Is road cycling dangerous?

[CAMPYBOB]

Quote by JH:
"Yes, those darn breakaway tires."

There was this one time I was riding my Amateur Slow Bike and whole front end just came off.

Yes, I was going THAT fast. I knew better. I knew I should have been on a Professional Fast Bike with the magic mirrors, but I didn't have time for that. Ain't nobody got time for that.

 

[jhuskey]

Very true, between ballet class and replacing defective tires I have a full life.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Killed by a boat...what are the odds? And yet, it happened.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/boat-trailer-slips-off-truck-fatally-strikes-si-cyclist/ar-AAeiF5A?ocid=edgsp

A 21-year-old woman died Monday when a boat trailer hitched to a truck came loose on a Staten Island street and slammed into two bicyclists, authorities said.
A black Toyota truck towing a 22-foot Trophy fishing boat was traveling on Hylan Blvd. in Great Kills when the trailer slipped off and veered into the two women around 4:30 p.m., police sources said.


“They were both hit — thud, thud,” said witness Barry Maita, 38, who lives nearby. “One woman was under the boat. The other woman was lying facedown by the light pole.”


The truck stopped about 100 feet later, according to the sources.

The two women, ages 21 and 22, were rushed to Staten Island University Hospital North, where the younger woman died, cops said.
The other woman was expected to survive.

Sources close to the investigation said the hitch had been modified in some way.


“It came unhitched from the trailer, it wasn’t properly secured,” a police source said.

The driver remained on scene and it was not immediately clear if he would be charged with a crime, police said.

 

[LinB]

Your mom's concerns are valid. I just hope that she is not being over protective. Many things in life that we do have associated dangers. Many times it's how we go about it. Driving a car is dangerous, but if we do it correctly we will eliminate some of the danger. If you know that there are creatures that can attack you on the road where you live, then don't cycle there.

 

[LinB]

Quote by JH:
"Yes, those darn breakaway tires."

There was this one time I was riding my Amateur Slow Bike and whole front end just came off.

Yes, I was going THAT fast. I knew better. I knew I should have been on a Professional Fast Bike with the magic mirrors, but I didn't have time for that. Ain't nobody got time for that.

I'm glad you are alive to tell the story today. Now you know better and you are doing better. These things in Life however, are unpredictable and that is why we have to step out by faith.

 

[mpre53]

Killed by a boat...what are the odds? And yet, it happened.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/boat-trailer-slips-off-truck-fatally-strikes-si-cyclist/ar-AAeiF5A?ocid=edgsp

A 21-year-old woman died Monday when a boat trailer hitched to a truck came loose on a Staten Island street and slammed into two bicyclists, authorities said.
A black Toyota truck towing a 22-foot Trophy fishing boat was traveling on Hylan Blvd. in Great Kills when the trailer slipped off and veered into the two women around 4:30 p.m., police sources said.


“They were both hit — thud, thud,” said witness Barry Maita, 38, who lives nearby. “One woman was under the boat. The other woman was lying facedown by the light pole.”


The truck stopped about 100 feet later, according to the sources.

The two women, ages 21 and 22, were rushed to Staten Island University Hospital North, where the younger woman died, cops said.
The other woman was expected to survive.

Sources close to the investigation said the hitch had been modified in some way.


“It came unhitched from the trailer, it wasn’t properly secured,” a police source said.

The driver remained on scene and it was not immediately clear if he would be charged with a crime, police said.

No safety chain? Modified hitch? Asshole. Throw the book at him.

 

[Susimi]

Killed by a boat...what are the odds? And yet, it happened.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/boat-trailer-slips-off-truck-fatally-strikes-si-cyclist/ar-AAeiF5A?ocid=edgsp

A 21-year-old woman died Monday when a boat trailer hitched to a truck came loose on a Staten Island street and slammed into two bicyclists, authorities said.
A black Toyota truck towing a 22-foot Trophy fishing boat was traveling on Hylan Blvd. in Great Kills when the trailer slipped off and veered into the two women around 4:30 p.m., police sources said.


“They were both hit — thud, thud,” said witness Barry Maita, 38, who lives nearby. “One woman was under the boat. The other woman was lying facedown by the light pole.”


The truck stopped about 100 feet later, according to the sources.

The two women, ages 21 and 22, were rushed to Staten Island University Hospital North, where the younger woman died, cops said.
The other woman was expected to survive.

Sources close to the investigation said the hitch had been modified in some way.


“It came unhitched from the trailer, it wasn’t properly secured,” a police source said.

The driver remained on scene and it was not immediately clear if he would be charged with a crime, police said.

Holy **** that's bad!

If it wasn't securely hitched then he should be charged with a multitude of offences, death by dangerous driving for one, carrying an unsecured load and all sorts.

Like mpre53 said, throw the book at him.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Quote by mpre53:
"No safety chain? Modified hitch? Asshole. Throw the book at him."

The picture at the link is inconclusive as to the safety of the hitch, itself. It appears to be a standard drawbar type receiver hitch and probably a multi-size ball and possibly a pintle hitch over one of the balls.

I see no safety chains in the picture.

It is unclear if the towing vehicle in the picture is the truck the boat/trailer broke free from.

Most guys are smart enough to use the correct ball size and anyone with a pintle type hitch is showing EXTRA precautionary judgement.

'If' the pintle device has a locking mechanism some states do not require the use of safety chain, whether the pintle is over a ball or a hook. Personally,I always use safety chains with a pintle, regardless of the load weight or distance of the haul. Most of the safety chains will not take the strain of a catastrophic disconnect, but they usually will stay intact over a minor bounce-off or hitch failure.

I see no modification to the hitch in the picture other than the trailer's boat winch being detached from the bow wheel tower.

The driver will be charged with failing to secure his load in addition to all the other bad stuff that will follow. The civil case will be an insurance limits case and then some. He will definitely be in a world of hurt over this accident.

In my AO I get passed by a lot of vehicles that are pulling trailers. I'm not so much concerned about the odds of one of them coming loose and nailing me as the drivers forgetting that a lot of those trailers are wider than the vehicle pulling them.

One of my neighbors does not use a safety pin in any of the implements he attaches to the drawbars of this tractors with a hitch pin...and we farm on some pretty nasty hills. One of these days he's going to get passed by a loose implement or wagon.

 

[mpre53]

Looking back at this thread, I realized that I haven't seen any updates on the boozed-out bishop lately.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

She was tokin' a doobie in da boat!

Yeah...whatever happened to her? I remember she was booted out of the church royalty...I'll have to see if she's doing a prison ministry now or just hanging out behind the bar...or bars.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

The bishop...er...ex-bishop plead guilty on September 8th.

She's facing 10 years in the big house and will probably do about half of that. The plea deal sentence is half of the 20 years sentence (10 suspended). 5 more years on paper after release. If she screws up after release, her sentence can be re-imposed.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/bishop-killed-cyclist-pleads-guilty-manslaughter-33609115

It's not mentioned, but I'm guessing she will never be allowed to drive again.

"Cook, 58, entered her pleas the day before her trial was scheduled to start. She pleaded guilty to automobile manslaughter, leaving the scene of a fatal accident, driving while intoxicated and texting while driving."

Isn't that pretty much the Holy Trifecta of stupidity?

God bless Tom Palermo and his family.

 

[mpre53]

Sounds like she's still out on bail pending sentence being formally imposed.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

$2.5 million bail. I've seen murderers walk with less than half that amount.

They must have been pretty serious about prosecuting this case.

It's really sad because all she had to do was call a friend or a cab.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

****. This is local. I might know these guys.

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/local-news/oh-cuyahoga/5-bicyclists-hit-by-truck-1-killed-in-brecksville

BRECKSVILLE, Ohio - A truck hit five bicyclists, killing one in Brecksville Thursday evening, according to an eyewitness.

The witness said eight cyclist were heading east on Snowville Road near the intersection of Dewey Road.


A white pick-up truck going westbound on Snowville Road made a left turn onto Dewey Road, striking the cyclists, according to the witness.

A bicyclist was flown by helicopter to the hospital where the victim died. The other four cyclist suffered minor injuries.

More pictures and video at the link.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

You see that sheet covering up that body on the other side of the squad?

A few minutes before that picture was taken there was a living, breathing cyclist having a great ride and he was just heading down the hill into the Cuyahoga River Valley.

That was his last ride.

This has not been a good day. I was the second vehicle to come upon a bad ATV crash this afternoon. The ATV was in the ditch, upright and still running at an idle. The rider was thrown 20' onto the paved road or so and he was bleeding from his ears, mouth and skull...unconscious and it wasn't looking good when he was loaded up and transported.

Anyone that says the road in NOT a dangerous place is insane.

 

[mpre53]

I think it's more dangerous to ride at dusk, than it is in full darkness. Couple years ago, I'm on a quiet little road in my own town, close to home, flasher on in front, car turning left see me, stops, waits for me, and some nitwit decides that she's waiting for him and shoots out across my path, 10' on front of me. The woman waiting for me leaned on her horn, nitwit stops dead in my path. I somehow managed to zig-zag around the back, screaming my lungs out at him the whole time. Fist thing they teach you in driver's ed is the "look left, right, and then left again" when turning into or crossing a through street.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Sun glare may have been a factor?

The group was EIGHT cyclists. Five were hit by the truck. One killed. Two only slightly injured. How the hell do you miss EIGHT cyclists and make a left in front of them?

The riders appear to be MAMIL's and I did see one woman's frame laying on the road.

More updated video here: http://www.newsnet5.com/news/local-news/oh-cuyahoga/5-bicyclists-hit-by-truck-1-killed-in-brecksville

The front of the truck has some fairly significant impact damage. There's a snapped off carbon fiber fork/front wheel laying in the road.


We also had a 17-year old Amish boy catch a stray .22 bullet in the head while plowing with a horse drawn plow at 9 AM yesterday. The bullet lodged in his skull and was later removed and he should be fine. Probably a squirrel hunter...

It was a bad day to be on a bicycle, an ATV or plowing a field.

 

[bigsmile]

I have to admit that as a driver, there were times when the sun glare was so bad, I probably couldn't see if there were a cyclist in front, before it's too late.

 

[Keyan]

When I was younger that is what my parents think about cycling or even driving a car. They think that there are all sorts of accidents bound to happen even if you are following the road and safety rules. I know they are not being overly pessimistic because anything can happen while on the road. Innocent people get hit by reckless people and who is to blame? I guess we just have to do whatever pleases us just as long as we are being careful and know how to protect ourselves from danger

 

[CAMPYBOB]

The rider that was killed was Matthew Billings.

I didn't know Matthew. He was from my area and had been riding up in the Cuyahoga Valley area, probably because it is a popular spot to ride and so beautiful. From his STRAVA page ( http://www.strava.com/athletes/749448) it looks like he was an experienced rider. RIP Matthew.


http://www.newsnet5.com/news/local-news/oh-cuyahoga/biker-killed-in-brecksville-crash-identified

BRECKSVILLE, Ohio - The biker who was struck and killed by a truck Thursday evening in Brecksville has been identified as 33-year-old Matthew Billings of Canton, according to the Medical Examiner's office.


Billings was riding with several other bike riders on Snowville Road headed east near the intersection of Dewy Road when he was struck by a truck along with four other riders.

The medical examiner's office said Billings died at the scene of the crash. Two were flown by helicopter to the hospital and the other cyclists were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.


The driver of the truck stayed behind and waited for police. So far, no charges have been filed. The investigation is ongoing.

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, there have been 84 fatal non-motorist crashes so far this year. At this time in 2014, there were 53.