Yes, in this case my guess is that internal injuries would have been a more likely cuase of death, although certainly head inuries could have been severe as well.
I think it's just SOB to include whether the person injured was using safety equipment: Helmet for bicyclists and motorcyclists (Or skateboarders, rollerbladers, etc.) Seat belt for MV drivers and passengers. Also pretty common in stories about MV crashes: whether speed and/or alcohol were considered contributing factors. Almost all these stories are written verbatim from police reports. The reporters are simply writing what they pull off the MPD (or other law enforcement) news feed. (Whether this counts as "journalism" or even "reporting" is another story.) Use of safety equipment and whether common contributing factors for crashes were suspected (speed/alcohol) is probably on the checklist for the police report. What I'd like to know more about - especially in the case of serious bicycle crashes - is whether the bicyclist was riding on the sidewalk, against traffic, without a light at night, etc. Also, this story does not say what direction the bicyclist was headed just before the collision. These are also major contributing factors in bike crashes and would be much more informative to many of us. Obviously riding on the sidewalk is not illegal in many area of the city, but it is a contributing factor in crashes simply because motorist do not look for bicyclists on the sidewalk when turning and/or passing through a crosswalk. This is especially true when the bicyclist is riding the opposite direction from the adjacent traffic. Since the news reports stated that the driver in this case did indeed make a turn right just before the crash, I'd like to know where the bicyclist was as well. Robbie Webber Transportation Policy Analyst State Smart Transportation Initiative www.ssti.us 608-263-9984 (o) [email protected] On Mon, Oct 8, 2012 at 1:51 PM, Darryl Jordan <[email protected]> wrote: > As reported in the State Journal: > "The crash happened at 5 p.m. at Aberg Avenue and Huxley Street. The > bicyclist was pinned under a Chevrolet Lumina, which a fire crew lifted off > of him. The bicyclist, who was not wearing a helmet, was taken by > helicopter to UW Hospital." > > I wear a helmet practically of the time. However, since the reporter is > not a medical examiner nor an eye witness to the event, how can he make a > judgement that not wearing a helmet is a contributing factor in the > cyclist's death? Granted, in most traffic accident stories, reporters and > their editors let it be mentioned that drivers that are injured or killed > were wearing seat belts or not. However, the cause of the accident happened > just a short moment or two before the collision when inappropriate > decisions were made by one or both parties in the heads of the responsible > parties whether they were protected by head gear or harnesses or not. > > Just an observation on blind judgements made by the media and police and > other authority figures. > DJ > > Read more: > http://host.madison.com/news/local/crime_and_courts/bicyclist-dies-after-getting-pinned-under-car-wednesday/article_f9387fe0-1097-11e2-9100-001a4bcf887a.html#ixzz28jaFvZ1v > > ------------------------------ > *From:* "Meiers, Steve" <[email protected]> > *To:* "[email protected]" <[email protected]> > *Sent:* Mon, October 8, 2012 8:04:30 AM > *Subject:* [Bikies] cyclist dies > > > http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime_and_courts/bicyclist-dies-after-getting-pinned-under-car-wednesday/article_f9387fe0-1097-11e2-9100-001a4bcf887a.html > > > > Steve Meiers > > Safety educator > > (608) 267-1102 > > Box 2986 > > Madison WI 53701 > > [email protected] > > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > >
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