MassBike takes another look at the the 2015 crash at Massachusetts Avenue and Beacon Street that killed Dr. Anita Kurmann. The driver of the truck was not charged; the Globe reports authorities stand by their conclusion he did nothing wrong.
Ed. note: The video includes footage of Kurmann's death.
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Comments
Driver links
By downtown-anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:56pm
A quick google search brings up these links.
Interestingly the company is listed with zero fatalities, although the record is only for 2 years.
https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/query.asp?query_type=q...
Two websites of the case, the websites offer different ways of looking, so I list both.
https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/12263461/...
https://dockets.justia.com/docket/massachusetts/ma...
What else can be done to make the particular intersection safer?
By theszak
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:20pm
What else can be done to make the NorthWest corner of Massachusetts Avenue at Beacon Street safer?... in addition to the current Markings.
Following this terrible
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 11:36am
Following this terrible tragedy, a painted bike lane with protected bollards was added
People shouldn't have to die for safe bike infrastructure to be the norm
Trucks like this have no business being on city streets
Deliveries
By Tim Mc.
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:23pm
Hey, avid cyclist here -- and I sort of have to disagree. Trucks like this keep the stores stocked. Otherwise you'd have a parade of slightly smaller trucks.
*Maybe* you could make do with panel trucks instead of tractor-trailers. But there are other mitigations:
- Some trailers have panels going down to the ground as guards to push pedestrians and cyclists out of the way of the wheels in a collision rather than running them over
- Automatic braking systems (on semi-autonomous vehicles) using LIDAR could stop the truck or prevent a turn when the truck would run over someone
- Different light patterns and protective bollards can protect cyclists and pedestrians in high-traffic areas
Those panels
By Marco
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:34pm
going down to the ground are actually for aerodynamics to increase gas mileage. It's cute that you think transit companies give a shit about pedestrians and bikers tho! :)
Oh, interesting! That kind of
By Tim Mc.
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 3:11pm
Oh, interesting! That kind of makes more sense, yeah. :-/
But truck sideguards for bike
By anon
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 2:11pm
But truck sideguards for bike/pedestrian safety are a requirement in some places. Some garbage trucks around here have them, and I believe they're required in Europe.
Some trucks have sort-of
By Rob
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 4:55pm
Some trucks have sort-of frame rails that extend down from the deck to typical car bumper height. Someone crashes into the side of one of those still has a bad crash but it can work to keep them from sliding under the wheels or getting decapitated. I'm not sure if it works as well for bicyclists - I imagine they might easily tumble over them in a crash and still end up under the truck.
Technology is not a substitute for paying attention
By Roman
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:12pm
And in the case of lidar and the like will cause more problems with false alarms than it will solve if people [b]payed attention to their surroundings[/b] instead of having their faces buried in their phones while riding across the Mass Ave bridge.
You know who's responsible for your safety first and foremost: [b]you[/b] are. Demanding everyone else spend zillions to put foam padding on every corner isn't practical and it isn't moral in the sense that you're demanding other people pick up the slack for your own irresponsible behavior.
Man, I wish you'd been around
By Michael
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:17pm
to preach individual responsibility when they added seatbelts and airbags and crumpling front ends and all the other things that prevent idiot drivers from personally facing the consequences of their idiotic driving. I bet a new car would be like $8000 if they didn't have to have all that safety! Instead only those pedestrians and cyclists will be on the hook for driver stupidity and carelessness.
Strawmen, being soft and bouncy, need fear no crashes
By Roman
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 1:40am
The difference between having safety equipment in your own vehicle to protect yourself in case of accidents and other people's negligence and forcing other people to purchase additional equipment to make up for your negligence is not hard to recognize if you understand what the word "responsible" actually means instead of throwing it around as a cudgel against anyone you don't like at the moment.
Faces buried in phones?
By frobot
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:31pm
Who said anything about phones? Anita wasn't using a phone. She was riding legally.
Put the strawman away.
She wasn't
By Roman
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 1:41am
But a good quarter of the whackjobs I see on that bridge at rush hour are. My comment was directed at the apologists making excuses for them.
Neat.
By frobot
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 1:08pm
Nobody's doing that here. Try to keep your derision on topic.
So
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:32pm
When are you going to start paying attention to obeying laws and signals and markings when you drive?
Because you keep telling us all about attention and responsibility, but never mean that DRIVERS in DEATH MACHINES need to do any of that.
Sorry, dear - your "logic" is (as usual) intensely flawed.
Have you stopped
By Roman
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 1:42am
beating your wife yet?
I've lived up here for over a decade and have been involved in exactly zero accidents.
Stop with the wife beating
By anon
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 7:34am
Stop with the wife beating comments. Are you making a credible allegation against the person who commented above or just being 'funny?' Adam's post is about a woman who DIED in a tragic and painful manner. The misogynistic tough guy crap is crass and disrespectful.
How many times have you...
By lbb
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 8:50am
How many times have you...
- speeded?
- changed lanes without signaling?
- failed to yield right of way?
- blown past a pedestrian in a crosswalk?
- rolled through a stopsign?
- snuck through on a red light?
I'm sure the answer will be NEVER because you are such a perfect saint.
OK, i'll play
By Roman
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 1:13pm
The answer for red lights and school zones is zero. Those are sacred. I have never in my life stopped at a red light and then decided to go through it, nor have I ever blown through a red light that was red before I entered the intersection.
The answer to the rest of them is a very small number. Believe it or not, I do actually use my turn signals, yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, and check my passenger side mirror for cyclists when making a turn. I make a conscious effort to keep it at a very very low number by keeping my phone off and my attention on the road in front of me when I'm going forward and in my mirrors when I'm making a turn.
That's more than I can say for half the cyclists I see on the road and with regard to phones in particular it's more than I can say for at least a quarter of the people cycling on the Mass Ave bridge at rush hour.
"a very small number"
By lbb
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 4:00pm
Right.
OK dude
By Roman
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 5:50pm
I'm not going to argue with you over shit I do vs I don't do.
But then again, what the hell?
YOU personally have been every single cyclist that swerved in front of my car and YOU personally have been every single cyclist who nearly ran me down when I was on foot.
I'm not sure that those are
By Rob
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 7:51pm
I'm not sure that those are bollards that are there now. I think they might only reflectors (look sturdier than some others, but still only that)
changed
By bike nerd
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 11:53am
It is a little safer with a lot more markings on the road, and some flexible bollards (last I checked). I believe this helps, but nothing replaces proper driving.
The goal is never again, and what is the gov doing to train for prevention? from what I see - zero.
It has already been
By Rob
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:32pm
It has already been reconfigured at least once since.
1:24
By anon.FYI
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 11:25am
Very touching video. Thanks for the heads up about seeing the impact, AG. FYI for those that don't want to see the impact, pause around 1:24. My heart goes out to all involved. (I had a family member die in this same way)
They didn't just conclude
By Steve Brady
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:02pm
They didn't just conclude that the driver did nothing wrong, but that the victim did:
“The primary cause of this crash is the action of the victim, Ms. Kurmann, when she failed to recognize the turning truck and was outside of the truck driver’s field of view,’’ police investigators concluded.
Of course
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:26pm
Anything that keeps motor vehicle operators from learning the rules and not killing people.
I wonder if he had one of those special "friend of a cop" cards?
It's like that childhood game
By BostonDog
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:31pm
"I'm going to punch the air. If you get in front of me, and get punched, not my fault."
No, it's like those other games
By Roman
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:06pm
"Don't jump out into traffic from behind parked cars"
"Don't stick your hand in the garbage disposal"
"Don't dive under the lawnmower"
"Don't stick your finger in the electrical outlet"
"Don't stare at the sun"
"Don't put antifreeze on top of your icecream sundae"
"Umbrellas are not parachutes"
"Point barrel away from face"
and the like.
If I point my gun in your direction (away from MY face) ...
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:25pm
Then you are responsible for dodging the bullets.
Right?
Try that in front of a judge
By Roman
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 1:44am
and see what happens.
Probably the same thing that would happen if you shot yourself in the face and sued the gun manufacturer or stuck your finger in the outlet and sued the power company.
Because...
By lbb
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 8:52am
...if Roman does it, it's right. If a cyclist does it, it's wrong.
You are SO eternally full of shit.
As are you
By Roman
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 5:48pm
If a driver does it, it's wrong.
If a cyclist does it, it doesn't matter because he got the short end of it and he's the victim.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Safety is a shared responsibility.
No, its like the first one
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:30pm
You are just a bully looking for excuses.
If I randomly fire a gun in your neighborhood, and your kid doesn't get out of my way ...
More like Secret Service
By PLOP!
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 1:47pm
More like Secret Service leaping in front of a bullet.
But accidentally.
Painful reminder
By lud10
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:04pm
How easy it is to get killed out there. The driver of the truck definitely missed her presence and the truck was so huge, destroyed her without notice. Re-examining this is like pulling back a scab. Leave it be but learn from it.
As a biker you need to predict of all sorts of wacky situations such as this one and err on the side of caution.
On a side note, I want to bike commute to the Longwood hospital area from Cambridge but feel like even with due diligence, it is way too risky. Which feels safer, BU bridge or Mass Ave? I wish the T bus commute was more reliable and the BU bridge wasn't such a cluster**** area. How about another bridge over the river or a wider one with the MA pike project?
LMA Area Cyclists
By baepp
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:33pm
I felt moderately safe doing sort of the opposite commute on the BU bridge, but I know that Mass Ave has much more bicycle traffic. If you utilize the sidewalks by the BU Bridge traffic cycle, it'll take longer, but you might feel safer. And once you get into Boston, there's a contraflow lane that brings you to Riverway/Brookline Ave. From there, expect many fellow cyclists. I think BU Bridge is a shorter trip and you don't have to contend with Kenmore/Mass Ave/Beacon/Commonwealth, which is always a plus in my book.
City of Boston / MASCO / MassDOT are looking into a reconfiguration and improvement of bike lane access from Mass Ave to Fenway/Longwood. At some point in the future, that might actually be a nice ride.
I also suggest you check out this FB group for cyclists in LMA: https://www.facebook.com/groups/680967372038507/
Ditto, ditto, ditto
By Gary C
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:16pm
Great post baepp!
You can safely bike to the LMA from Cambridge. Maybe wait until the spring and then try it on a Saturday/Sunday to get used to the landscape. There are plenty of low-traffic ways to get around and the BU bridge isn't terribly scary.
Walk across the BU bridge
By Roman
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:08pm
then bike on the local streets through Brookline.
A better idea
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 2:54pm
Push your car across the BU bridge.
I know you are responding to the commentor's body of work, but
By HenryAlan
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 10:38am
he actually has a valid point on this one. If a person is blocked from biking Cambridge to LMA due to fear of the bridge traffic, why not address that single point obstacle by choosing a mechanism that feels safe? Ride to the bridge, walk across it, ride to LMA. I would just ride the whole way, but I have a comfort level with urban cycling not shared by all. I'd far rather somebody be able to ride 95% of the way with a brief stint of walking than that they not ride at all.
I don't understand why the
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:19pm
I don't understand why the driver was not charged. I watched the video and feel just sick about it. I don't bike in Boston, I walk. And as someone who lives and walks in the city of Boston I witness aggressive drivers every day: drivers with Mass. and out of state plates, cab and uber drivers, men, women, young, old, texting, talking on the phone, honking their horns at those of us on foot and on bike. Sadly, I have yet to see an increased police presence anywhere in the Back Bay to ticket
bad drivers despite motorists killing a number of cyclists and pedestrians over the past several years.
sigh, yes
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 3:46pm
The number of times I've almost been hit (and once actually hit) in this city as a pedestrian when I had a walk signal/right of way is very high. I know someone who was hit and lost their dog this way. I don't trust drivers to pay attention at all and always try to get eye contact.
To the idiot up above suggesting vehicles that can't take a low speed collision should be banned from the streets - what do you suggest we do with pedestrians? While everyone needs to consider perspectives for modes of transportation other than their own, drivers especially need to recognize their potential to easily take someones life.
So for my armchair analysis,
By tofu
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:19pm
So for my armchair analysis, it looks to me like the truck went across two lanes of traffic to make that turn and AT SPEED. Had there been a car traveling straight there instead of Anita and the truck ran into it, wouldn't it be 100% of the truck's fault because it was changing lanes (performing an unsafe maneuver)?
Also, can someone explain why MGL c.85 § 11B seems to have been ignored by the investigation?
"(1) the bicycle operator may keep to the right when passing a motor vehicle which is moving in the travel lane of the way"
Human behavior's not going to
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:44pm
Human behavior's not going to change. Technology is the only realistic solution. A lot of new cars have blind spot monitors. All new cars have backup cameras. Those need to be retrofitted into existing trucks.
Exactly what I suspected
By Roman
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:00pm
Truck driver has his turn signal on and is paying attention to the rest of the road in order to make the turn. The video's assertion that he saw her is conjecture. She looks like she was riding right next to his passenger side door for a good while, and he certainly didn't see her when he was looking to his left to pull into the center lane.
Repeat after me: she was not paying attention to her surroundings and it got her killed.
She is not alone. Just about every time a cyclist buys it, it's because he or she is not paying attention. Every time a cyclist jumps in front of my car at an intersection, it's because he's running a red light or weaving around cars.
And if God forbid it ends badly for him (almost always a him and without lights or a helmet to boot), it will be 100% his fault. I go slowly and check my mirrors when I'm in the city, and they still sneak up on me from all directions.
BikeSIS is real.
You never change
By lbb
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:16pm
You are a completely contemptible piece of work, Roman. I'd say that this attitude will bite you on the ass one day, but I suspect that you don't care about a single soul on the planet, so you won't ever care when someone dies, no matter who it is.
Wow
By frobot
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:17pm
What the fuck does that mean? No need to pay attention to the cyclist you just passed?
He HAD to have seen her when he passed her on the bridge. Did you miss the part about not making a right turn across the path of a cyclist? It is illegal for good reason. This reason.
Repeat after me: The driver was not paying attention to his surroundings, and it got an innocent cyclist killed.
Frobot,
By whyaduck
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 3:30pm
Kindly see my post on a truck's blind spots. You are a danger to other cyclists as well as putting your own cycling life in danger if you do not understand the concept.
So stand down.
I saw it
By frobot
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 3:57pm
I'm fully aware of blind spots and I hope I wouldn't have put myself in that situation. And I'm not telling people to ride next to tractor-trailers or other large vehicles. However, let me ask you a question: Is one of the blind spots through the front windshield? He passed Anita while they were on the bridge. He had to have seen her and knew she was traveling in the same direction.
Regarding the videos you linked: at least in the first one, the mirrors do not appear to be adjusted correctly. They are not there to look at the side of your own vehicle. The first video clearly shows them aimed at the trailer, not the next lane over.
No
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 4:36pm
You get out.
Stop making lame excuses for bad drivers. This truckhead would have killed special better than you never do anything wrong pedestrians, too.
But you're special and never do anything wrong so it can't happen to you.
I have a drunk uncle who is looking for a wife - you'd make a great enabler.
blindspots are the responsibility of the truck driver
By cinnamngrl
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 5:19pm
If a truck this size can't see pedestrians and bicyclists, then they should be restricted to highways.
Not how blind spots work
By Ari O
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 7:55pm
Blind spots do not absolve you of culpability. They are simply places you can not see easily and need to check twice.
Meaning: if you're driving down the Pike and change lanes and there's a car in your blind spot and you hit them, you don't say "not my fault, blind spot!" You check your blind spot.
In the case of this truck, the driver needed to check his blind spots and proceed at a reasonable speed. He did neither. He didn't check his blind spots, he was not situationally aware ("I passed a cyclist on the bridge, they may pass me") and he did not make the turn at a speed which would allow him to safely make the turn.
To repeat: a blind spot is a place you can't easily see. It's never, ever an excuse.
whyaduck, heads up!
By Lee
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 9:01pm
You are ignoring your own blind spots concerning trucker’s responsibilities to drive safely on city streets.
It means
By Roman
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 1:47am
that the truck driver was paying attention to one side during the second or two that it took her to sneak into his blind spot on the other side.
Narcissist cyclists seem to think everyone should be paying attention to them all the time. Guess what: other parts of the road require drivers' attention too, and they can't direct their vision everywhere at once, mirrors, cameras or whatever. It's biology. It takes time to scan an area. Cars traveling in straight lines don't maneuver fast enough to sneak through. Cyclists make a sport of it.
Please have me notified when you die
By lbb
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 8:58am
I will comment about how you were a narcissist who snuck into a situation and caused your own death, whatever it was, however it happened, however wrong I am as you are wrong now. I will do so publicly and forever. Of course, you won't care, being dead, and no one else will care because you're an asshole.
And if that's actually what happens
By Roman
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 3:30pm
I promise not to haunt your dreams.
Yeah, she's not here to defend herself, but that's not a reason to assume she's blameless and put all the responsibility on the other guy.
It looks like she was where she shouldn't be. I give trucks a wide berth when on foot and when behind the wheel. I am that guy who slows down three car lengths behind the semi truck on the highway until I have enough room to pass him. I am the guy who waits for the bus to pull out of the stop and holds up traffic behind me. I am the guy who doesn't start crossing on foot until the car comes to a stop and I make eye contact with the driver.
You should be that guy too. It takes constant mental effort to not lapse into inattention. She let her attention lapse and assumed others would pick up the slack. Most of the time that works. For her it didn't.
Nope
By lbb
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 4:02pm
You're wrong. It does not matter how many times you repeat this; you will still be wrong.
Right back atcha
By Roman
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 5:45pm
You can call me stupid and evil all you like but it doesn't make it true.
She was where the driver did not see her AND where the truck's tire was going. That's the wrong place to be, and she was in a position to avoid it by giving the truck its space.
Hm
By Joe Ped
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:53pm
You mean to tell me you guys put bikes and big trucks on the same road and someone was HIT?
Shocking.
Given the age of the road
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 2:39pm
Are you saying that we should ban trucks?
Did all you biased bikers actually WATCH the video?
By Raj
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 2:51pm
Watch the video. No - I mean WATCH IT. The truck driver had his rt signal on WAAAY before the intersection. The video says the biker was also turning right. Once again - watch the video. The bike is going straight until they realize too late the truck is turning and tries to turn away. Biker apparently did not see or understand that a semi with a right turn signal on is going to have to swing wide to make the turn. Not to mention the fact that he probably couldn't see the bike while making the turn - and sure as hell didn't expect anything to be there since he signaled and was making the turn. Typical case of a snobby bicyclist thinking they own the road, and can ride anywhere and do whatever they please with no consequences. It's a city street with large vehicles and fast traffic. Not a playground for your bicycle..
Did you actually READ the law?
By frobot
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 3:33pm
"No person operating a vehicle that overtakes and passes a bicyclist proceeding in the same direction shall make a right turn at an intersection or driveway unless the turn can be made at a safe distance from the bicyclist at a speed that is reasonable and proper."
The trucker's turn signal is immaterial. He passed her on the bridge, and then crushed her while making an illegal maneuver.
The video says nothing about the biker making a right turn. She was proceeding straight through the intersection. You're the one who needs to watch the video (again).
Anita was commuting to work by bicycle, legally, when she was killed by an inattentive driver, and you're a piece of shit for victim blaming.
Exactly correct about the turn signal
By WhatTheBins
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 4:08pm
A turn signal does not grant right of way and strip others of their right of way. It's clear that many drivers don't understand this. The cyclist had the right of way; the driver did not.
Another misunderstanding in comments is that the cyclist was in the bus lane. It was a bus and bike only lane. One can even see the bike lane marking in the bottom left of the video, showing a continuation of the lane through the intersection. The sharrows in the middle lane do not compel cyclists to travel in the middle lane.
I encourage everyone to read the full video narrative here: http://www.massbike.org/anita_kurmann_video_narrative.
Truck passed cyclist more than a block earlier
By anon
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 1:00am
The truck passed her somewhere on the bridge hundreds of feet earlier, even passed the alleyway after the bridge, which the truck did not turn on.
How many hundreds, thousand etc. feet after a motor vehicle passes a cyclist and then the cyclist goes to pass them will the law hold?
If I pass a cyclist on a road, stop for lunch miles later, return to the road, and try to turn right at the next traffic light once it turns green, hitting a cyclist trying to pass me on the right, does your law still apply?
The ridiculous land imprecise law was crafted by MassBike and it shows. We should not allow lobbies to write laws.
The trucker's turn signal is vital. Ignore it at your peril. The cyclist was the inattentive one.
The cyclist was in the bus lane/bus stop. The cycling lane did not start until after the intersection, but does now.
MassBike seemed to also ignore the cyclist running the red light on Beacon street, still crossing as Mass Ave. got a green light.
Before turning right, check
By anon
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 2:02pm
Before turning right, check your mirrors and blind spots.
Especially in a city, where you should expect bicycles.
Extra-especially if you're turning right from the left lane because you're driving a large truck.
Good question
By frobot
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 2:14pm
Seems to me that if the cyclist is keeping pace enough that you have to cut him/her off in order to make a right at the next light, then the law still applies, as that is exactly the behavior it is intended to prevent.
Beacause some, unfortunately, appear to have a serious
By whyaduck
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 3:24pm
blind spot regarding the concept of a truck's blind spot, I have attached various YouTube videos for all those who:
1. Say blind spots do not exist;
2. May exist but the driver is always at fault even if someone is in his/her
blind spot (in this case);
3. And tend to repeat 1 and 2 over and over
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV-rhiGRFTE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWmb4ox3Zkg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djzC4yeMOiU
Oh, heck, there is a slew of them on You Tube. If you really want to save cyclists' lives, please share.
Thank you.
A real truck driver posted
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 4:47pm
Your youtube videos are nothing.
Quit making excuses for bad drivers.
Ever hold a CDL?
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 7:27pm
Just curious.
Those youtube things explain some stuff, but there are some very off things about them that others have noted, above.
(FTR: I have held a CDL when my job involved transporting mobile laboratory equipment)
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