# Another cyclist killed



## Bianchiguy (Sep 8, 2005)

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2007/August/08/local/stories/01local.htm

Another tragic accident. Another cyclist taken. This sounds like just a tragic accident that happened on a very congested, dangerous roadway. I used to live in Santa Cruz and still live nearby, so I can attest to the dangerous riding conditions on the road.


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## wipeout (Jun 6, 2005)

Reading that article made me sick to my stomach. This is a sad reminder to always slow down when there is a large vehicle next to you when approaching an interesection. RIP John Myslin.


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## Fr Ted Crilly (Feb 7, 2002)

My sympathies to the family of that young man. From the description in the article it appears as if he didn't do too much wrong. 
This is a good reminder to all of us who mix it with heavy traffic to avoid being in that position relative to a big vehicle as it approaches a turn. Either take the lane approaching an intersection and make it difficult for the vehicle to pass or stay behind that vehicle.
Too many Bay Area biking deaths this year are making me wonder if I'm sane.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

The first thing I do when I find myself on Mission Street is to get the hell off of Mission Street. It's a terrible place to ride.


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## robwh9 (Sep 2, 2004)

mohair_chair said:


> The first thing I do when I find myself on Mission Street is to get the hell off of Mission Street. It's a terrible place to ride.


Exactly. Take King St. (I think that's the name).


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## CrankyMonkey (Jul 8, 2007)

First off let me say I feel absolutely sickened by these accidents. My condolences to John's family.

After reading the article I realized this is a classic example of the right hook (http://bicyclesafe.com/). This is the exact reason I take a lane on narrow roads and don't hug the gutter, it's just not safe. The biggest issue was that he didn't just ride too far to the right but he actually followed the gutter like a bike lane around the corner and then followed it across the intersection (at least that's what the description sounds like to me). That combined with the fact that his truck had a ton of blind spots leads to a lethal combination.


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## Bianchiguy (Sep 8, 2005)

I know it can be hard to do, especially on a high traffic roadway, but I think you are right. When in a situation like this one, we are better off exerting our rights of the road and taking the lane. It is whithin our rights here in California if there is no bikelane to do so. Perhaps Critical Mass has it right.


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## CoLiKe20 (Jan 30, 2006)

so sad.


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## z ken (Dec 30, 2006)

last summer i was hit by a car ( a car flipped and swept ACROSSED the street and broke my left leg, fratured both my ankles, tored my right knee's ligament and broken right hand/wraist ) i;m ok now and have been back to biking. so fellow cyclists, please be careful and ride safe.


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## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

Very sad- I just want to hang my head. We really need to change the laws so drivers don't try to "squeak by" cyclists. Some states have a "3 foot rule" and we need it- no passing unless you can keep 3 feet of air between your vehicle and the cyclist. My closest call was when a bus decided it only needed about 6 inches. 

In this case, it appears the driver says he didn't see the cyclist- when have I heard that before? You know what? Let's take him at his word- that's an admission of negligence. Killing someone through a negligent act is the definition of manslaughter.


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## SCDude (Aug 9, 2007)

I'm extremely sad, and extremely nervous at the same time. I'm a student at UCSC and planning on riding my bike to campus this upcoming year...Mission St. _was_ on my route. There is a strong riding community in the area and it saddens me that one of the most accessible and convenient streets in town isn't reasonably available to cyclists. I hope these accidents will register with the city and they might take some action. With all the mission st. construction there's no reason they cant include a bike lane...


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## wipeout (Jun 6, 2005)

California L33 said:


> Very sad- I just want to hang my head. We really need to change the laws so drivers don't try to "squeak by" cyclists. Some states have a "3 foot rule" and we need it- no passing unless you can keep 3 feet of air between your vehicle and the cyclist. My closest call was when a bus decided it only needed about 6 inches.
> 
> In this case, it appears the driver says he didn't see the cyclist- when have I heard that before? You know what? Let's take him at his word- that's an admission of negligence. Killing someone through a negligent act is the definition of manslaughter.


I'm not sure I read it that way. For all we know the cyclist pulled up alongside the truck who was waiting to make a right-hand turn and the trucker never saw him.


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## Bianchiguy (Sep 8, 2005)

Witneses said that the cyclist and the truck were traveling side-by side prior to making the right turn and there are definitely some blind spots on a rig like that. The cyclist was in all probability mere inches away from that rig as they traveled that narrow road. think the lesson to learn here and which was already brought up, is to never make an inside turn in concert with a semi-truck. They very often cut the corners short and we can see the reults.


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