Hit-and-run driver strikes cyclist, tears off clothes while running away

I think the original story from September was posted here, but I can't
find it now. Here's it is, with a recent up-date, cobbled from news
stories report:

On September 18, Steven E. Riedel, age 58, was driving erratically when
he crossed the center line and across the road into the opposing bike
lane. Four riders were able to dodge the car, but one woman could not
escape in time. He pinned cyclist Gail Alef, a Bellevue dentist, on the
sidewalk and under his car. He then walked away from the accident
towards the golf course on Willows Road and started taking his clothes
off, according to an employee at the course. Riedel was arrested, sent
to the hospital for blood tests and charged with vehicular assault and
felony hit-and-run.

It took rescue crews 30 minutes to lift the car off the 54-year-old
woman. She was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center The cyclist
suffered pelvic fractures, internal bleeding, and spinal and rib
fractures.

These injuries took her life yesterday. Redmond police say the death
means that a vehicular assault charge against the driver will be
amended to vehicular homicide.

Sad, sad, sad.

Claire Petersky

Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm

Claire wrote:
Redmond police say the death
means that a vehicular assault charge against the driver will be
amended to vehicular homicide.

Sad, sad, sad.

Claire Petersky

At least the police are making it a homicide instead of blaming someone
on a bike for being on a roadway for cars. It sounds like the driver was
on some serious drugs from the description. Even on the right side of
the road you are not safe these days. I don't know the road but maybe
putting a concrete barrier between lanes of opposite direction could be
done on a lot more roads.
That hits close to home, as far as avoiding cars goes, and I hate to
lose a fellow cyclist to a spaced out cager.
R.I.P.
Bill

In article ,
Bill wrote:

Claire wrote:
Redmond police say the death
means that a vehicular assault charge against the driver will be
amended to vehicular homicide.

Sad, sad, sad.

Claire Petersky

At least the police are making it a homicide instead of blaming someone
on a bike for being on a roadway for cars. It sounds like the driver was
on some serious drugs from the description. Even on the right side of
the road you are not safe these days. I don't know the road but maybe
putting a concrete barrier between lanes of opposite direction could be
done on a lot more roads.
That hits close to home, as far as avoiding cars goes, and I hate to
lose a fellow cyclist to a spaced out cager.
R.I.P.
Bill

It's easy to suggest stuff like concrete barriers in these cases, but
you can't protect against all eventualities.

The guy in the car was, as you note, _seriously_ impaired. As in not in
a state to safely operate a car. He could about as easily have taken the
life of another driver had he veered at the wrong moment, or his own
life had he managed to put himself in the path of a truck.

I'm reminded of the story of a kid from my neighbourhood who jaywalked
across the busy highway near our house one night. Nothing wrong with
that: the traffic density is light at night, and I'm sure I've pulled
similar acts often. But this boy jaywalked badly, or carelessly, or
something, and got killed by a car.

The solution was to put a kilometre or so of tall fence on the median
island, after his parents repeatedly lobbied for it. I still cynically
refer to it as the A___ _____ Memorial Fence.

The fatal failure was not a lack of concrete or steel in the way in the
case of our fallen fellow cyclist. The fatal failure is that the killer
decided to take strong drugs and drive a car.

--
Ryan Cousineau http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos