk, in the right hand lane, I'd guess they were southbound on Grinstead - possibly after
making a right turn. The article does say she was carried "a bit farther down the road" which would
suggest the cyclist was hit from behind by a wallowing Ford making a wide left turn.
--
zk

"David L. Johnson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

WBtobal said:

In article <[email hidden]>, "David L. Johnson" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

But she did need to wait for a green light. According to the report,

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

cyclist was running a red light. Yes, the driver was also at fault for not stopping when she
could not see -- although many drivers do continue despite sun glare.

I saw no report that mentioned any "green light", what's your source,

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

if you please.....post it.

Original poster:

"Witnesses told police Henry had a green light at the time."

I do agree with others that that does not confer right-of-way on the driver

?

a.

Here's more info:

courier-journal.commet front heatherm1014 5593.htmlOpen ↗

"Henry's vehicle — a Lincoln Navigator — was westbound on Lexington and had just turned left onto
Grinstead, striking the cyclist in the right-hand lane just south of the crosswalk on Grinstead,
said Alicia Smiley, a Louisville Metro Police spokeswoman. The impact carried the cyclist a bit
farther down the road; Smiley did not know the distance."

Now, if the cyclist was crossing the street, as the previously posted article said (but this one
makes no mention of it), it seems that she was crossing illegally (Henry was going west, then
turned left, and struck a cyclist crossing to the *south* of the crosswalk--that is, in the middle
of the block).

Of course, reporters all have to leave at least one important fact out of every article. It's the
first thing they learn at journalism school.

--
"And I'm very glad we've got the great team in office, men like Colin Powell, Don Rumsfeld, [censored]
Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Paul O'Neill - people I know very well - our president George W. Bush. We
need them there."
-- Gen. Wesley Clark at a GOP fundraiser, May 11, 2001

Tue, 14 Oct 2003 03:03:36 GMT, <[email hidden]>, Scott Munro

Quoted message said:

Now, if the cyclist was crossing the street, as the previously posted article said (but this one
makes no mention of it), it seems that she was crossing illegally (Henry was going west, then
turned left, and struck a cyclist crossing to the *south* of the crosswalk--that is, in the middle
of the block).

Or the cyclists were eastbound on Lexington, on the sidewalk, and swerved right trying to avoid the
oblivious bimbo in the tank. Or maybe they had just turned right on to Grinstead and she clobbered
her from behind after making a wide wallowing turn.
--
zk

At the risk of being extremely politically incorrect...

I question why this particular accident is any more, if in fact as relevant, as many others which
aren't posted. The facts aren't terribly clear as to who was at fault, as pointed out by others in
this thread. The facts that *are* quite clear is that the driver was a former Miss America, and that
the sun obscured her vision. So yes, we have yet another case of someone not taking as much care
while driving as they should, with horrific results, but that sort of thing happens all the time and
generally doesn't make for big news. So the cynical side of me says ah, since she's a former Miss
America, *that* somehow makes this more worthy of comment than an accident involving two
working-class folk.

The car driver didn't flee the scene, and didn't display a Leona Helmsley-style callousness about
it. And the helmet remark? Instead of seeing it as an attempt to "blame the victim" it could also be
a natural response by someone who saw an accident (not a malicious attempt to kill someone) whose
outcome might have been mitigated by a helmet. A reminder that we're not always in control of our
universe. (Of course, I must add that I'm not saying helmets are good or bad, just trying to give a
reason it might have been brought up). It shoudln't have happened, it's terrible, but it's also a
situation where I think it *does* make a difference whether the cyclist was crossing the road
illegally (against the light). It doesn't excuse it, but it's not the same as operating a car in a
manner virtually designed to maim & kill cyclists.

If you want to deal with a public figure whose actions are totally reprehensible in a situation like
this, you ought to go after the Rep. Janklow, a politician from South Dakota who flew through a stop
sign at very high speed and killed a law-abiding motorcyclist. And if you want to talk about
ridiculous things in a newspaper article, check this quote-

"Authorities say the former four-term governor was driving 71 miles per hour in a 55 mph zone in
rural Moody County when he ran a stop sign and collided with a motorcycle driven by Randy Scott, 55,
of Hardwick, Minn. " So it's a more serious infraction if you kill somebody running a stop sign
above the posted speed limit?

Look, if you want safer roads, I think you ought to start with Rep. Janklow. This guy is still
serving in the House of Representatives, and is a poster-child for unsafe driving. Does it matter
that it was a motorcyclist killed instead of a bicyclist? It shouldn't. People driving like Rep.
Janklow pose not only a clear & present danger to cyclists on the road, but also provide a very
public example that outrageous driving behaviour is OK.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

"WBtobal" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The below quoted article is from an AOL "pop up" news release.

ARTICLE QUOTE: LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Oct. 13) - A former Miss America and wife of Lt. Gov.

Steve

Quoted message said:

Henry struck a bicyclist with her car, killing the woman, police said.

Heather French Henry, who was Miss America 2000, told police the sun was

in her

Quoted message said:

eyes as she was turning at an intersection Sunday evening and struck the 43-year-old woman, who
was crossing outside the crosswalk.

Witnesses told police Henry had a green light at the time. Henry and her

infant

Quoted message said:

daughter were not injured.

The victim later died at University of Louisville Hospital. She was not

wearing

Quoted message said:

a helmet, police said.

Louisville Metro Police spokeswoman Alicia Smiley said she did not expect charges to be filed,
though an investigation was continuing.

"We're very concerned about the lady," Steve Henry said in a phone

interview.

Quoted message said:

"We've been in touch with the physicians at the hospital. That's where our primary thoughts are.
Heather is extremely concerned about the lady and obviously very upset." END QUOTE
===========================
What makes my blood boil is "sun was in her eyes" is NOT an excuse...if you can't see, you don't
drive. "struck the 43-year-old woman, who was crossing outside the crosswalk"....she was a cyclist
and didn't need to be in the crosswalk!!! "Henry and her infant daughter were not

injured."...that's

Quoted message said:

nice...let's see 4,000lb motor vehicle vs cyslist....nah, not much chance

of

Quoted message said:

injury there!!!! "The victim later died at University of Louisville

Hospital.

Quoted message said:

She was not wearing a helmet, police said.".....why even include that statement...I'll tell you
why...it's a police "gloss".....10 helmets wouldn't have

proctected

Quoted message said:

that cyclist. "We're very concerned about the lady," Steve Henry said in a

phone

Quoted message said:

interview. "We've been in touch with the physicians at the hospital.

That's

Quoted message said:

where our primary thoughts are. Heather is extremely concerned about the

lady

Quoted message said:

and obviously very upset.".......they needn't be...she's dead - God rest

her

Quoted message said:

soul.

Another accidental murder destined for obscurity!

Tue, 14 Oct 2003 04:24:51 GMT, <[email hidden]>, "Mike Jacoubowsky"

Quoted message said:

The car driver didn't flee the scene, and didn't display a Leona Helmsley-style callousness about
it. And the helmet remark? Instead of seeing it as an attempt to "blame the victim" it could also
be a natural response by someone who saw an accident (not a malicious attempt to kill someone)
whose outcome might have been mitigated by a helmet.

As you alluded, the outcome may have also been significantly different had the vehicle been a normal
car instead of a light truck. Nobody regards Miss America driving a truck as being abnormal but
rather that a cyclist is expected to normally wear a helmet .

Heck, the foam hat might have helped had the cyclist had the benefit of being thrown onto the hood
and windshield instead of slammed and dragged or crushed.
--
zk

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

At the risk of being extremely politically incorrect...

I question why this particular accident is any more, if in fact as relevant, as many others which
aren't posted. The facts aren't terribly clear as to who was at fault, as pointed out by others in
this thread. The facts that *are* quite clear is that the driver was a former Miss America, and
that the sun obscured her vision. So yes, we have yet another case of someone not taking as much
care while driving as they should, with horrific results, but that sort of thing happens all the
time and generally doesn't make for big news. So the cynical side of me says ah, since she's a
former Miss America, *that* somehow makes this more worthy of comment than an accident involving
two working-class folk.

SNIP

I think the fact that she is both a former Miss America and the first Lady to the Lt. Governor leads
to a better story than if it was your typical soccer mom.

However, whatever her status is, the facts are coming out quickly. Zoot made some interesting
points. If she was south of the cross-walk, she and her companion were likely southbound anyway, and
in the proper lane. If the photograph was taken near the accident it looks like they may have had to
deal with parked cars along the curb, requiring them to take the entire lane.

The story reported that they were returning from a "couple hour" ride. Folks that go on two-hour
rides are likely semi-experienced drivers and understand how to operate a bike in traffic.

I don't buy the "sun was in my eyes" excuse. The police officer has actually come to her defense in
the article by saying it would have been virtually impossible to see with the sun. Again the police
coming to the rescue and saying this was just an accident (not an accident - preventable). A
collision - yes, accident - no.

No different from the lady that fell asleep and struck the cyclist on the bike path. That was
labelled an accident, too.

I bet the details in this case get buried quickly. Is there anyone on the list in Louisville or in a
Louisville cycling advocacy group who can keep their finger on the pulse of this story?

Kerry

Actually it is relevant. It tells you quite a bit about American society. We expect our Miss
Americas to be pure and virtuous and to be out there saving puppies or old ladies or something. They
have to be perfect. I'm not saying what this lady did was right, not by a long shot. "The sun was in
my eyes" is the weakest defense I could imagin. But the reason the "Former Miss America" part is
making such huge headlines is because of the fact that we expect them to be perfect, when really
they're often just shallow women trying to meet societies manufactured idea of beauty, virtue and
chastity, nothing more. They're people. And they do stupid things just like everyone else.

But you'll never read a national headline that says "soccer mom runs over cyclist" even though I'm
sure this happens more often statistically. Soccer moms aren't as pretty and virtuous and perfect.
They aren't saving pupies or saving beached whales and helping to bring world peace.

Preston

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

At the risk of being extremely politically incorrect...

I question why this particular accident is any more, if in fact as relevant, as many others which
aren't posted. The facts aren't terribly clear as to who was at fault, as pointed out by others in
this thread. The facts that *are* quite clear is that the driver was a former Miss America, and
that the sun obscured her vision. So yes, we have yet another case of someone not taking as much
care while driving as they should, with horrific results, but that sort of thing happens all the
time and generally doesn't make for big news. So the cynical side of me says ah, since she's a
former Miss America, *that* somehow makes this more worthy of comment than an accident involving
two working-class folk.

The car driver didn't flee the scene, and didn't display a Leona Helmsley-style callousness about
it. <snip>

And yet Zoot Katz refers to her as the "oblivious bimbo in the tank". Some folks are blinded by
the facts.

Quoted message said:

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

"WBtobal" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The below quoted article is from an AOL "pop up" news release.

ARTICLE QUOTE: LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Oct. 13) - A former Miss America and wife of Lt. Gov.

Steve

Quoted message said:

Henry struck a bicyclist with her car, killing the woman, police said.

Heather French Henry, who was Miss America 2000, told police the sun was

in her

Quoted message said:

eyes as she was turning at an intersection Sunday evening and struck the 43-year-old woman, who
was crossing outside the crosswalk.

<snip

What I find interesting is the writers' injection of sympathetic puke into both of the stories (bus
driver and miss america).

The bus driver was returning home from church when she fell asleep.

The miss america/first lady was returning from making christmas ornaments.

Kerry