UPDATE: Boston Police report the victim has died. See the comments below for some first-person accounts.
Kelton Street is closed at Comm. Ave., Kaz and Mike Juergens tweet.
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Any news?
By Kaz
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 9:43pm
Has anyone seen or heard anything further? There were quite a few cop cars there (plain clothes and others) which made me think this was either a very bad accident or something more involved than just a car vs bike accident (chasing down a drug dealer on a bike or something?).
I walked by the corner of
By Rachel
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 9:57pm
I walked by the corner of Kelton and Allston at around 7:05. There was a cop blocking off the block of Kelton that goes to Comm Ave with his squad car, but I didn't see anything in the street. Just another cop car at the other end of the block at Comm Ave blocking the street as well.
I jogged by around 6:30 or
By Rage Dump
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 10:45pm
I jogged by around 6:30 or so. The bike and car were still there, looked like the cops were doing forensics-type stuff, checking out the impact on the car, measuring stuff, etc. I didn't get too close to the bike, and didn't want to gawk, but from what I could tell, one of the wheels was bent, and the bike looked a little rough. The person on the bike must have been hurt pretty bad with all the cops that were there, hope they're doing OK.
I drove by around 4:15 and
By Ryan McEntee
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 10:53pm
I drove by around 4:15 and saw the biker on the ground with a few people standing around. One person was holding the biker's head and there was a big pool of blood under their head. The ambulance had not yet arrived. It didn't look good
DO NOT EVER MOVE A PERSON'S HEAD
By Brett
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 1:37pm
If you come across a cyclist or motorcycle rider who has crashed:
DO NOT TOUCH THEIR HEAD. DON'T REMOVE THEIR HELMET. In fact, unless you have current emergency medical training, don't touch them ANYWHERE unless they've stopped breathing or they're going to bleed out- ie their life is in imminent danger. You're not MacGuyver.
The sheer act of removing the helmet is enough to turn a spinal injury into a spinal severing. Lots of motorcycle riders can attest to the fact that for some #@!%ing reason the first thing John Q Public feels the insatiable urge to do after coming across a person in the road is to yank their helmet off. More of a problem for motorcycle helmets than bike helmets, but you still have no business moving the head or spine of a person lying in the road.
CORRECT!
By SwirlyGrrl
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 1:54pm
I saw a cyclist get doored on Mass Ave about 13 years ago. No helmet, classic "over the handlebar" vault with sickening thud into pavement. The motorist who doored her was starting to freak out about "getting her out of the road". I threw a body check to keep her from touching the woman, who was unconscious (for 51 seconds) and told her firmly that you NEVER EVER EVER touch somebody who might have a spinal cord injury (other than to cover them up to keep them warm).
When the injured woman started to regain consciousness, I bent down and told that she had crashed her bike, that help was coming, and not to move.
Panic makes people do stupid things sometimes. Doorwoman was also upset that I was timing how long the woman was out, without "helping her". Guess what the EMTs asked when they showed up?
Clarification
By witness
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 2:07pm
I was there. Nobody was holding her head. A doctor and nurse were the first people on the scene. The doctor was holding a towel to her ear in an attempt to stop the profuse bleeding. She was not moved in any way until the EMTs arrived.
RE: The accident
By anon
Thu, 08/12/2010 - 4:59pm
The people on the scene were medical personnel coming directly off their shifts at the hospital. They did everything they could for this girl, but unfortunately, she was not wearing a helmet, listening to an iPod, and ran a red light. It is tragic and horrible but people MUST be responsible when they are riding a bike among traffic.
Her name was Marly Pineda
By Lisa
Wed, 08/11/2010 - 1:13am
My sister went to college with Marly, the young woman who was killed yesterday, and her alma mater wrote an article about her that can be read here:
http://www.smith.edu/news/2009-10/pineda-216.php
I had the privilege of meeting Marly on several occasions and she was truly a talented swimmer and charismatic person. This world has lost an incredible person too soon. Please keep her family in your prayers.
I saw the whole thing!
By Sky
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 10:37am
I was the 1st car at the red light looking to go straight onto Kelton Street. There were no cars at the red light coming from Kelton but one was driving from a distance. The light turned green, and just like anyone coming up to a green light, the car just proceeded to drive through the intersection as he should. Right when he got to the cross walk a biker (girl, mid-late 20's) FLEW through the intersection with no caution whatsoever and got SMOKED by the car! I am not saying anyone is to blame since it was purely an accident...but common sense- whether you have the right of way or not, you're on a bike unprotected you should probably take caution and slow down to look around you for cars- however in such a busy intersection, the driver should have been more aware, as well, even if he did have the right of way. It was absolutely horrific. This girl went about 20 feet high in the air, spun extremely fast in mid-air about 30 times as she was thrown about 20 feet where she landed on her head (no helmet) on concrete. She was not moving and blood was flooding out of her head. I have never seen anything like it. I have been searching the internet all morning trying to get an update, but so far nothing. I actually woke up in the middle of the night thinking about it. I keep getting flashbacks- absolutely terrible. I really hope this girl is alive.
Thanks for sharing
By Lecil
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 11:01am
I too have been trying to find anything on this accident all day. Sounds very scary for all involved, including witnesses.
I hope everyone is okay.
fixie
By MK
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 11:03am
I came by on the T when the cops were marking the scene. The bike was pretty messed up. I didn't see the girl(?). It looked like the bike was a fixie/hipster bike. Thats a pretty big hill. I'm wondering if she couldn't really stop/slow down all that well (if she was headed down Comm Ave). Sounds like the accident was awful.
Brakes and Fixies
By SwirlyGrrl
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 12:15pm
Most Fixies lack any brakes - the cyclist holds the bike back by pedalling slower than the bike speed would dictate.
Several horrific accidents like this are why several western cities with big hills require all bikes to have some sort of brake. Fixies can be dangerous on steep downhills unless the cyclist plans ahead and controls the speed from the top to the bottom.
So sorry for the cyclist and her family, the motorist, and anybody (like our correspondent) who had to see this. Just fracking awful!
jumping to conclusions
By bicyclists-talk
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 12:30pm
I have to admit I did not see any of the aftermath, and it's a tragic regardless of the specifics, but I think it's a pretty big leap to presume this woman was on a fixed-gear (also, please, stop calling them fixies)... cyclists keep abreast of accidents, and the first report that went out from someone who saw the bike down specifically noted it was a "geared" bicycle (i.e. not a fixed gear). Clearly that doesn't mean she wasn't definitely riding a fixed-gear, although cyclists who ride fixed are fairly reliable when they say a bike had multiple gears, but I don't see a need to jump to conclusions and make blanket statements about people riding "brakeless" (also, your description of how to stop a fixed gear betrays that you don't really know what you're talking about).
Clearly it's a very sad day for her friends and family, and no doubt a horrible day for the motorist as well.
OK then, how does one stop a fixed-gear, brakeless bike?
By anon
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 1:03pm
Because the way I've always seen people do it is by doing what Swirrly says-- pedalling slower-- or, in a more extreme situation, locking the rear wheel up so that it skids. Which is essentially the same thing-- counteracting the rolling of the wheel by applying pressure in the opposite direction. Is there a third way?
Description Off?
By SwirlyGrrl
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 1:23pm
I think you are the one jumping to conclusions here: I've ridden a fixed gear bike without a "formal" braking system, so "knowing what I'm talking about" isn't the issue here. Maybe I'm just not talking what I know about well, or simply not describing it as you would.
Can you describe it your way then? Not everybody just skids the damn things in a long patch on the tar.
I also know what I'm talking about when I say that some areas require brakes because they have had some fixed-gear related accidents that fit the description of this one quite closely, regardless of whether this particular cyclist had/didn't have brakes or gears.
Your explanation made sense
By HenryAlan
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 1:44pm
Your explanation made sense to me. I don't have a lot of experience with such bikes, but I've ridden them on flat surfaces, and can see exactly what you meant about how to slow the bike down. Essentially, you are using your pedaling speed to force the wheel to move more slowly, thereby breaking. I'm pretty sure some fixed gear bikes have a coaster brake, though. Perhaps that's the kind the other person is thinking about, in which case pedaling slower would not be an apt description of the braking process.
In the old days ...
By SwirlyGrrl
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 2:03pm
Thanks, Henry.
There was a time when cars had "standard" transmissions that had to be manually shifted using either a clutch or by matching the engine and transmission speeds. You can pull a similar trick with these types of transmissions - and I did just that when my brakes failed on a very hot day with my 1976 VW Rabbit on Storrow Drive at rush hour!!!!! I used the transmission to slow the car, downshifting when I needed to come to a stop and using the handbrake to hold the car.
Bonus Points: 'BCN was playing Locomotive Breath.
There's just such a car
By eeka
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 6:28pm
Parked out front of eekastan. Only sort I've ever owned.
.
By SwirlyGrrl
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 1:13pm
.
brakeless fixed-gear riders deserve anything they get
By Brett
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 1:57pm
Preface: I have no idea whether the woman in question was riding a fixed-gear bike or not.
I've biked through intersections (after waiting for the green!) at night with both front and rear lights and nearly been clipped by fuckheads on fixie bikes, dressed completely in black, on a black bike, with not a single reflector, and no lights. I don't expect other people on bikes to dress like human traffic cones, but I do expect to be able to see them, especially if they're going to engage in stupid bullshit like that. One actually said "sorry man no brakes" as he flew by.
It seems these individuals have spent so much money on their custom anodized components to be able to afford a $20 bike light and some AA's, or they're lacking sufficient brain cells to process the fact that it gets dark out and they might need to bring a light along. My favorite, however, is the fixietard with the bike light (with mostly-dead batteries) clipped to their messenger bag aimed (usually) straight up into the sky, lest an airplane attempt an emergency landing on them.
The vast majority of fixie fucktards (fixietards) flying around Boston in their black pants with studded leather belts, wifebeaters, and designer sneakers (they save the Italian cycling caps for when they're riding public transit so that other fixed-gear riders can ID them, or when they're in dive bars drinking PBR) are doing so without brakes. They're a menace to everyone around them, and it's not just Boston; they're a menace in NYC, too.
They're too busy worrying about "flow" to be bothered about things like chain maintenance/tension, checking their lockrings, etc...so it's not uncommon to see a moron coasting along trying desperately to stop his fixed-gear bike by jamming his $300 puma sneakers against the rear wheel because he's dropped his chain.
Also, I don't think you should be lecturing anyone about how to stop a bicycle. Anyone that thinks using the chain to slow/lock the rear wheel or skid the bike is the fastest way to stop a bicycle....has a fundamental lack of understanding for basic physics concepts proven thousands of years ago.
It Ain't The Vehicle
By SwirlyGrrl
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 2:06pm
Massholes come in 2 wheel and 4 wheel varieties. The equipment isn't the issue, the rider or driver is the problem. You can just as easily salmon and run red lights on a huffy as you can on a homebuilt recumbent or a fixie. All that is required is the attitude that other people don't matter and a sense of immortality.
wrong.
By Brett
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 2:20pm
The fixietard culture specifically *advocates* blowing through red lights and basically not stopping for anything or anyone.
It's also considered unfashionable to have lights, a front brake, helmet, etc.
Yeah...she's wrong about your
By M.
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 2:53pm
Yeah...she's wrong about your rear wheel NOT dictating your behavior...sure...
Crass
By BlackKat
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 2:57pm
Besides the fact that your baseless rant against fixed gear riders and hipsters in general is mostly wrong in every way...
A young woman died (who may not have been riding a fixed gear bike anyhow).
Show some compassion instead of saying people deserve to die.
And remember that most people who ride fixed gear bikes are couriers, professionals, and know what they are doing far better than anyone on two or four wheels or two feet when it comes to navigating urban traffic.
We have several posters here....
By Michael Kerpan
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 3:00pm
...who are big proponents of consigning people to death.
bike couriers are "professionals"?
By Brett
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 5:03pm
And remember that most people who ride fixed gear bikes are couriers, professionals, and know what they are doing far better than anyone on two or four wheels or two feet when it comes to navigating urban traffic.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bike+c...
I challenge you to keep up recording all the violations.
I could only stand a minute
By anon
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 5:24pm
I could only stand a minute of this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj1-218EnvY
I hope that if I saw someone driving that recklessly by pedestrians, I'd be able to detain him til police arrived.
Resent
By BlackKat
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 5:39pm
And nothing you see in any of those videos is wrong in the slightest. People who have a problem with those things are just being petulant because they feel inadequate. It's similar to the same vitrol punk rockers and skateboarders used to [and perhaps still do] got in the 80's.
1.
Couriers are paid to hurry by any means necessary. Any. You don't rush, you don't get paid. Couriers get paid by the delivery, not the hour. That is why they hurry. Not from some blatant disregard for the world around them, but because they like to have money to pay rent and buy things.'
2.
Young people also like to hurry and look cool. Big shocker. You might as well also rant about people street racing cars on Columbus Ave. Or people who weave in and out of traffic and do wheelies on their motorcycles on the highway.
Some of us can remember what it was like to work physically hard for a living and be young and bold and don't resent those who still are.
This thread is not the place for your heartfelt defense....
By Michael Kerpan
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 5:47pm
...of bike couriers.
> You might as well also rant about people street racing cars on Columbus Ave. Or people who weave
> in and out of traffic and do wheelies on their motorcycles on the highway.
You know what -- lots of people also find these other kinds of actions quite objectionable.
But like I said -- you really should create your own topic thread if you want to pursue this subject.
"And nothing you see in any of those videos is wrong..."
By The Beer Guy
Wed, 08/11/2010 - 9:23am
Except for: riding on the sidewalk, salmoning, cutting in front of moving cars, cutting in front
of pedestrians (that one with a flourish, right in the beginning of the video). That guy in the
first video is a total Yac-ass.
the bike
By nathanael
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 12:41pm
Boston Biker has a photo of the (post-wreck) bike & says it wasn't a fixie and had brakes. Still awful.
http://bostonbiker.org/2010/08/10/potential-fatal-...
Really? Most? I know that
By pierce
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 3:03pm
Really? Most? I know that *some* fixed gear bicycles lack brakes, but *most* that I see on a daily basis (including one of my own) do have a brake.
it wasn't a fixed gear, it was a geared step through hybrid
By bostonbiker
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 2:12pm
I have seen pictures, this bike had multiple gears, and brakes. Not a fixy.
The bike was not a fixie or brakeless
By Zev
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 7:08pm
I saw the bike after the event.
It was a purple faded to blue womans geared bike. With a bright blue seat and hand grips.
It was a step through bike.
Everyone reading the comments after this realize that it was not a fixed gear bike.
Thanks for the first-hand report
By Michael Kerpan
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 8:34pm
Maybe people will pay attention (or maybe not).
sorry....
By tuan
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 11:07am
mego- sorry you had to see that. our neighborhood (and that intersection in particular) can be really dangerous. i'm wondering if she was new to the area or something because anyone who has been in the neighborhood for any period of time knows that a bad spot. hoping for the best for everyone.
She was killed in the
By anon
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 11:11am
She was killed in the accident. It's a horrible tragedy. She was a wonderful person.
confirmed?
By MK
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 12:13pm
Has BPD confirmed this? If so, its tragic. I feel awful for everyone involved and the victim's family.
Oh I am so sorry for your
By Sky
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 1:04pm
Oh I am so sorry for your loss. I actually called the ambulance that ended up coming as soon as I saw it happen. I am not sure you feel comfortable with this, but would you mind e-mailing me her families contact information? I would like to write a letter sending my condolences.
I happened upon the scene
By DrE
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 11:17am
I happened upon the scene later, and just knew that must have been what happened (also, the position of the car and bike were such that it was pretty much the only explanation if the car didn't blatantly run a red). Too many people fly through that intersection on their bikes without even slowing down or looking (you can get a real turn of speed going on that hill). I'm an experienced cyclist and I still get nervous riding through it obeying all the lights; it's way too dangerous and full of hazards to be going through blind.
YIKES! I'm familiar with that
By JonT
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 11:18am
YIKES! I'm familiar with that area. Was the cyclist going inbound on Comm Ave? If so, that's a pretty steep downhill, with some bad bumps in the road right before Kelton. I wonder if she had a brake failure. I hope she'll be OK.
Yeah, it was inbound on the
By DrE
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 11:22am
Yeah, it was inbound on the service road portion. I didn't get a good look at the bike, but it was the sort that may have had a coaster brake, which that hill is plenty steep enough to burn out.
Re: coaster brakes
By anon
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 12:32pm
Even if it didn't burn out, coaster brakes generally just don't have enough power to quickly stop an adult who is going fast, especially if it's downhill. Also, it's important to note that, even for those who might take issue with the effectiveness of coaster brakes, you're still often talking about one wheel only-- the rear one, which is the less-important of the two. Not making a comment about this poor rider's choice of bike, and I didn't see the accident, but if all she had was a coaster brake, that might have been a contributing factor.
Coaster Brakes and Skill
By SwirlyGrrl
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 1:29pm
Coaster brakes work fine if you can remember how to use them. They do have the advantage that you won't endo if you stop short, but they take some planning on hills.
When I don't pack my folder along, I use my aunt's one-speed to navigate the Greater Portland area. (when their neighbor had a fixed gear, I used to borrow that). It has a coaster brake, and the bike and I are not lightweight, yet I have no problem with it on the hill my Dad lives on, which is rather steep in sections with stop signs. I do take it around the neighborhood and "rewire" myself before I hit the streets, including hill stopping.
Hey, its a one speed cruiser! Take time and be happy!
it was horrible; the driver didn't have a chance
By anonymous-1
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 11:58am
I saw it too. Was waiting at the red light on Comm Ave. The driver from Kelton Street didn't have a chance to react. The bicyclist came from nowhere, way too fast down the Comm. Ave hill, and ran the red light. The driver was not going fast, and the driver had the green light. People tried to come to the bicyclists aid right away, but honestly, I don't think the young woman made it. (Bicyclist looked to be in her late teens -- college age.) The sight of her body laying there, seemingly lifeless, is haunting. I want to scream out the window to all of the helmet-less bicyclists I've seen since then: please, please, PLEASE, put on a helmet! Sometimes reckless driving is the cause of a horrific accident like this; but this one was not the driver's fault.
Eyewitness, file a report please. . .
By anon
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 12:27pm
Firstly, I appreciate that you're not rushing to judgement about what is obviously a terrible situation.
Secondly, if you have not, please contact the police and give a witness statement. Doing so may spare all parties involved (and the family of the young woman) a lot of grief, litigation, and perhaps provide a sense closure.
Yes, I filed an eyewitness report
By anonymous-1
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 2:19pm
My condolences to the family. Yes, I already filed an eyewitness report of the tragic accident. May her soul rest in peace, and may the driver find peace, too.
Everyone needs to stop using the term "accident"
By Brett
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 2:17pm
...Boston Police included (they just announced that it was a fatal crash): http://www.bpdnews.com/2010/08/10/fatal-bicycle-ac...
am not saying anyone is to blame since it was purely an accident
An accident is something which was faultless or had an unforeseeable cause. Automotive crashes are almost never faultless. For example, when it's snowing out and you slide off the road into a ditch, that's not an "accident"- you were driving too fast for conditions or you shouldn't have been out driving in the first place.
If the driver didn't have the right of way, it was their fault. If their windshield wasn't clean and they couldn't see her in the sun, it was the driver's fault for not cleaning the windshield.
If the cyclist didn't have the right of way and her brakes were working, it was her fault for not following traffic laws designed to protect everyone, herself included. If the bike brakes failed, then it's possibly her fault for not properly maintaining the bike- or maybe the bike shop, if she recently had it "tuned up."
If the traffic signal failed and showed them both a green light, the city would be at fault for improper maintenance.
If an asteroid descended from the sky and knocked her into the road and she was hit, then THAT, ladies and gentlemen, would be an "accident".
two things
By Jimmy
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 2:22pm
1) I think you need to look up the definition of the word "accident".
2) Either way...not really the time or place
Ok...well Brett...I am not
By Sky
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 2:39pm
Ok...well Brett...I am not sure if you're trying to be funny but I really don't think this is an appropriate situation to be correcting the use of words, especially when they are being used in a sympathetic context. I highly doubt the biker intended on getting hit and killed (with all due respect), and I highly doubt the driver had any intentions of hitting the biker...therefore this "accident" (or mishap, misfortune, mistake and the serveral other synonyms for the word "accident") I will still say, was purely an accident.
deference to the victim doesn't help save lives.
By Brett
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 2:48pm
"Accident" implies there's no fault or that the outcome wasn't foreseeable. The chances of either being true are pretty remote. And despite what you think, sympathy and compassion are not mutually exclusive of saying "someone was at fault here."
What will save future lives is recognizing that there was a CAUSE, and thus providing the chance to address that cause. If we stick our heads in the sand in deference of the victim, we learn nothing and thus the rest of us who cycle around Boston aren't any safer.
where exactly are you pulling
By pierce
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 3:13pm
where exactly are you pulling that definition from? That doesn't square with any definition of "accident" i've ever encountered, but then again I don't have "Outofmyownass Dictionary" on my shelves.
You must get so confused when people talk about an "accidental pregnancy".....
Definitions
By Michael Kerpan
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 2:50pm
Merriam-Websters Online Dictioonary definition of "accidental" -- note 2b, especially:
http://mw2.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accidental
Similarly, see its definition of accident, especially 2a:
http://mw2.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accident
I understand finding out the
By Sky
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 3:00pm
I understand finding out the cause in order to prevent it from happening again in the future. I just don't agree with having to argue over using the word "accident". You can be sympathetic and skip over small details such as the one you picked up on and still find out the cause of what happened. As Michael showed us above, an accident is also something unexpected and I am pretty sure no one expected this to happen.
I'm generally loathe to
By spd
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 3:58pm
I'm generally loathe to belabor points, but Brett's callousness in the face of such a horrible incident has compelled me to comment and back up mego...not that he or she needs my help.
Brett, there should and will be a time and place to review what happened yesterday evening so that we can all learn from it. In the meantime, might I suggest you keep symantical arguments regarding the classification of this tragedy to yourself. I'm generally weary of those who formulate such passionate opinions base on conjecture. And that's exactly what you're doing.
that very explicitly includes
By pierce
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 3:15pm
that very explicitly includes "carelessness", so i guess Brett's argument is Kaput
My only memory of her was one
By smithie
Wed, 08/11/2010 - 6:47pm
My only memory of her was one of her spinning in the air after jumping off a diving board into a pool at Smith. Now I imagine her spinning in the air ... :( :( :( *sigh*
Another bicyclist hit last night
By anon
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 10:41am
There was another bicyclist hit by a car last night at Western Ave. and Soldiers Field Rd around 8pm. I must have arrived just after it happened because police and ambulance had not yet arrived. It looked serious because the bicyclist appeared motionless lying in the road but was being attended to by several people.
And on Sunday night, nearby
By anon
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 12:22pm
Cambridge St. in Lower Allston, at the split between where cars either go to the Pike or to Cambridge. Came up on the scene around 9 to see six police cars blocking the concrete curbing between the two, which had a very mangled bike on it. The rider, who presumably left in an ambulance, was gone by that point. Didn't see anything on the news; happened right at a point where cyclists (myself included) are very exposed to cars.
This is very true. That is
By Sky
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 11:48am
This is very true. That is an awful hill to be riding inbound down. She definitely either didn't know the area or her breaks failed because that intersection is dangerous to even walk through. Whoever was driving must feel so terrible. I just hope everything is ok.
:(
By d
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 12:40pm
I live in the area, near the top of the hill and I often bike to work.
There are a *lot* of unsafe riders in the area. People fly down the hill through the intersections (or fly down the sidewalk). Often people aren't wearing helmets and don't have adequte brakes/aren't judging stopping distance correctly.
It's horrible what happened; I can only hope that some good comes out of this by raising awareness.
Kind soul
By anon
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 1:00pm
The accident victim was a shy person who bravely came to the Northeast from the Southwest to achieve her dreams. She received a BA & MA from a prestigious NE college and was to start her dream job. She was a great athlete and a sweet and kind person. We should all be so unafraid to conduct our lives the way she did. Please send your positive thoughts to her family and to all those involved in this tragic occurrence.
She has succumbed to her injuries
By anon
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 1:48pm
http://www.bpdnews.com/2010/08/10/fatal-bicycle-ac...
FATAL BICYCLE ACCIDENT IN BRIGHTON
Posted by MediaRelations on August 10, 2010 · Leave a Comment
At about 4:17pm, on Monday, August 9, 2010, officers from Area D-14 (Brighton) responded to a radio call for an accident involving a bicyclist being struck by a motor vehicle in the area of Warren Street and Commonwealth Ave. On arrival, officers located and observed a 24 year-old female victim being attended to and treated by EMS. The female victim, suffering from life threatening injuries, was transported to the Brigham & Women’s Hospital where she later succumbed to injuries and was pronounced. The cause of the accident is currently under investigation.
Bad Biker Behavior
By Andrew
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 2:25pm
First, any loss of life (no matter how idiotic the biker was), is terrible. This kind of thing is totally tragic, in large part because it is so avoidable.
I live in the Back Bay, near the intersection of Mass Ave and Comm Ave, and the regularity with which non-helmet wearing cyclists absolutely blast through the red lights wantonly, is alarming. That set of intersections (from Boyslton and Mass Ave, north to Beacon and Mass Ave) are hairy enough for DRIVERS as it is, but these cyclists have a death wish it seems. More than once, I've had to jam on my brakes to avoid killing a biker that is whipping through red lights or weaving in and out of traffic. And of course, never with a helmet.
It's akin to just sprinting into oncoming traffic and flipping off the cars that honk at you. I don't get it, and I have to believe dozens more bikers will be killed in the coming years. It's unfortunate, but as many times as this happens, behavior doesn't change.
The BPD should start dropping actual tickets and actual fines on biking scofflaws. And law abiding bikers (of which there are many) should start calling out these other idiots for giving all cyclists a bad name.
Let's leave out words like
By HenryAlan
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 5:08pm
Let's leave out words like idiotic for now, shall we? Somebody died, and we don't really know why. It is sufficient enough to acknowledge tragedy and offer condolences.
We do not know whether this was avoidable. When we do, we can have the usual UH conversation about cyclists running red lights. For now, I'm going to go with the assumption that her breaks failed, or if it was a no-break bike, that her chain popped off the gear.
My heart goes out to her family and friends, and to the driver who must feel absolutely horrible.
consider this
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 08/11/2010 - 8:40am
If she was on the access road and not the main road, could it be possible that (from her vantage point) the light looked green? (even though it was the light for the opposite direction?).
I was reminded of this because there is an intersection in Somerville where the light is aimed more towards a road that is not any longer in the direction of the light. This means that, due to cluelessness or poor maintenance, the light for Broadway going toward Powderhouse shines at Boston Ave going Northbound.
There is a similar situation near south station where there are two ramps coming together, and the light for the right side looks to the passenger in a car like the driver on the left ramp is running a red light, when there is a green light on the left.
I think you might be right
By HenryAlan
Wed, 08/11/2010 - 9:54am
I think you might be right about that. I used to live on Allston St. and Comm Ave., which is just a block from Kelton. As I recall, most of the intersections with the service road offered difficult to see or read traffic lights, which made biking in the area somewhat frustrating. It was a long time ago, though, so the lights may have improved since then.
I frequently bike on this
By JonT
Wed, 08/11/2010 - 10:27am
I frequently bike on this section of the carriage road (or access road, or whatever it's called) when taking my son to school, and as far as I've seen, the view of the traffic light is fine. Even with a longer stopping distance riding with the trail-a-bike, I've never had a problem stopping in time for a red light. That's why I suspect brake failure as a possible cause of this accident. The road condition leading up to this area is not so great, either, so that may have been a factor.
I sincerely hope we hear a followup with the results of the police investigation. Whatever can be done to prevent another occurrence of such a terrible event, should be done, whether it's by drivers, cyclists, police, public works, etc.
What I expected
By Kaz
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 3:04pm
It sounds like what I expected based on what I saw too somewhat after it happened.
I have had a friend go over his own handlebars due to a car pulling out of a side street onto the service road along that downhill and have also taken a spill myself on my bike a few years ago on the service road due to the poor condition it was in at the time. I also approach that traffic light with caution in both directions on the main lanes of Comm Ave there on my scooter (the other direction also has people merging from both sides of the T tracks into the right lane).
Going through that particular intersection without knowing the full traffic situation (what part of the traffic light cycle? are there cars down kelton or warren? is someone coming from the service road next to the T tracks? are there any left turners from Comm Ave?...) is about the most dangerous thing you can do on a bike in all of Boston besides riding in the opposite lane of traffic. Doing it at 20-30 mph from Summit Ave on downwards just amps up the dangerous nature of the situation.
It sounds like she was a fairly intelligent person. It's a shame she didn't apply that to her bike riding as well.
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