Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Rider Down


What a tragic way to kick off spring.

William Curry was struck and killed by a car at Tudor and C Street last night. He kept a ride log at Endomondo,
and his friends told reporters that, when he died, Curry was riding his bike to his girlfriend's house after work.

That’s the map of his final ride at the top of this post. He was about three miles from home, and police said he had taken all the right steps to make himself visible while riding at night.

APD Sgt. Glen Daily told KTUU: "He's got reflective clothing, you may be able to see a flashing unit that bicyclists have, he's got a helmet on, proper equipment -- it might just be an unfortunate series of events."

Curry was just 36 years old.

All the details haven’t come out yet, but the result was what we all know—when car meets bicycle, the bicycle loses.

Be careful out there, people. It’s not enough to be visible. You have to make them see you.

3 comments:

Vito said...

That is very sad news indeed. I would love to commute to my school, but lack a safe way to travel there.

Therefore I forgo the commuting and stick to dirt as much as possible. Drivers in this day and age have far too many distractions and I am just too chicken shit to put myself at risk.

Stay safe and enjoy the ride.

WheelDancer said...

It could have been any of us; we all die a little each time ths happens. Keep riding, but be safe.

Phil B said...

The commute into work this morning was so much more difficult than any all winter long. I've started riding on the roads due to the melt and slush on my normal trail route. I've felt the hostility of drivers. I've made the types of poor decisions that normally end up in nothing more than a honked horn or my need to slam on the brakes. I've been lucky. But I've never felt as exposed and vulnerable as this morning. We take our lives into our hands, for good or ill, each time we clip in.

My thoughts go out to this young man's family and I hope that we all, motorists and cyclists alike, can maybe take a bit more time, be a bit more cautious, and try to find a way to value each other a bit more.