Bike/B45 Bus Accident on Atlantic/Washington

Yes, I was on the bus that hit the woman. She was biking down Atlantic, a car door opened and she swerved and the bus hit her. It was terrible. It was a pink helmet. I couldn't bring myself to look at the body. The accident wasn't at the corner, it was just on Atlantic, a hundred feet or so before the corner.

You need to get those bright LED's, front & back, biker people. And if some dick-head driver is tailgating you, pull over and let the schmuck pass. This is the second serious bike/car accident in PH in so many days. So needless.

I couldn't sleep last night. I mean it was just awful. And the poor bus driver. And it totally wasn't his fault.

According the the NY Post, the driver of the car (pictured in the article linked below) left the scene to attend a baby shower and had to be brought back to the scene by police. She was also driving with a suspended license:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/cyclist_knocked_into_bus_dies_PLKKRSSzayccSrTihDGi7K

This is so tragic and upsetting. All of us cyclists have to deal with these kinds of dangers, and for this worst case scenario to actually happen right here in our neighborhood... so so sad. Cyclists should always avoid fast streets like Atlantic Ave, and this is the main reason why I believe bikers need to act, and be treated, just as cars -- bike in the middle of a lane in order to give yourself and cars around you enough space to avoid collisions.

My thoughts and sincerest condolences to the victim and her family and friends.

:evil: This is the reason you should never ride on city streets, only on sidewalks people! Bicycles are not cars - they have 300 horses at their disposal, you have only 0.3 horses. Do the math. Not to mention the fact that car drivers are protected by 4000 pounds of steel, airbags and seat belts and you are protected.....by nothing. I never listen to cops or anyone else, i just stubbornly stay on sidewalks and ride carefully, that's all. Does it really worth the risk? Are you in a hurry to meet the Aliens? Yes, it does slow me down, but i would rather be safe than sorry.
I also want to mention the EXTREME rudeness of NY drivers in general, they simply do not respect your life - I can't even remember how many times i was cursed, threatened and bullied on quiet city streets and to top that, the cops kick you out in traffic without any regard for your safety. Not just Streets, but Avenues and even Parkways! How can you possibly keep up with the traffic on Parkways, where some drunken 19 year old Brooklyn kid passes you by a few inches, doing 70 MPH in his Infinity SUV? I don't care what the law says about bicycles and sidewalks, i just know that NY is not Copenhagen or Amsterdam and that drivers here (and people in general) would never be as civilized and disciplined as Dutch drivers or Belgian drivers. They even have separate car free, bicycle only streets there and their cars are 2000 lb, not 5000 monsters we have here. :evil:

inverness wrote: :evil: This is the reason you should never ride on city streets, only on sidewalks people!

It is illegal to ride a bike on the sidewalks if you are not a child. Everyone needs to be more mindful of their surroundings (bikers, pedestrians, and drivers).

Love the Post article - at the end, why would they bother to quote some random person who apparently didn't even see the incident? "I'm a friend of hers and she told me it was someone else's fault." Yeah, thanks for clearing that up.

How awful. My heart goes out to the cyclist's family. What a horrible, horrible thing.

Drivers are required by law to check for oncoming cyclists before opening their car doors. Other laws relating to cycling safety apply to drivers as well:

NYC TRAFFIC RULES PROTECTING CYCLISTS

RCNY § 4-08 (e)(9) It is against the law to park, stand or stop within or otherwise obstruct bike lanes.

RCNY § 4-12(p) Other vehicles shall not drive on or across bike lanes.

RCNY § 4-12(c) It is illegal to get out of a vehicle in a manner which endangers cyclists (often referred to as "dooring").

VTL § 1146 Drivers to exercise due care to avoid colliding with any bicyclist, upon any roadway and shall give warning by sounding the horn when necessary.

RCNY=Rules of the City of New York
VTL=Vehicle and Traffic Law (State of New York)

These rules are constantly violated, not to mention the speeding, illegal turns, failure to use turn signals, failure to yield, running red lights, etc. etc. etc.etc. that are just a constant and everyday feature of automobile traffic in NYC (especially bad in the outer boroughs).

I truly don't understand, with the City constantly bemoaning its dire financial problems, why traffic laws are not enforced. It would be a goldmine. Not to mention that it would make the city a whole lot safer for all of us: drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

new gothamist post :

http://gothamist.com/2010/09/13/bike_accident_victim_rode_her_bike.php

" Police have identified the victim of Saturday's fatal bike accident on Atlantic Avenue as Jasmine Herron, a young barista at Think Coffee on Mercer Street...."

I'd tell all bikers for their own safety to avoid Atlantic Avenue. The extra time that diverting down Dean, Pacific or Fulton would add to your trip is worth the added safety that those streets present - narrower streets, less speeding, more manuverability and fewer blind spots with cars coming out of driveways, etc.

Asil wrote: BCODSNPKSLOPE:
If you do a search on these boards, you will find many many threads screaming about cyclists who don't obey the traffic laws. This is not the place.

I wasn't there, but from the accounts I've read it does not sound like the woman who was killed was violating any traffic laws. If a car door opens right in front of you, who wouldn't swerve?? And the bus driver clearly didn't have time to stop. I'm sure it all happened in an instant, and unfortunately was avoidable only by the motorist who should have looked before opening her door.

I wholeheartedly agree that cyclists should obey the law, but don't derail this thread into the typical anti-biking rant. A 23-year old woman DIED as a result of a careless and irresponsible driver who should never have been behind the wheel at all (suspended license). Bike vs. car crashes seldom end well for the cyclist, and I believe that the motorist's greater ability to cause death or serious injury brings with it a greater responsibility to drive safely and carefully, and that extends to when the vehicle is parked as well. Dooring is a serious hazard.

Thank you ASIL, as a moderator I agree and off topic conversations will be removed. This is a very sensitive subject and we should be extremely respectful. Have no doubt that a family/friend member of the deceased may be reading this now. Not to mention the witness that was on the bus that posted here already.

My heart goes out to the bicyclist family. Very tragic.

The bicycle actually hit the car door before swerving into traffic.

BCODSNPKSLOPE wrote: I wonder why this post was made after my remark?

You do? Wow.

BCODSNPKSLOPE wrote: I wonder why this post was made after my remark? I see remarks bashing motorists made by Asil who enlightened us all on the rules pertaining to motorists and bicycle safety , iverness who ranted about rude NYC drivers,Catwalkertexas ranger who demanded that vehicular tickets begiven out to motorists for any and every violation ( not that i dont agree with that but i feel all violators including pedestrians and bikers should be included) and to some extent Izisharp, yet my comment is picked on because i decide to make a remark that included bicyclists.
It is a tragedy that this woman died, and in such a horrible way in the prime of her life.I feel bad for all who had to witness this horrible accident, and Ms Herron's loved ones too. For many years i subcontracted work from the Hartford Insurrance Company investigating such matters and its horrifying for all involved The problem that caused her death needs to be addressed by all sides of the issue not just the "horray for bicyclists down with cars" crowd.

I would always agree that there are super stupid cyclists..my point is that the laws need top be applied evenly and start with the most serious offenses and offenders as it applies to life safety. Take drivers off the road that don't have the financial mechanisms in place to repair or compensate for the damage that can be caused by a motor vehicle. If the government was not already drowning in their own slop they would want to license and register every bike and it's operator. Even in NYC you hear parents say that they would like to see their children to enjoy the benefits of bicycle riding for fitness,coordination and even ride to school. My point about handing out tickets to people illegally operating @3000 pound kid crushers has nothing to do with silly cyclists that are out breaking the law. Getting cars away from kids and pedestrians is logical in my view but if you don't agree I understand..I deal with it daily. During your insurance work how did the math work out??How many claims of bicycle caused personal and property damage did you process?. Do I think that every block that includes a school, should be closed to traffic while school is in session ..yes. wait til this is argued out drivers need parking and access over the safety of kids.