2012 Cyclist fatalities

[cp123]

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-new ... 245ig.html

I'm sure more details will come out of this soon, but it's almost better to "fall off your bike" due to an related condition (eg heart attack) than tangle with a car.


Condolences to this gentleman and his family and friends.

[twizzle]

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/cyclist-dies-on-gungahlin-drive-20120814-245ig.html

I'm sure more details will come out of this soon, but it's almost better to "fall off your bike" due to an related condition (eg heart attack) than tangle with a car.


Condolences to this gentleman and his family and friends.

Former Goulburn - Sydney winner Robbie Williams dies aged 27.

[find_bruce]

Sad news from Queensland Cyclist's body found on highway near Graton

The body of a male cyclist has been found on the side of a highway in southeast Queensland.

The man's body was discovered on the Warrego Highway, near Gatton, about 10am.

Police believe the man, thought to be aged in his 20s, was cycling along the highway sometime between 6pm and 8pm yesterday.

"It's unclear at this stage whether he has been hit by a vehicle," a police spokesman said.

"He did have injuries."

Police are awaiting the results of a post mortem examination.

Police are appealing for anyone who may have been travelling in the area last night and saw the man, or has information relating to the incident to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or crimestoppers.com.au

[hannos]

Finally a half decent judgement for killing a cyclist...

http://www.smh.com.au/wa-news/man-jaile ... 24xv8.html

[The 2nd Womble]

This morning. Nothing is more preventable than this. RIP.

http://www.vicpolicenews.com.au/more-ne ... -goon.html

[InTheWoods]

This one is in France, but not your standard type car vs bike, that's for sure.

Edit: And now they've found another survivor, a 4yo girl hiding under her dead mothers legs. That is really sad. I hope she is young enough to forget about it. I wonder if the cyclist just picked an unfortunate time to ride by

http://www.news.com.au/world/four-dead- ... 6466143516

[WestcoastPete]

I'm not in Darwin at the moment, but heard about this from a friend. Shocking. I ride that road all the time.

We preach to ride predictably at Bicycle NT. It's so important.

http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2012/0 ... news.html#

So sad.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[itsaghostcar]

Not the way to begin the weekend

Child killed in cycling tragedy
A boy has been killed after he was hit by a four-wheel-drive in central Albury this afternoon.
The child, believed to have been 12, was riding a bike along a Wilson Street footpath when he was hit by a Nissan Patrol exiting the car park opposite Sodens Hotel about 1.45pm, police say.
He suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene.
The man driving the Patrol, a 58-year-old man from Bothwell in Tasmania, has been taken to Albury Base hospital for mandatory testing.
Advertisement
A crime scene has been established and is being examined by specialist forensics officers.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/child-killed- ... z275FX7XyC

[hosko]

After getting back this afternoon from the CareFlight ride from Gold Coast to Toowoomba, I read the following....

http://www.news.com.au/national/car-hit ... 6479414964

Too close to home this one.

[oxonabike]

Cyclist killed in Cairns this afternoon. Not too many details as yet, but the story at the link should get updated

http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2012/1 ... -news.html

[coyote]

Story in todays paper.

"The 50 year old white Rock man was cycling on a mountain bike along Newell St at Bungalow about 3pm when he was struck by the garbage truck near the intersection with Mulgave rd." He died at the scene.

[Cheesewheel]

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/hitandrun-cla ... 1pj5w.html

A cyclist has died after a hit-and-run accident in northern NSW.

A surf lifesaver stopped to help the man, aged in his 30s, who had been hit by a vehicle in Mullumbimby about 10am and suffered serious head injuries today.

The cyclist was taken to Mullumbimby Hospital where he died.
Advertisement: Story continues below

Police are trying to find the driver of the vehicle and a report was being prepared for the coroner.

The death takes the NSW road toll to 19 since December 23.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/hitandrun-cla ... z1iMUFIwkk

Just an update :

http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/201 ... -news.html

A NSW man who deliberately killed a cyclist by running him over in a van has been found not guilty of murder on the grounds of mental illness.

James Andrew Mitchell, 54, believed John Foss was part of a conspiracy to kill him when he ran him over as he rode his motorised bicycle near Mullumbimby in northern NSW on January 3 this year, the NSW Supreme Court heard today.

Handing down the special verdict, Justice Elizabeth Fullerton said she was satisfied Mitchell was suffering from a schizophrenic disorder when he deliberately knocked Mr Foss down.

The court heard Mitchell's behaviour had changed in the months prior to the incident and he started expressing a number of "extensive, delusional beliefs", including that he was the reincarnation of Napoleon's horse, had supernatural powers and was psychic.

[wellington_street]

As ridiculous as the outcome of this case is, this was an intention to kill someone who was known to the offender, not a random or road rage attack on a cyclist.

I can't stand this sort of ruling, being a firm believer in personal responsibility for one's actions. If the bloke truly is loopy he should still be locked up for a life as he cannot be trusted to think or behave rationally.

[cp123]

Cyclist down, last night, corner of Yamba Drive and Launceston Street Canberra

[STOCK GUY]

Interesting that they have removed the death from the road toll because it is a murder charge.

Wondered about that too. Do they have enough evidence to show this was premeditated?

according to the article, there was animosity between the men. just hypothesising, I think the driver saw an opportunity to "scare" this person and it went all pear shaped when he actually hit him. despite how I feel about the situation, I believe a charge of manslaughter will be the result, not murder.

then going back to my first comment, would that then be included or excluded in the road toll?

Whether he intended to do him in or not, the guy's dead. He did not stop to help. It's murder for me.

[reefer]

Townsville, loss of control.

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/ar ... _news.html

[Mulger bill]

Shed I hate it when there's new posts in this thread

Condolences to those Mr Brunell left behind.

[supera]

Whether he intended to do him in or not, the guy's dead. He did not stop to help. It's murder for me.

I doubt you were in the court room, and I doubt you've read the case. the incidents are tragic enough without people's ill-informed commentary.

in any case, anyone who knew what a psych ward was like wouldn't be outraged. this guy will be more disempoweredand do harder time in a padded cell than any prison inmate.

[Sydguy]

Supera - hit the road on your bike for 200 to 300kms a week and you will quickly change your tune. Too often sentences handed down for crimes committed whilst driving are woefully soft. People need to relax. Almost every car that comes up behind me is like the 2 cyclists who harassed ou, except the car weighs a 1,000 kgs.

The question with this case is why did the guy have a drivers licence? Can you get a ticket to operate heavy machinery when you are a head case... probably not, but driving - hey that is ok! What could possibly go wrong on the roads???

We laugh at America over its addiction to guns then we turn around and do the same with cars. How many kids will we wipe out over Xmas? NSW had a red hot go at hitting 400 deaths this year, but we stalled at 360ish... only 1 person every day. Hopefully with more motivation from D Meers and soft sentencing we can get closer to 400 for 2013.

Looking forward to a bumper year next year - just hope it is not my rear tyre on the bumper.

JM

[supera]

I actually agree with everything you've said - we're massively soft on drivers.

but that bloke had a severe mental illness. in an ideal world, obviously he wouldn't have a license - perhaps those closest to him now bare that burden, because the articles say it only set on in the monthe leading up the the death.

I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like for the riders family, because they didn't get justice. but prison is no place for a schizophrenic.

[twizzle]

Nut cases will often drive, license or not. We know some people who's son was brain-damaged in an industrial accident, the car had to be physically removed to stop him from driving (under the influence as well). Not enough left to reason with. Eventually he moved into supported accommodation, then was stabbed in the eye with a pair of scissors by another "inmate".

The world has lots of shades of gray.


Sent from my iThingy...

[The 2nd Womble]

What is the total number of fatalities in 2012? I can't find anything national.

[KonaCommuter]

New Zealand

Cyclist struck and killed by truck http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/artic ... d=10871824

A cyclist has been struck and killed by a truck near Taupo.

Police said the woman was part of a group of cyclists who were riding on Poihipi Rd in a rural area north of the town yesterday morning.

The woman suffered fatal injuries when she was struck by the passing truck shortly before 10am.

Police said they were working with witnesses to identify the causes of the crash.

[KonaCommuter]

New Zealand - http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/artic ... d=10874261

Hopes for a fatality-free Easter were dashed just two hours into the holiday road toll period when a cyclist was killed in South Canterbury last night.

The 55-year-old Temuka man died after a vehicle and bicycle collided at the intersection of Milford-Clandeboye Rd and Bain Rd near Temuka, north of Timaru, about 6pm yesterday.

The crash came just two hours after the start of the official Easter rod toll period.

Last year, there were no road deaths during Easter for the first time since records began 57 years ago.

Police had earlier called on drivers to make that happen again.

National road policing manager Superintendent Carey Griffiths said it would be outstanding if motorists helped "make history for a second time".

"Last Easter we showed that we all can make a very real difference by collectively watching our speed, wearing our seatbelts, not driving drunk and maintaining our concentration, particularly as more people travel away over the break."

Mr Griffiths said police would be a highly visible presence in urban and rural areas throughout the country over Easter.

They would focus on enforcing the lowered 4km/h speed tolerance, which applies during all holiday periods, as well as targeting drunk and dangerous driving.

In Canterbury, police have been targeting alcohol and speed, which caused three of the four fatal crashes in the region over the last five Easter weekends.

There were no fatalities in Canterbury over the last two Easter weekends.

Senior Sergeant Phil Newton of the Canterbury highway patrol yesterday said a review of crash data showed the highest risk periods for speed-related crashes were Thursday afternoon and Monday afternoon, when motorists would be travelling to and from holiday destinations.

"These times are when there are heavy volumes of traffic on the road. Drivers can become impatient and take more risks - putting themselves and other road users in danger."

He urged drivers to slow down, be patient and allow extra time for travel.

In the central North Island, police will be using a fixed-wing aircraft to monitor traffic flows and identify speeding vehicles.

Central District road policing manager Inspector Dave White said it had proved a useful tool in reducing risks over the Christmas and New Year period.

"It gives us a bird's eye view of what's happening on our highways and roads ... Anyone we identify doing anything that places other drivers at risk can expect to be caught."

In Otago, police are expecting large volumes of traffic travelling to and from Cromwell for the opening of the Highlands Motorsport Park, a new 4.5km racing circuit.

The track will be officially opened today and events will continue on Easter Sunday.

Southern District road policing manager Inspector Andrew Burns said police would be out in force to make sure everyone gets to their destination safely.

Waikato police will focus on driver fatigue, after a crash near Otorohanga on Monday in which tiredness was a suspected factor.

A couple visiting from the UK were injured when the car crossed the centre line of State Highway 3 and hit a bank, rolling onto its roof.

The woman driver suffered minor injuries while a passenger suffered serious injuries. He was recovering in a ward at Waikato Hospital.

Waikato District road policing manager Inspector Marcus Lynam urged drivers to get plenty of rest.

The official Easter road toll period began at 4pm yesterday and ends at 6am on Tuesday.

More than 560 people have been killed in Easter road crashes since 1956.

[The 2nd Womble]

RIP bro, but since when did this become the 2013 New Zealand Fatalities thread?