Posted on 08/30/2012 4:24:05 AM PDT by equaviator
Police say pickup truck driver shot bicyclist after crash, altercation at Telegraph, Northline roads
TAYLOR, Mich. -
A bicyclist who was shot after being involved in a traffic accident with a pickup driver in Taylor has died.
Taylor police say the bicyclist died during surgery after the Wednesday night incident with a 46-year-old driver.
Police said the two began arguing after the bicyclist disregarded a "Do Not Cross" signal at Telegraph and Northline roads, causing the driver to hit him. Witnesses said the bicyclist got up and confronted the driver.
"The pedestrian light was red. He wasn't supposed to be crossing and ran into the side of the truck," said witness Michelle Noffsinger. "He jumped up, he got up, and he ran around the front of the truck to the driver's side and he just started pounding on this guy. He hit him ... maybe seven times or so, and then the driver shot him and he fell to the ground. It was just really crazy."
Witnesses told police the driver pulled a pistol and fired one round at the bicyclist, striking him in the chest. The motorist stayed at the scene until police arrived. He is being held pending any charges.
Police said they are still trying to identify the bicyclist. He is described as a white man between 35 and 40 years old with gray hair. He was riding a 10-speed bike.
Anyone with information on the crash, shooting and the bicyclist's identity is asked to contact the Taylor Police Department.
My town had the trouble making bicyclists for a while but now our police give citations to bicyclists who violate road rules. It thinned out the bikes by 75%. Trouble seeking bikers don’t go through town anymore. It’s great.
Th laws of physics are not ambiguous.
“Everyone driving a pickup has a gun, and the older guys will not get out and fight with you, they will just kill you.”
Nicely put!
My thoughts exactly
Back about 20 years ago I used to help our local amateur radio club with providing communication support on a number of charity bike tours—y’know, the 75- or 100-mile day trips raising money for the Heart Association or Lung Association or MDA, etc. Most of the riders I met were just ordinary people, good folks who wanted to have a day challenging themselves or just riding in the beautiful Virginia countryside while raising money for a worthwhile charity.
But there was always a subset that didn’t just dress like Lance Armstrong, they thought they *were* Lance Armstrong. They were the ones that, despite a state trooper telling everyone that they had to ride single-file on the highway, would promptly go four-wide across both lanes on blind mountain roads, cut lanes on curves, blow stop signs, and yell at the residents who suddenly found themselves driving amongst a bunch of cyclists (a rare experience in rural Virginia). They were jerks to the volunteers at the aid stations too.
I try to be as careful as I can around cyclists because they’ve got their rights on the roads too, but way too many of them seem to think they can do what they want and flout traffic laws and get away without consequences. Sounds like the Spandex cut off the blood flow to this guy’s brain.
}:-)4
This should be reported on national networks and cable news channels. Let it be a lesson to the bike riding public.
Suicide by bycycle........not your finest scheme....
:-)
I’ve had the displeasure of having to slam on my breaks for overweight younger black females who must be assuming they’re entitled to cross the street wherever and whenever they choose as if to say, “I’m here and you must respect my space!”
Yet I routinely see cyclists riding on the highway shoulder anyway when they are 30 feet away from a dedicated, deluxe bikepath.
Also, near where I vacation, there is a sidestreet than runs for about 9 miles that is parallel to and one block over from a heavily trafficked four lane main road.
The sidestreet has only two traffic lanes because it has dedicated bikepaths running along both sides of the street for its entire length.
Yet the main road always seems to have a peloton of Lance Armstrong wannabes who are not interested in cycling on the boring sidestreet but want to weave through traffic.
I once had a very unpleasant incident with one of these geniuses which might have escalated to the level of this article had the offender not been shorter, tubbier and older than myself and smarter than the clown in this article.
At one time, in my home state of Idaho, bicycles did not have to come to a complete stop at stop signs (lights were different). They did however, have to slow down, assess the situation, and proceed with caution (following the rules of stops signs when there were other vehicles on the road). Not sure if that has changed in 20 years.
Probably because the law in that state may say that if you have the opportunity to avoid the fight (by driving away) that you are wrong to shoot.
On the other hand, it is against the law in every state to leave the scene of an accident and the penalties are draconian in most states.
So the lawyers will get to sort it out.
As for me, my sympathies are with the truck driver. Unless he ran the light, and there is nothing here to indicate that he did, the bike rider was way out of line to start a fight.
When I go to the grocery store it is 2 lane, hills and curves with double line no passing all the way for 7 miles.
Without fail half way there I wind up having to follow some spandex clad faggot doing 10 mph for 3-4 miles.
They don't have sense enough pull over or even ride on the edge of the road to let you pass.
It's enough to make you want to start chewing tobacco again, so you can really soak them down when you do get to where you can pass.
A bicyclist is NOT a pedestrian
a Bicyclist is a legal operating vehicle on the road
traffic laws that apply to vehicles apply to bicycles, not pedestrians
I need to see a better description of the accident to make judgement because of this
It has nothing to do with bicycles. In fact, there's barely need of it being mentioned.
This is strictly an assault-and-battery case that turned out poorly for the batterer.
If that's not the truth! I won't say this idiot "deserved" to be killed, but I sure don't feel any sympathy for him.
"The pedestrian light was red. He wasn't supposed to be crossing and ran into the side of the truck," said witness Michelle Noffsinger. "He jumped up, he got up, and he ran around the front of the truck to the driver's side and he just started pounding on this guy. He hit him ... maybe seven times or so, and then the driver shot him and he fell to the ground. It was just really crazy."
like a said, a cyclist is NOT a pedestrian, seems the writer of this article got it wrong claiming that pedestrian signs are something that a vehicle, that a cyclist is, is supposed to obey, but I would still like to see where he crossed and from where the truck came because it sounds like the cyclist had the right of way so far
I used to live on the northeast side of Tucson. When I drove home on Tanque Verde road there was always a group of those bastards blocking the road.
A Varsity would have smashed up the truck pretty good. They ran about 40 pounds.
“...they need to make sure the area is adequate for it and have their vehicles ‘taxed’ since they want to share the road.”
Amen! Getting to my house requires driving 6 miles on a narrow road. It has a wide dirt shoulder, but of course people who dress like French transvestites don’t want that...they want the pavement. Add in lots of dips and some turns, and you can be stuck behind Mr “I’ve got rights” for quite a way.
Technically, I have the right to ride my horse down the road too, but I don’t. On the shoulder, but not on the road. It wouldn’t occur to me to ride her down the center of the road and expect cars to wait for a safe place to pass my horse. But I wear T-shirts and jeans, so maybe I’m not as special as a French transvestite...
Drivers licenses should be required to ride bicycles in traffic.
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