# Sad Day in the Springs - RIP



## fosbibr

Another unfortunate accident. 

Don't know them but condolences to their families.

http://www.krdo.com/global/story.asp?s=8802101

COLORADO SPRINGS - Two people were killed Wednesday at 26th and Westend Ave. after their bicycles were hit by a pickup truck.

Colorado Springs Police tell NEWSCHANNEL 13, 64-year-old Barbara Thomas was driving the pickup truck that slammed into the two cyclists. Three others riding with the group were not hurt. 

The crash happened just before 8:00 Wednesday night. Traffic had to be diverted around the crash for a short time while authorities investigated at the scene. 

Barbara Thomas is being charged with vehicular homicide, driving under the influence of drugs, and driving with a restricted license. Police say it was lightly raining at the time of the crash, but don' t think it was a factor. The victims names have not been released yet, pending family notification.


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## norton55

not another one. :mad2: 

i thought nor cal was bad. my thoughts and prayers to the families.


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## cocoboots

RIP. very sad!


were they struck from behind? were they using lights?


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## tour

if the sky was clear, lights wouldnt be needed at 8 pm in the springs. with the rain i cant say how light it would be


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## ColoradoVeloDude

*Newspaper Article: Cycling Community Mourns Loss of 2 Men*

[Note: the white bikes mentioned in the article are "ghost bikes." There are a couple around town here in Colorado Springs, chained to a street lamp, to show where cyclists have died in car versus bicycle accidents. In motor vehicle versus car, the driving laws can be followed to the letter, but the laws of physics certainly aren't in favor of the cyclist..sad, sad, sad. ColoradoVeloDude]


URL for article: 
http://www.gazette.com/articles/court_39053___article.html/cyclists_springs.html


Cycling community mourns loss of 2 men
Colorado Springs Gazette
by BRIAN HUGHES
August 7, 2008 - 12:57PM

Most people trade in their bikes for more expensive wheels.

But Edgar "E.J." Juarez, one of two cycling enthusiasts killed in a head-on crash Wednesday, ditched his conventional ride for more primitive transportation.

"He didn't even own a car," said Juarez's roommate, Scott Boyer. "He rode his bike everywhere, 365 days a year."

Juarez, 30, and Jayson Kilroy, 28, were killed when a pickup truck hit them at 26th Street and Westend Avenue, police said.

They said they have no reason to suspect the bikers were doing anything wrong.

Barbara Thomas was driving the car, police say, and the 63-year-old was not wearing her required contact lenses when she tried to make a left-hand turn onto Westend Avenue from 26th Street, hitting Juarez and Kilroy. They were pronounced dead at the scene from multiple fractures and trauma.

The three cyclists riding with them were uninjured.

Thomas was under the influence of prescription drugs, but what those were won't be determined until results come in from tests, Colorado Springs Police Lt. David Whitlock said.

Thomas faces charges of vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence of drugs and driving with a restricted license.

At a memorial Thursday night, more than 100 cyclists showed up in front of Wooglin's Deli on Tejon Street and biked together the halfhour ride to the scene of Wednesday's crash.

"E.J. was one of those people you just loved immediately," said Scott Taylor, who knew both victims through the cycling community.

A candlelight vigil was set up at 26th Street and Westend Avenue. Two bikes painted white with yellow daisies and sunflowers leaned up against the light pole.

Friends and cyclists who didn't personally know Juarez or Kilroy but wanted to pay respects stood in silence for more than 20 minutes in the rain before one by one people stood to share memories of the victims.

Juarez and Kilroy could always be seen around town on their bikes.

Friends recall Juarez going as far as Aspen - on a single-speed bike.

"Cycling was everything to both of them," Boyer said of the Colorado Cyclist coworkers.

Juarez served in the Army from 1997-2003 and turned to biking as a way to remain active after tours in countries as distant as Germany and Bosnia, Boyer said.

The suburban Chicago native leaves behind his parents and an older sister.

Kilroy, from Houghton Lake, Mich., is survived by his mother, Rita, who was unavailable for comment.

Boyer described Kilroy as a "straight-laced" guy, who didn't drink and was into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and other martial arts.

People who live near Thomas' former house on North 25th Street described the women as a loner who kept to herself.

Clint Howland, who lives across the street, said the only time he saw her was when she was driving her pickup truck.

"She's lived here forever, but we've never even had a conversation," he said.

Thomas will be advised of the charges against her Wednesday.

Colorado Cyclist owner Doug Bruinsma hired Juarez and Kilroy and said the store, made up of mostly younger employees, feels like it lost family members.

Their deaths are the 13th and 14th traffic deaths this year in Colorado Springs.

Of those, 11 have involved an impaired driver, police said.

"They were just such great kids, passionate and hardworking," Bruinsma said. "It's a sad day around here."

He said Kilroy was riding a new bike and added that even knowing the two were doing what they loved provided little comfort.

"For me, it's real hard when you think how young these guys were," he said.

-

Gazette staff writer Carlyn Ray Mitchell contributed to this report.


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## ColoradoVeloDude

*Newspaper Article: City investigating intersection where cyclists died*

URL for Article: http://www.gazette.com/articles/intersection_39125___article.html/26th_city.html

City investigating intersection where cyclists died
Colorado Springs Gazette
By BILL MCKEOWN
August 9, 2008 - 12:40AM

The city of Colorado Springs will explore whether any improvements are needed at an intersection on the west side where two bicyclists were struck and killed Wednesday evening, Colorado Springs' principal traffic engineer said Friday.

David Krauth said he visited the intersection of 26th Street and Westend Avenue, south of U.S. Highway 24, on Thursday. He said the Yshaped intersection, which allows southbound drivers to veer ofi 26th Street at a 45-degree angle onto Westend, is not ideal. He said the city does not allow such intersections in new construction and tries to fix existing ones when it does other work on such roads.

But he said he's not sure if anything can be done to make the intersection safer.

"I can't promise anything at this point," he said. "We'll have to see what we can do from an engineering perspective."

Police say Edgar "E.J." Juarez, 30, and Jayson Kilroy, 28, were killed when a pickup truck driven by 63-year-old Barbara Thomas struck them at the intersection of the streets shortly after 7:30 p.m. She was turning left onto Westend from southbound 26th Street as the cyclists were descending a hill on northbound 26th.

Police say Thomas was not wearing her required contact lenses and was under the influence of prescription drugs.

Thomas has been arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence of drugs and driving with a restricted license.

The two men's deaths were the 13th and 14th this year on city streets. Of those, 11 have involved an impaired driver.

Krauth said his department looks closely at intersections where fatal accidents occur, as well as those that rank high in the city's annual list of high-accident locations.

The city also looks closely when traffic flow changes on a road, he said, and that might apply to 26th Street, which has seen an increase in bicycle traffic and which will soon be the site of a trailhead into Red Rock Canyon Open Space.

"We very seriously do look at what can be considered correctable situations," he said. "But this was not a correctable accident. We don't know precisely why this accident occurred."

He said motorists who are traveling south on 26th Street do not have an obstructed view at the intersection, and they are able to see far enough up 26th to spot oncoming traffic.

He said engineers will have to examine angles at the intersection and drainage and grade issues to see if it is possible to put in a more traditional 90-degree turn off 26th onto Westend.

He said a stop sign at the intersection is unlikely because there is a low volume of traffic out of Westend.

-

Contact the writer: 636-0197 or [email protected]


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## norton55

how sad, thanks for the up date.


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## Sherpa23

Jayson was XjaysonX on here. It's super sad.


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## OldEndicottHiway

Terrible. 

My sincere condolences to the families of both young men. 

Thanks Sherpa for posting, otherwise the RBR community may never have known. Perhaps cross-post in General?


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## DrRoebuck

I'm against torture and I'm against the death penalty, but sometimes I feel like I want to make an exception.

No contact lenses and under the influence ... Unbelievable.


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## Sherpa23

OldEndicottHiway said:


> Terrible.
> 
> My sincere condolences to the families of both young men.
> 
> Thanks Sherpa for posting, otherwise the RBR community may never have known. Perhaps cross-post in General?


I posted in the lounge, where his intro post was, but no one seems to have noticed. You're right that general would probably be a better place.


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## OldEndicottHiway

Oh I see. That is where I first noticed the post as it came through on my email.

Not all RBR's have email notification of new posts in a subscribed thread. Most Loungers peruse the "Who you are" thread only rarely, which is why I suspect it's gone unnoticed.

I'll go ahead and cross post this as a regular thread in the Lounge if not already done so.

I think it also deserves notice in General.


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## JohnHenry

It is sad when anyone loses their youth and their life, in turn. 

I feel for their families.


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## grrlyrida

My condolences to their family and friends. 

It angers me that someone hopped up on vikes or hillbilly heroin would get in the car without any forethought to others. This so sad. They were just out for a ride enjoying themselves. RIP E.J. and Jayson.


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## carbon13

Can the site send something to the family?


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## innergel

These stories make me sick to my stomach, regardless of who they are. That he posted on here makes me feel even worse. 

Prayers go out to his family. 

+1 to DrRoebucks comments.


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## JoeDaddio

Terrible. My condolences.



joe


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## ColoradoVeloDude

*The Ghost Bikes...*

In the Springs, and probably other cities, there is a group of folks that chain these ghost bikes at the location where the accident occurred. Sad day here in the Springs. I don't think the cyclists were doing anything wrong except not being vigilant enough while riding. Just a reminder to be extra careful and extra vigilant and extra defensive when riding out on the roads.


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## Bocephus Jones II

DrRoebuck said:


> No contact lenses and under the influence ... Unbelievable.


and old...quite the trifecta.

//not to throw this to PO, but why do police differentiate between legal and illegal drug intoxication. Intoxicated is intoxicated in my book.


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## ColoradoVeloDude

grrlyrida said:


> My condolences to their family and friends.
> 
> It angers me that someone hopped up on vikes or hillbilly heroin would get in the car without any forethought to others. This so sad. They were just out for a ride enjoying themselves. RIP E.J. and Jayson.



Yeah, I first got angry (wasn't wearing prescription eyewear, drugs involved, and generally behaving fast and loose with a car). But then again, I started to feel sad for the people in the families of these two cyclists. Then, also sad for the person driving the car. A 63-year old woman, on oxygen, with probably a lot of health issues to boot. No amount of justice thrown at this woman is going to bring these two cyclists back to life. Also, any sentence handed down to the woman won't register in the community as a whole -- it'll just be lost in the small stuff of everyone's life, a momentary speed bump to the dealt with before moving onto the next thing. The ghost bikes remain as markers, but sadly, they too become just part of the landscape, the meaning lost. 

The best thing that can come out of this is for us as a cycling community to be more aware while we are riding. To be ambassadors of our sport and deflect the bad karma thrown at us (literally and figuratively) from the motor vehicle community.

The bottom line is that people don't understand biking, don't know what us roadie types are all about. Begin the education at your work place, with your friends. If they don't go riding, then at least they know, and maybe the next time give one of us a wide berth when passing instead of underhanded disdain...


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## filtersweep

I don't know. If I turned this a bit political, and took the the neocon approach to foreign policy, I might suggest that she knew the rules, broke the rules, and the consequences were tragic--- therefore we need to make an example of her to deter others. We have laws, yet we lightly enforce them. It perpetuates a lawless culture who think the rules does not apply to them.



ColoradoVeloDude said:


> Yeah, I first got angry (wasn't wearing prescription eyewear, drugs involved, and generally behaving fast and loose with a car). But then again, I started to feel sad for the people in the families of these two cyclists. Then, also sad for the person driving the car. A 63-year old woman, on oxygen, with probably a lot of health issues to boot. No amount of justice thrown at this woman is going to bring these two cyclists back to life. Also, any sentence handed down to the woman won't register in the community as a whole -- it'll just be lost in the small stuff of everyone's life, a momentary speed bump to the dealt with before moving onto the next thing. The ghost bikes remain as markers, but sadly, they too become just part of the landscape, the meaning lost.
> 
> The best thing that can come out of this is for us as a cycling community to be more aware while we are riding. To be ambassadors of our sport and deflect the bad karma thrown at us (literally and figuratively) from the motor vehicle community.
> 
> The bottom line is that people don't understand biking, don't know what us roadie types are all about. Begin the education at your work place, with your friends. If they don't go riding, then at least they know, and maybe the next time give one of us a wide berth when passing instead of underhanded disdain...


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## ColoradoVeloDude

filtersweep said:


> I don't know. If I turned this a bit political, and took the the neocon approach to foreign policy, I might suggest that she knew the rules, broke the rules, and the consequences were tragic--- therefore we need to make an example of her to deter others. We have laws, yet we lightly enforce them. It perpetuates a lawless culture who think the rules does not apply to them.



Yeah, that's the problem. People know the rules and want to be "nice people." Except, get behind a car steering wheel and some sort of primal get-there-itis, gotta be first, me super-hero on the road urges take over. A prime example is the speed limit on the freeway. In one of Tom Clancey's books he talked about the terrorists than rented a car in the USA to drive to their target (in the USA), setting the cruise control at 7 MPH above the speed limit so they wouldn't be noticed. Heck, here in Colorado I routinely see people doing what I perceive to be 20MPH above the speed limit (on a 75MPH highway). 

Sadly, I don't think an example made will get much traction locally, state-wide, or nationally enough to make everyone aware of each other on the road and behave nice to each other. I think too often the answer to Share The Road" is "With who? It's just me out here." I don't think there is any example to be made here, just a set of bad consequences for everyone involved.

Another thing is that in most state driver manuals there are more pages devoted to the shape of street signs, the color of the various lane stripes and what they mean, and driving under the influence than there are pages of how to drive safely when around large trucks, how to interact with slow moving vehicles, or the respective responsibilities of the motorist and cyclist on the road. In short, knowing the law helps, but learning to respect each other needs to be learned too.


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## Sherpa23

Driving is by far the most dangerous thing that people do on a daily basis. I don't think that people register how dangerous it is to take your eyes off the road for just a second. Think of all the times you've seen someone drift out of their lane and onto the shoulder or near the curb for a couple of seconds. It's not hard to realize a cyclist or runner could have been there at any time. It happens infrequently enough (amazingly) but it only takes one time for a person to be in the wrong place at the wrong time for there to be a critical injury or worse.


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## aliensporebomb

Sorry to hear it - I remember his posts too.

RIP.


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## rufus

> He said a stop sign at the intersection is unlikely because there is a low volume of traffic out of Westend.


So what? How much can a friggin' stop sign cost? 

If it can help to save someone else from this tragic fate, then put up a damned sign. Very sad news.


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## ColoradoVeloDude

Here is a link to a YOUTUBE tribute that someone made up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq6n4vgx_mM


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## Cervelo-er

It's enough to send one to the dirt.

My mom cried the day I bought my first motorcycle...but has never worried about me coming off a mountain at 50 mph on 1" of rubber or riding on 35, 45, 55 mph roads...we tend to feel so invincible on the bike and yet are so very vulnerable for so many reasons. One blowout at the wrong time and even the most alert driver won't be able to do much...add drinking, texting, or what-have-you to the mix and chamois-ing up starts to feel like russian-roullette.

I'm not advocating hiding under a rock, but ****, it's gettin' scary out there. May those riders rest in peace.

Be careful friends.


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## ColoradoVeloDude

*Woman Gets 3 Three Years In Death Of Bicyclists*

WOMAN GETS 3 THREE YEARS IN DEATH OF BICYCLISTS

URL For Article: http://www.gazette.com/articles/thomas-56029-judge-bicyclists.html

June 8, 2009 - 12:12 PM
HAILEY MAC ARTHUR
THE GAZETTE



In a courtroom filled with dozens of bicyclists -- some in cycling shorts and others with helmets hanging at their side -- 64-year-old Barbara Thomas said she was sorry. She said she wished it had been her. She said she felt badly for the two men she killed and their families.

But, as Thomas hunched over in her wheelchair Monday, 4th Judicial District Judge Gilbert A. Martinez said her crime was reckless and caused the most serious harm: the deaths of bicyclists Jayson Kilroy, 28, and Edgar "E.J." Juarez, 30.

He sentenced Thomas to three years in prison for plowing her one-ton pickup truck into a group of five bicyclists on Aug. 6, 2008, killing the two men. At the time, she was driving under the influence of prescription morphine and barbiturates and without her required glasses. Her sentence is three years shy of the maximum six years under a plea bargain.

"If this defendant could make restitution," said Martinez, looking down from his bench at the woman on 18 daily prescriptions for pulmonary disease and arthritis, "it wouldn't be such a difficult case. You can't make restitution for death."

As she faced the judge about to sentence her on two counts of vehicular manslaughter, Thomas at first declined to address the court. Only with the prodding of her defense attorney did she apologize in four unprepared sentences.

Thomas struck and killed the men at S. 26th Street, minutes after leaving the West Colorado Avenue Safeway. Police said she had been shoplifting and banged into a man's car in the parking lot before driving off. The man followed her and saw her hit the bicyclists as she tried to turn left onto Westend Avenue -- without yielding to oncoming traffic -- in her 1986 Ford F-350. Police found her speech slurred and her eyes bloodshot, according to an arrest affidavit.

The court summarized her history: four convictions of shoplifting dating back to 1983, drinking in a vehicle, careless driving and minor traffic infractions. She had no prior history of driving under the influence, according to court documents. But she had an outstanding summons for a hit-and-run two months before the collision.

Thomas, who pleaded not guilty, sat in bedroom slippers as she listened to wrenching statements from the families and friends of the two bicyclists. Three of her daughters described her as kind and selfless. She showed no emotion, until court officers began to roll her away with an oxygen tank in her lap.

Thomas begged the judge to let her spend time at home with family before going to prison. She struggled to lift herself out of her wheelchair, pleading for sympathy.

"Oh, my god!" she cried out. "Don't take me."

Family members of the victims sat in the front row, including Rita Kilroy, Jayson's mother from St. Claire Shores, Mich. She told the court he was her only child and the most valuable part of her life. His death took her identity, her happiness, her peace.

"I run through in my mind," she said through tears, "how he must have felt. Did it hurt? Was he scared?"

Then she collapsed. Draped around her neck was a silver necklace, and just below her collar bone dangled a heart engraved with her son's picture.

Outside the courtroom, escaping the past 10 months for a moment, she looked up at Pikes Peak. She pointed to the Incline. She used to bike the trail with her son.

"Every time I made it a little further," she said slowly, "but I never made it. I'm going to try again tomorrow."


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## Mootsie

So sad. Did anyone listen to Peter Boyles on KHOW this morning? You would have thought that cyclists were the root of all that is evil in the world. We have to keep vigilant on the road all the time. There are too many people that could care less about someone on a bike.


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