A man on a bicycle was killed as he tried to cross Interstate 70 in Kansas City, Kansas just before noon today.
The 67-year-old man was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. His name is being withheld pending notification of family, though he is reported to be a KCK resident.
The driver of the tractor-trailer saw the bicyclist as the truck headed west around a bend on I-670, but the driver ended up hitting the bicyclist as he entered the road and tried to cross to the north.
“The lesson is, one, wear a helmet because he wasn’t wearing a helmet, and, two, don’t be riding a bicycle on the highway,” said Dwayne Carpenter, a trained first responder who happened upon the scene shortly after the accident occured. “I just pray for his family that they get along as best as they can.”
Yeah, a helmet would have helped a lot in this situation.
(For some reason, both KSHB and The Star reported the victim as a “pedestrian”; perhaps the man was pushing the bike?)
Read more: FOX4, KCTV5, Kansas City Star, KMBC, KSHB
I’m a regular bike commuter, so please don’t think I’m hating on bicycles here – I’m not at all. I saw this coverage last night on the local news and almost started crying at the sight of those twisted bike wheels.
You’re right that a helmet isn’t going to save you in a head on collision with a semi. I think that second lesson, though, is the one to take away. Don’t ride a bicycle in, on, or across a freeway. For one, it’s illegal…quite possibly with good reason. For another, those cars are moving FAST. Faster than most of us are accustomed to having to allow for.
Obviously, the cyclist didn’t “have it coming” or deserve this in any way, but I certainly couldn’t hold that semi-driver responsible for the accident.