Cyclist Killed Near Wagga Wagga

[martinjs]

More bad news on the local news.

http://wagga.iprime.com.au/index.php/ne ... lia,342571

Martin

[Major Taylor]

Police say a small car hit the two cyclists on a straight stretch of the Wagga Road 10 kilometres north of Lockhart.

Snip

The driver of the car has also been taken to hospital, suffering shock.

What was she shocked about? The dent?

[il padrone]

10 kms north of Wagga puts it about at Fargunyah, near a bend in the straight road. Drowsy/drunk/distracted and missed the bend... swung wide and hit the cyclists ?

A great tragedy. My commiserations to the cycletourist's husband and her family. This sort of stray 'lightning bolt' incident is a little worry for me, about to head off travelling to Central Australia with a friend. Even the rear-view mirror will not enable this to be 100% avoided

[Pax]

The driver of the car has also been taken to hospital, suffering shock.

What was she shocked about? The dent?

Ummm killing someone...seeing the traumatic injuries...seeing the husbands distress. What a terrible thing to live with, especially if it is her fault (not going to pre-judge that but I can guess what most of us are thinking is a likely scenario)

The whole thing is just tragic and sad.

This sort of stray 'lightning bolt' incident is a little worry for me, about to head off travelling to Central Australia with a friend. Even the rear-view mirror will not enable this to be 100% avoided

Yep take care Pete, but enjoy your passion for riding.

[martinjs]

Our local new said the car ran into them from behind, but they are still investigating. The roads around there are pretty narrow and some car drivers don't give us country cyclist much room and they never seem to slow down. So unless the driver braked at the last minute the poor woman would have been hit at close to 100kph.

Martin

[Redbull]

Very sad.

Do you think its a bit like when you corner or have an obstacle that's going to be tricky to get around you do the "don't look at the obstacle, look at where you want to go"?

What I mean is, do drivers focus on the cyclists and then run them down - not deliberately but because that is where their eyes are taking them - rather than looking past the cyclists at where they need to go?

[everskim]

Why do journo's insist on writing that 'a cyclist collided with a car' or 'a motorbike collided with a truck'? When you know full well that it is the otherway around?

Or it makes no difference to the actual meaning?

[il padrone]

Nowhere in the original article does it say that.

Cyclist killed on tour of Australia [headline]

A woman has been killed in a crash in southern New South Wales during a cycling tour of Australia with her British husband.

Police say a small car hit the two cyclists on a straight stretch of the Wagga Road 10 kilometres north of Lockhart.

[wombatK]

Tragic, but let's not prejudge it. There may be mitigating circumstances. For example, the cyclist killed on the M7 shoulder a little over a year ago was answering his mobile phone. It was a very young driver involved then, who didn't do much of a job of expecting the unexpected.

Condolences to the husband and family.

[everskim]

Just curious if the word collide can be interchangeable... So a bike colliding with a car is that same as a car colliding with a bike.

E.G.,

http://www.news.com.au/national/cyclist ... 5850405715

"A WOMAN cyclist is dead after colliding with a car in southern New South Wales."

yet the next sentence...

"Police and paramedics were called to the Lockhart to Collingullie road, east of Wagga Wagga, about 7.20am (AEST) in response to reports a car had collided with two cyclists."

By the way it is written it sounds as though initially it was reported that the car collided with the cyclists, when in fact the cyclist collided with the car.

[il padrone]

Just curious if the word collide can be interchangeable... So a bike colliding with a car is that same as a car colliding with a bike.

Well, in the pure definition, yes it probably is. It takes two objects to collide, and if both are moving either could be described as 'colliding'. I don't think a stationary object could collide, even though it could be subject to a collision eg. "the tree collided with the car" just doesn't ring true

But in the case of a car and bike, both moving, you could say the car collided with the bike, and equally the bike collided with the car. The fact of a collision does not necessarily apportion cause or blame.

Over to you, Kate Burridge

[jules21]

Tragic, but let's not prejudge it. There may be mitigating circumstances.

you are correct - there often are. however, my experience is that riding on narrow country roads is dangerous, as drivers are very reluctant to slow down for cyclists when approaching from behind. when the road is clear, they may just move over the centreline, however when there is oncoming traffic - that's where it's very dangerous for cyclists who find themselves as the 'soft option' where there is no room.

[ruscook]

So very sad and the sheer number of "accidents" on our roads relates to skill and attention. Unfortunately they are inversely proportional

[stevepedlin]

Very sobering and sad news for all involved, my thoughts go out to the families of this tragedy.

I'd like to know the exact circumstances as well, could happen to any one of us while touring, but if we don't go cycling our world would be a much the less for it. I'm thinking of fitting a bigger rear mirror but that would just be more shrapnel in the event of an accident!

[Mulger bill]

Damn One less sibling out there.

Strength to those she was taken from.

Shaun