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#21
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Los Altos Hills bicyclist killed in big-rig crash was a mother,
Why does everyone automatically assume the driver is at fault. I've
seen enugh "wrong way jose's" and "ninja" cyclists to realize that many cyclists contribute to their own demises. What if the driver slowed and the cyclist tried to pass without accounting for the left swing. She'd have been hit and is mostly to blame instead of letting the truck turn and continuing on. There are bad drivers and bad cyclists On Dec 22, 10:52*am, Phil W Lee wrote: considered 22 Dec 2010 00:32:00 -0800 the perfect time to write: In article , Chalo says... JC Dill wrote: Here's an article that says the CHP determined the bicyclist was at fault, not the truck driver. http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_16910167?source=most_viewed The truck driver has killed people three times with his truck, and he still gets to keep doing his job? *In what other field of work (besides so-called "policing") would that possibly be permitted? *Even if that's just dumb luck, the guy should be taken off the road in the name of public safety. Chalo The truck driver didn't kill anyone. The three people who died killed "themselves" because they were careless and stupid...not a very nice thing to say, but very true. *I rode by the accident that happened in Santa Cruz just moments after it occured. It was not a pretty sight. Yeah, the circumstances are a bit creepy, but again, the truck driver was not at fault. Having been a professional driver of big rigs, I can only say that the truckers statement (and it's the only one we have, as he managed to kill the only witness to his driving) is simply not credible. And his past record leads me to suspect that this represents his normal standard of driving. *I notice that last time he killed someone he (or rather his insurers) had to pay his victim's family $1,500,000 compensation, so the lack of sufficient evidence for a prosecution clearly doesn't indicate any lack of blame. He would have had to swing left before making a right turn, to avoid the trailer wheels cutting across the side of the road, and it was almost certainly this left swing which knocked his victim off. Making the left swing without a mirror check on that side is reckless - you can expect other traffic to be trying to pass on the left as you indicate a turn to the right, and should be ensuring that any swing is into gaps in traffic, not into the traffic itself. And if the CHP don't know the geometry of how a big rig goes around corners, they are unfit to investigate anything to do with them. I wonder how they will excuse their allowing him to carry on driving to his next victim's family?- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - |
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#22
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Los Altos Hills bicyclist killed in big-rig crash was a mother,
On Dec 22, 10:33*am, Jay Beattie wrote:
*Anyway, I'm not even understanding what happened exactly. *This woman was "lane sharing" -- riding on the left of a giant truck in the same lane? Frank . . . Frank . . . shouldn't she have been controling traffic? I don't understand this either, and I don't think we have nearly the necessary information to even speculate effectively. But yes, I see no sense in sharing a lane by riding to the left of a big truck. Why would someone do that? And if the truck is moving relatively slowly, why would anyone not control the lane? So I agree entirely. - Frank Krygowski |
#23
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Los Altos Hills bicyclist killed in big-rig crash was a mother,
On Dec 22, 10:43*am, Peter Cole wrote:
Yeah, I know that. It was (first cyclist) apparently a right hook incident. That doesn't establish anything either except that such incidents are usually found to be no fault (or cyclist fault) by the cops.. Well, it establishes that you don't want to be to the right of a vehicle that may turn right. Especially a big vehicle. The description didn't make sense to me, either. Apparently there are no witnesses, so it comes down to the driver's story. Given his driving record, you'd think there would be a careful forensic investigation, but bike fatalities don't seem to get the CSI treatment, not even in Portland, much less elsewhere. Actually, even most CSs don't get the CSI treatment that people envision. One of my best friends is a Criminal Justice professor. He says those TV shows have deluded people pretty thoroughly. BTW, his department's enrollment exploded since CSI shows got popular. Unfortunately, many of the students think you don't need math, you don't need science, and you'll get to work with women who all look like actresses, with never a moment of drudgery in the work day. Just like TV, you know? - Frank Krygowski |
#24
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Los Altos Hills bicyclist killed in big-rig crash was a mother,
On Dec 22, 11:51*am, Chalo wrote:
Peter Cole wrote: wrote: Yeah, the circumstances are a bit creepy, but again, the truck driver was not at fault. And you know this how? This guy struck and killed 2 cyclists in 3 years. The first victim's parents sued and won $1.5M in a wrongful death. There were no witnesses to the second fatality, so it's the driver's word -- a frequent case in bike fatalities. Something tells me the driver's word is not going to prevent another wrongful death settlement in this case. *Maybe that will finally get this accursed trucker into a less lethal profession. Dude. *If you can't excuse yourself from a certain line of work after killing people *twice*, someone needs to do it for you. *Three times, you need not to drive anything anymore. I wish we had enough transportation alternatives to have sensible rules like: *If you are driving and you're involved in a crash with a fatality, you don't drive again. *No fault, no exceptions. *But as it is now, in half the country that would amount to house arrest. I think we should do it anyway. Alternatives would arise. - Frank Krygowski |
#25
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Los Altos Hills bicyclist killed in big-rig crash was a mother,nurse and a 'go-getter'
On Dec 21, 10:35*pm, Chalo wrote:
JC Dill wrote: Here's an article that says the CHP determined the bicyclist was at fault, not the truck driver. http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_16910167?source=most_viewed The truck driver has killed people three times with his truck, and he still gets to keep doing his job? *In what other field of work (besides so-called "policing") would that possibly be permitted? *Even if that's just dumb luck, the guy should be taken off the road in the name of public safety. Chalo OH YEAH ? my post last night followed the initial bya few minutes and itsnot here. DUH. Nazi's in Google's Garage. What I wrote--- The CHP determined the CHP and State of California was not at fault. CHP done same if the cyclist had killed the trucker. The State is bankrupt. You have a problem. Sue. But we can't help you. Sorry. |
#27
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LATE BREAKIN' NEWS: SQUASHED CYCLIST LEFT 2 FETI AT SCENE
CMON. BE REASONABLE.
who rides next to an 18 wheeler making a right turn ? asks the CHP |
#28
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Los Altos Hills bicyclist killed in big-rig crash was a mother,
On Dec 22, 11:58*am, Peter Cole wrote:
On 12/22/2010 2:30 PM, wrote: In , Peter Cole says... On 12/22/2010 3:32 AM, wrote: In , Chalo says... JC Dill wrote: Here's an article that says the CHP determined the bicyclist was at fault, not the truck driver. http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_16910167?source=most_viewed The truck driver has killed people three times with his truck, and he still gets to keep doing his job? *In what other field of work (besides so-called "policing") would that possibly be permitted? *Even if that's just dumb luck, the guy should be taken off the road in the name of public safety. Chalo The truck driver didn't kill anyone. The three people who died killed "themselves" because they were careless and stupid...not a very nice thing to say, but very true. *I rode by the accident that happened in Santa Cruz just moments after it occured. It was not a pretty sight. Yeah, the circumstances are a bit creepy, but again, the truck driver was not at fault. And you know this how? This guy struck and killed 2 cyclists in 3 years. The first victim's parents sued and won $1.5M in a wrongful death. There were no witnesses to the second fatality, so it's the driver's word -- a frequent case in bike fatalities. http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_...e=most_emailed And you know this how? As you point out, there were no witnesses in the 2nd fatality, however there "were" witnesses and surveillance video to the 1st fatality in Santa Cruz...that's how we/I "know" what happened there. Additionally, Santa Cruz is not a large town, in fact, I live withing a short walking distance from the 1st accident site and have been cycling at or near that same location for the past 30 plus years which helps me to comprehend what occured there. *I do however need to apologize for posting my comments of "careless and stupid" in relation to the recent 2nd fatality. That was very inappropriate on my part, and I realize that there were no witnesses to that particular accident and by all accounts that I have read, the cyclist involved was a skilled and careful cyclist. I'm curious about how his relatives could have received such a large settlement if there were witnesses and video in the first fatality. I'm aware that criminal and wrongful death cases may have different burdens of proof, but from your description it seems like an obvious conclusion that the deceased was at fault.- Hide quoted text - I am pretty sure California is a pure comparative fault state, meaning that the plaintiff can recover if defendant is only one percent at fault -- although the plaintiff only recovers one percent of his damages. Anyway, with a sympathetic jury and a sympathetic decedent, the truck driver could have been found "slightly" at fault for something -- God knows what, maybe failing to be somewhere else at the time. If the decedent were a high value individual, then $1.5 million could represent a small percent of a very high potential damage award. In Oregon, plaintiff's claim is barred if he/she is 51% or more at fault. So up here, that case would have a low settlement value if the video were as damning as suggested. -- Jay Beattie. |
#29
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Los Altos Hills bicyclist killed in big-rig crash was a mother,
On Dec 22, 4:05*pm, Jay Beattie wrote:
On Dec 22, 11:58*am, Peter Cole wrote: On 12/22/2010 2:30 PM, wrote: In , Peter Cole says.... On 12/22/2010 3:32 AM, wrote: In , Chalo says... JC Dill wrote: Here's an article that says the CHP determined the bicyclist was at fault, not the truck driver. http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_16910167?source=most_viewed The truck driver has killed people three times with his truck, and he still gets to keep doing his job? *In what other field of work (besides so-called "policing") would that possibly be permitted? *Even if that's just dumb luck, the guy should be taken off the road in the name of public safety. Chalo The truck driver didn't kill anyone. The three people who died killed "themselves" because they were careless and stupid...not a very nice thing to say, but very true. *I rode by the accident that happened in Santa Cruz just moments after it occured. It was not a pretty sight. Yeah, the circumstances are a bit creepy, but again, the truck driver was not at fault. And you know this how? This guy struck and killed 2 cyclists in 3 years. The first victim's parents sued and won $1.5M in a wrongful death. There were no witnesses to the second fatality, so it's the driver's word -- a frequent case in bike fatalities. http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_...e=most_emailed And you know this how? As you point out, there were no witnesses in the 2nd fatality, however there "were" witnesses and surveillance video to the 1st fatality in Santa Cruz...that's how we/I "know" what happened there. Additionally, Santa Cruz is not a large town, in fact, I live withing a short walking distance from the 1st accident site and have been cycling at or near that same location for the past 30 plus years which helps me to comprehend what occured there. *I do however need to apologize for posting my comments of "careless and stupid" in relation to the recent 2nd fatality. That was very inappropriate on my part, and I realize that there were no witnesses to that particular accident and by all accounts that I have read, the cyclist involved was a skilled and careful cyclist. I'm curious about how his relatives could have received such a large settlement if there were witnesses and video in the first fatality. I'm aware that criminal and wrongful death cases may have different burdens of proof, but from your description it seems like an obvious conclusion that the deceased was at fault.- Hide quoted text - I am pretty sure California is a pure comparative fault state, meaning that the plaintiff can recover if defendant is only one percent at fault -- although the plaintiff only recovers one percent of his damages. *Anyway, with a sympathetic jury and a sympathetic decedent, the truck driver could have been found "slightly" at fault for something -- God knows what, maybe failing to be somewhere else at the time. *If the decedent were a high value individual, then $1.5 million could represent a small percent of a very high potential damage award. In Oregon, plaintiff's claim is barred if he/she is 51% or more at fault. *So up here, that case would have a low settlement value if the video were as damning as suggested. -- Jay Beattie.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - video ? article sez no witnesses. The CHP and State by opting out, are negligent in leaving the public at risk. but, most cautious drivers don't creep up on 18's in a position to turn right into their vehicles.nada |
#30
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Los Altos Hills bicyclist killed in big-rig crash was a mother,
On 12/22/2010 9:27 AM, Duane Hébert wrote:
[...] If you killed people as a part of your daily job, would you need someone to tell you to find another one?[...] If the job was working for a right-wing totalitarian government death squad, killing people regularly would be required behavior. -- Tēm ShermĒn - 42.435731,-83.985007 I am a vehicular cyclist. |
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