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Mayor Menino,on May 12, led cyclists in the first Bay State Bike Week ride. (GLOBE STAFF FILE PHOTO) |
road bike riders hit by cars on my mind
"It's bad enough to hit a bicyclist on your way to work, but what if it's the mayor? That scenario unfolded for an unidentified commuter late last month: A woman driving to work realized she had struck Mayor Thomas M. Menino while on his morning bike ride, the mayor's office confirmed yesterday. Although the mayor did not publicize it, the incident does seem to support one of his pet causes, that the city needs to be more bike-friendly.The woman was driving on River Street May 26 when she crested a hill and struck Menino, said Dorothy Joyce, the mayor's spokeswoman. He fell off his bike and suffered a small cut to his ankle, but told the flustered motorist to "just get going, and don't be late for work," Joyce said. Menino brushed himself off and got back on his bike to return home, she said. Joyce said she did not know the driver's name, which direction the car or Menino was traveling, or whether he was attempting to cross the street or make a turn. The mayor didn't file a police report or go to the hospital, she said. By law, bicycle riders are only required to report an accident if personal injury or property damage exceeds $100."
****And then the horror of this:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,362147,00.html
AP
A car driven by an alleged drunken driver plowed into a bicycle race
along a highway near the U.S.-Mexico border Sunday, killing one cyclist
and injuring 10 others. Juan Campos was apparently drunk and had fallen asleep at the wheel before crashing into the race in Monterrey, Mexico, police investigator Jose Alfredo Rodriguez said. A photograph taken by a city official shows the horrifying moment of impact. The force of the collision sent bicyclists and equipment high into the air and Matamoros newspaper El MaƱana described children crying, women shouting for help and men trying to lynch Campos before police arrived to arrest him. Killed in the crash was Alejandro Alvarez, 37, of Monterrey. Campos told police he was an American citizen from Brownsville, Texas. ....The crash happened 15 minutes into the race along a highway between Playa Bagdad and Matamoros, authorities said. A total of 452 cyclists were participating in the 21-mile race, which was canceled after the incident.

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