In case you missed it in the local news this weekend:
A woman named Jennifer Marie Sells, 38 years old, was killed Saturday in a collision with a pickup truck on Main Street in Springfield — apparently not far from her home.
Reading the news reports, it’s hard to understand exactly what happened here and why, let alone lay blame.
Against my better judgment, I ventured into the comments on the KVAL and KMTR stories. If you don’t like people casting blanket aspersions about cyclists, pedestrians and/or motorists because there has been a tragedy, you might pass on them.
Here are the news reports I’ve seen:
- R-G
- KVAL: Main story and follow-up
- KMTR: Main story and follow-up
- KEZI: Main story and follow-up
- The Springfield Police press release
Eugene Bicyclist 
And there is no mention of any kind about helmets in this story about the Scooter and the SUV:
http://www.kval.com/news/local/124575449.html
I turn into such a pinko socialist when it comes to people getting killed Main St in Springfield, because it’s *ALWAYS* poor people getting run over. There’s something just creepy about the middle class and above (and, yeah, below too) driving at dangerous speeds through poor neighborhoods and, you know, occasionally running people over about once a year or so..
It would be interesting to track previous accidents and see if the driver is always socio-economically better off than the dead pedestrian/cyclist.
(…not that this is a general statement about bike/car crashes – really, the situation is reversed when it’s log truck drivers and roadies)
Per the RG story, “Sells was traveling west in the bike lane on Main Street near 62nd Place at about 11:51 a.m. when, for an unknown reason, she suddenly turned in front of the pickup, which was also headed west on Main Street, according to a news release.”
SO, yeah, it’s not always the fault of the automobile operator.
~Dan
All the finger pointing in the world doesn’t make up for the cold hard fact that shit happens. Motorist wasn’t at fault, and no sane cyclist would wander into the traffic of Main St like that. Mechanical failure, faint, or seizure, something happened. Super sad.
I figure I’m kind of irrational about it…
…but I still think 45mph is a crazy high speed limit for a road that people live on like that. Most of the people driving through there wouldn’t want cars going past their houses at 50mph, so maybe it would be nice to return the favor and drive 35-40 through there.
What, no love for KEZI News?
Oh, yeah. Added them.