Forgive me if this was posted earlier. This is a little close to home for me; my wife is a fourth grade teacher and triathlete.
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Teacher killed on bike ride
- Ulysses Torassa, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 4, 2005
An avid bicyclist who was a popular fourth-grade teacher was killed Sunday while riding in Woodside when an out-of-town motorist ran his car into her while looking for a freeway on-ramp, police said Monday.
Michelle Mazzei's death stunned the staff, students and parents of Oak Knoll Elementary School in Menlo Park, where the 34-year-old teacher had worked for 11 years.
"She was an outstanding teacher. It's such a loss,'' said assistant principal Maria Clemo. Authorities contacted school officials Sunday afternoon, and teachers gathered to phone parents and alert them before school resumed Monday morning. "We didn't want anybody to show up today and not know what happened,'' Clemo said.
Mazzei, from Redwood City, was wearing a helmet Sunday morning as she rode her bike along Woodside Road about 11 a.m., Lt. Lisa Williams of the San Mateo Sheriff's Department reported. At the same time, Theodore Charles Thornbrough, 68, of Westminster, Colo., was driving his 1998 Mercedes on Woodside Road, looking for the on-ramp to Interstate 280.
The driver told police that his attention had been diverted as he tried to read a roadway sign, and his car drifted into the bicycle lane, hitting Mazzei. She was taken to Stanford Hospital, where she died of her injuries, Williams said.
"This is a horrible, horrible tragedy,'' said Williams, who added that alcohol was not a factor in the accident, which remains under investigation.
Grief counselors were on hand at the school Monday as staff, students and parents came to grips with the news. One fourth-grade teacher was so upset she went home early.
Susan Hogan, a first-grade teacher, and Karen Clancy, who teaches third grade, described Mazzei as humorous, upbeat and very active. Mazzei, who was single and had no children, was also known for her athleticism and her love of the outdoors.
"She loved being out in nature,'' Clancy said. She competed in triathlons, took many hikes and had more recently become enamored of bird-watching -- even plastering her classroom walls with bird posters and taking her students on birding field trips.
Hogan and Clancy said the last few months had been especially sweet for Mazzei, who also played on a softball team and had begun teaching spinning classes at the Redwood City YMCA. Recently, she had organized a karaoke night for her co-workers, they said.
"She was meeting new people, having a great time,'' Hogan said. "She was really happy with her life and where it was going.''
Eisa Evans, 11 and Brooke Delly, 11, rode their bikes over to Oak Knoll Monday afternoon after hearing the news that their former teacher had been killed.
"She was the best teacher I ever had,'' said Eisa, who said Mazzei had helped her assimilate into her class after she transferred from another school. "She was nice and hyper at the same time.''
"The thing I loved about her is she always had a smile on her face,'' said Brooke. She said Mazzei shared with her students her love of bird-watching, her cats Hank and Harley, and her beloved San Francisco Giants.
"She'd let us come in at recess and watch the Giants on TV,'' Brooke said.
E-mail Ulysses Torassa at utorassa@sfchronicle.com.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/04/BAGVPF26H71.DTL
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I'm not sure she could have done anything differently. At the moment it seems it was a case of wrong place, wrong time. If nothing else, when we ride on roads where vehicles travel, the risk of being struck is always there.
Sorry for the sad news. I just think it might keep us alert and conscious of the risks we sometimes take in the pursuit of our athletic endeavours.
Mr. Uncaptured External Costs
Fossil carbon is planetary poison.
==============================
Teacher killed on bike ride
- Ulysses Torassa, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 4, 2005
An avid bicyclist who was a popular fourth-grade teacher was killed Sunday while riding in Woodside when an out-of-town motorist ran his car into her while looking for a freeway on-ramp, police said Monday.
Michelle Mazzei's death stunned the staff, students and parents of Oak Knoll Elementary School in Menlo Park, where the 34-year-old teacher had worked for 11 years.
"She was an outstanding teacher. It's such a loss,'' said assistant principal Maria Clemo. Authorities contacted school officials Sunday afternoon, and teachers gathered to phone parents and alert them before school resumed Monday morning. "We didn't want anybody to show up today and not know what happened,'' Clemo said.
Mazzei, from Redwood City, was wearing a helmet Sunday morning as she rode her bike along Woodside Road about 11 a.m., Lt. Lisa Williams of the San Mateo Sheriff's Department reported. At the same time, Theodore Charles Thornbrough, 68, of Westminster, Colo., was driving his 1998 Mercedes on Woodside Road, looking for the on-ramp to Interstate 280.
The driver told police that his attention had been diverted as he tried to read a roadway sign, and his car drifted into the bicycle lane, hitting Mazzei. She was taken to Stanford Hospital, where she died of her injuries, Williams said.
"This is a horrible, horrible tragedy,'' said Williams, who added that alcohol was not a factor in the accident, which remains under investigation.
Grief counselors were on hand at the school Monday as staff, students and parents came to grips with the news. One fourth-grade teacher was so upset she went home early.
Susan Hogan, a first-grade teacher, and Karen Clancy, who teaches third grade, described Mazzei as humorous, upbeat and very active. Mazzei, who was single and had no children, was also known for her athleticism and her love of the outdoors.
"She loved being out in nature,'' Clancy said. She competed in triathlons, took many hikes and had more recently become enamored of bird-watching -- even plastering her classroom walls with bird posters and taking her students on birding field trips.
Hogan and Clancy said the last few months had been especially sweet for Mazzei, who also played on a softball team and had begun teaching spinning classes at the Redwood City YMCA. Recently, she had organized a karaoke night for her co-workers, they said.
"She was meeting new people, having a great time,'' Hogan said. "She was really happy with her life and where it was going.''
Eisa Evans, 11 and Brooke Delly, 11, rode their bikes over to Oak Knoll Monday afternoon after hearing the news that their former teacher had been killed.
"She was the best teacher I ever had,'' said Eisa, who said Mazzei had helped her assimilate into her class after she transferred from another school. "She was nice and hyper at the same time.''
"The thing I loved about her is she always had a smile on her face,'' said Brooke. She said Mazzei shared with her students her love of bird-watching, her cats Hank and Harley, and her beloved San Francisco Giants.
"She'd let us come in at recess and watch the Giants on TV,'' Brooke said.
E-mail Ulysses Torassa at utorassa@sfchronicle.com.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/04/BAGVPF26H71.DTL
========================================
I'm not sure she could have done anything differently. At the moment it seems it was a case of wrong place, wrong time. If nothing else, when we ride on roads where vehicles travel, the risk of being struck is always there.
Sorry for the sad news. I just think it might keep us alert and conscious of the risks we sometimes take in the pursuit of our athletic endeavours.
Mr. Uncaptured External Costs
Fossil carbon is planetary poison.