Bicyclist killed by semi in Back Bay hit and run

I may be a pedestrian but I am not, and have never been, a drunken jaywalking cow, missy.

I watch bikers run red lights in front of pedestrian crossings flashing walk signs almost every damn day. So do you if you are a sentient being who walks anywhere in this city.

My husband and I came closest to being hit by a biker on Mass Ave in front of the main MIT building. We were on the sidewalk, at the crosswalk, waiting for the traffic light. I remember that we were holding hands, heading to Anna's. We had the green light and the walk sign to cross Mass. Ave. The biker ran the red light. He came zooming down the bike lane from the WRONG direction, heading to the bridge right under our noses as we were in mid-step. He missed us both by half a second.

I wish I could forget how gut-wrenchingly horrible it felt to see my husband come so close to becoming an accident victim but I cannot.

There is no way we were in the wrong. It happened about two months after a guy I knew was hit by a car crossing Memorial Drive while walking to work one morning. We were already being more cautious, remembering him.

No you haven't.

So, the cyclist may have been traveling in the same direction and gotten right hooked, provided everyone was generally following the traffic lights. The trucker cutting her off implies he wasn't aware of her when turning, nor when hitting her as hitting curbs is routine now turning on streets being made theoretically safer with bump outs.

That doesn't seem to make speed a factor here. These trucks don't turn on a dime so must slow considerably. If the truck driver was not using his turn signal I would put him at fault. A cyclist ought to pay attention to a slowing truck or bus, swinging left, with right turn signals on, and not try to pass it on the right. Could be distracted cycling if she didn't notice those three characteristics of a right turning truck.

I do think there is a place for determining fault, especially in a case like this one. If the accident was caused by negligence on the part of the truck driver, or if the driver knowingly left the scene of this fatal accident, then s/he should certainly be prosecuted, and it should be made clear to all that doing such things have serious consequences.

But it is possible that the trucker was being careful and the cyclist made incorrect assumptions about where the truck was going and/or wasn't paying attention, and rode into the truck's path. If that was the case (and yes, it's a big "if"), then I don't think it would be incorrect to describe the cyclist as being at fault as that other poster did. And in any case, a reminder for cyclists to be extra careful near trucks is a good thing. Too often, advice to cyclists not to make such-and-such mistake like so-and-so did in a fatal accident is shushed with the epithet of "victim-blaming".

I think the likelihood is that what happened was somewhere between the extremes, and that neither party was as careful as s/he could have been, though the trucker leaving the scene certainly looks bad.

Personally, even as an experienced cyclist who doesn't hesitate to take the lane when the situation calls for it, I try to stay as far away from trucks as possible.

But to me, the important part is not to place the blame, but to prevent stuff like this happening again. Blame can have a role in determining whether criminal charges are warranted, and making sure guilty parties are charged and punished can play a role in stopping others from being criminally negligent. But even if it's 100% the trucker's fault, it's worth discussing what the cyclist could have done to prevent a collision. Such a discussion should NOT be shushed as victim-blaming, as it often has been here and on other forums. Such a discussion could save someone's life!