this is a crazy fact. Either this guy has the worst luck as a driver as in he finds his way into crappy situations, or he's got the best luck in able to avoid any charges or consequences for his hazardous driving... geez.

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Swim. Bike. Run. Tacos. Not always in that order.
@ryan_hurley

Is it just a coincidence that 3 cyclists have died under his wheels? Maybe. what are the odds?

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Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.

 
Her fault? Are yo kidding me?

She was a very experienced cyclist.

There were plenty of witnesses around this area at the time this happened. Nobody has seen anything? I guess these "no bodies" didn't wanted to be "inconvenienced".

I guess they repent by making an extra monetary donation to their "feel good - for profit" charity....[/reply]


I have no idea what happened here, but the CHP explanation is possible. I was on the Tour of Colorado ~ 6 years ago and a guy was just riding along and all of the sudden swerved left almost to the centerline and a truck hit/killed him. There were about 20 witnesses that it was zero fault of the driver. The guy just suddenly swerved. Just sayin'.

It's not all accidents involving bike/vehicle where the vehicle is at fault.

Last year a training buddy turned in fog in front of a vehicle and passed away. There is no suggestion the vehicle was at fault, we all accept it was his error. Mind you, there were witnesses.

This could be a case like that.

What is unusual is the amount of deaths this driver has been involved in. Whilst they might not be legally his fault - I do wonder if the driver could have avoided them happening through a different approach to the way they conduct themselves on the road.

Or, the take home is that a local cycling advocate who wasn't there just made up the part about a "side zoomer".

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"That night I had a dream. I dreamt I was as light as the ether."

basic physics on the road: it's "rock, paper, scissors" out there.
Semi vs. bike? He's the rock...you're the scissors. Doesn't really matter who's at fault (if ur dead).
Sure...it "does" matter for family, legal consequences, etc... but reality is- it doesn't matter.

Put another way... you'll always be the bug.... they'll always be the windshield.

Nevertheless, with 2 dead bikers (3rd accident really does sound like just that) you really gotta wonder how aware/careful guy is ...sounds more like a Death Race 2000 driver.

 

"If You were a witness in that incident, you should do the right thing."


Nothing in the article suggests there were witnesses.

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"That night I had a dream. I dreamt I was as light as the ether."

Is it just a coincidence that 3 cyclists have died under his wheels? Maybe. what are the odds?

I think the odds are about the same as the odds that you actually read the article.

Her fault? Are yo kidding me?

She was a very experienced cyclist.

So you are saying experienced cyclists never cause accidents? Maybe the driver was also very experienced. It cracks me up how people shut their brains down and absolutely refuse to believe that maybe the cyclist was at fault.

My understanding is that it has been two cyclists and one motorist. The details on the first one refer to her "vehicle", not a bicycle. The second one sounds like he was in the middle of making a right turn when the cyclist ran into the side of him, which I picture to mean coming up behind on the shoulder and not being able to stop when the truck, which was ahead and would have the right of way, turned across in front of the cyclist.

As to the odds, there are two ways to look at it. Commercial drivers spend so many miles on the road that they should have tons of practise and therefore should be excellent drivers. By the same token, they spend so many miles on the road that they are more likely to be involved in any incident simply because they are on the road so often.

Life would be so much better if no one, cyclist or motorist, died or were injured on the road.

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Starting from scratch...

I'm not sure what you're implying. I didn't read the article?
Sorry, I read the posted and the link. They are the same.

Mr.Vera AND his truck were involved in three fatal bicycle accidents in the last 7 years. All unwitnessed. Does this guy drive as close to cyclists as some trucks I've been just missed by in the mountains here in SoCal? Maybe just a bit too close, or he freaks someone out who makes a wrong move and ends up under his truck.

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Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.

I would guess that, in general, truckers are involved in a relatively high percentage of fatalities as compared with normal drivers, simply based off mileage. If you drive several hundred thousand miles a year, the probability is that you're gonna be in more accidents. A quick googling reveals that a typical trucker could drive 10-30x as much as an "average" driver per year. That's a LOT. I'm not saying it's not a bit odd that this guys has three fatalities, but I would say that truckers are almost certainly going to be more likely to be in more accidents. They drive a lot. They drive a lot at night. And they are driving rigs with relatively poor visibility and poor maneuverability. The trucking situation in this country is a disaster. The rules are basically unenforceable, and they also are so restrictive - when combined with typical wages - as to be considered effectively un-followable. In order to make a living, you need to drive way more miles than is technically legal under the law. That leads to driving while fatigued, excessive drug use, and a whole host of other problems. While none of those things may have been a factor in this particular case, they are regularly. Driving under the influence of drugs is bad enough behind the wheel of a 3,000lb vehicle. Behind the wheel of an 80,000lb vehicle? Yeah...

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

Trying to get banned again?

I dont agree with your total assesment Jordan.I have driven a big truck for 25 years and yes years ago the drug use back then was high but now although its sill out there not to the level as years ago. Companies now and commercial ins. companies have random drug test programs in place. Yes I'am not nieve to think its not out there, just not to the level one may think. As to the hours driven and pay your right. Hours of service cut back and the pay not usually based on hours but miles driven or a cut of what the load pays many guys try to push the limits. Even though in every profession you have rogue players,when your driving a 80,000lb piece of eqipment down the road at 55 to 70 mph you cant afford rogue.

We have a term in NZ called 'defensive driving'(well some drivers are good at it but not all). Well it is a good idea and revolves around the idea of the driver watching out for everything that is happening around their vehicle to avoid accidents. I avoided one driver the aotherday thta would have been alot of smashed panels. One time in the UK another driver avoided a mistake I made changing lanes and I was thankkful and impressed.
Take home message is that given human nature mistakes will be made by road users, so there is a responsibility try and avoid these mistakes. All accidents can be prevented. There are very good side mirrors which will allow truck drivers to see all around there vehicles. Apart from a head on at a blind spot many other colisions can be avoided. Defensive driving should be taught to everyone who uses the road.

G.
http://www.triathlonshots.com/Cycle%20safety.html

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http://www.TriathlonShots.com
Full event coverage of triathlon/ironman in photos.

That's great. And certainly your experience far outweighs mine. I'm glad to hear that things are better than they were. When I worked summers on race cars, I did some long driving to the tracks as "entertainment" and companionship for the guys with CDLs. They were all really cautious, but they were the ones who told me about the problems, especially the mileage/pay issues.

It's great to hear folks like you say that 80,000lbs and rogue don't go together...

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

OP needs to be a writer for Fox News or CNN with sensationalistic headers like his subject line.

Have heard a terrible story from Australia ending in disater from drivers breaking the rules and driving too long. Hope it is being audited properly and the auditors are matching times/dates/mileage and payments/hours driven by drivers. There will still be ways people can cheat though.
As for drug testing, was very impressed and surprised to see a very big company using a sniffer dog around all the factory worker cars(and mine) here the otherday. An employer of 1000's of workers so they pick up a few from what they told me. Hope they do that sort of thing for all those who drive on the roads for commercial reasons also.
Did see a drug user in Australia 2 years ago driving a passenger bus and was very close to going to the police(but didn't however did talk with his boss so he was on his way out of a job). If you know of that sort of thing do something about it as it can help the public and the person with the drug problem also.

Be very careful as a cyclist out there.

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http://www.TriathlonShots.com
Full event coverage of triathlon/ironman in photos.

I read too quickly. I didn't see 'the vehicle.' But, he still sounds like one of those drivers who may be driving legally but not safely. When you are at the wheel of a large tractor-trailer, the margins are a lot smaller.

I am prejudiced. Last year, before the Angeles Crest highway and after the fire and the first rains, we rode up there a number of time. There were a number of trucks going up there to make repairs. We were narrowly missed numerous times, despite leaving at dawn. Almost all of the near misses were by a limited number of agencies and contractors. It was amazing that nearly ALL the rest went out of their way to give us plenty of clearance.

For those of you who don't live around here, a number of trucks have been cited for driving their 'semis' up there when it is clearly posted that they are not allowed. Some had their brakes fail and one killed some folks at the end of the highway where it ends in La Canada when his brakes failed and he crashed into a father-daughter waiting at the light at the bottom of the hill. That he didn't kill anyone in the bookstore that he hit next is a near miracle.

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Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.

So this guy have killed 3 people with his truck. Maybe someone should remove his drivers license....

There is no "maybe" about it. CHP determined she was at fault.

Like it or not.

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"That night I had a dream. I dreamt I was as light as the ether."