People are complete idiots.

[2strokebloke]

Just recently, a good long time friend of mine was killed in a traffic accident. He was riding his bike in the bike lane, when a dump truck either did not see him, or failed to yield to him and ran him over. He is dead. He was one of the most charismatic and talented people I have ever known. He was only 19. He was younger than me and he is dead.

What irritates me about this, is not so much what has happened, but the reaction this has cause amongst people about the nature of the accident.
In an article asking for opinions, I came across such statements as "..as far as these cyclist? they were trying to "beat the train" so to speak. And now you have a truck driver who is traumatized because of ignorant cyclist which I see all the time!! They have a wide open space to ride in they're wide open bike lane yet they ride next to the "white Line". When I'm in my truck & on coming traffic is approaching, do I hit on coming traffic or take a chance on the dumb-ass on his bicycle. Dawg." -Flashdawg99

A complete fucking moron asshole, who was not there, and has made it complete obvious he knows absolutely nothing about traffic laws, as well as has no sense of decency - scary thing is he's apparently a truck driver, and with an attitude like that, who knows what sort of "dumbasses" he'll be willing to run off the road. The guy should do us all a favor and blow his own tiny brains out.
"PS Justin / the driver did signal / it's sad that somebody died but it is 2 less idiot bikers that don't obey traffic laws to have to look out for" -lance

Another person who is apparently oblivious to traffic laws, and also lacking any sort of character and decency.

"How many more self-important cyclists have to prove Darwin right before they pull their heads out and operate their vehicles like they're supposed to?" -Zissky

I'm kind of aghast that there is this reaction. There was some speculation that my friend was trying to "pass" the dump truck, and that apparently he would be at fault for passing on the right - however - the bike lane is located on the right, and you're supposed to ride the bike in the bike lane which is on the right! - how fucking stupid are the people? According to witnesses, the truck turned right without signalling - more likely than not, the truck slowed to turn and created the appearance that the cyclist was moving fast - attempting to "pass" on the right.
The truck driver reportedly broke down in tears when he got out of his truck and saw what had happened. I don't know why people are so intent on creating villains and pointing fingers.
My friend is dead, it is IMO no fault of his own, based on what I've heard. The truck driver obviously did not intendto kill anybody - it happened. Shit happens. Although I place the blame on the truck for the accident simply because of what happenedand how it happened.
What pisses me off, is the complete fuckholes out there who think they know something about operating cars but in reality don't know shit about anything - and make absolutely asinine statement like those above about the situation.
And it's scary because these morons are behind the wheel - and there's a lot of people just like them. Willing to kill "dumbasses" and run other people off the road because they think they're right - when they're totally fucking stupid.
That's what pisses me off.
It should be harder to get license. A lot,lot harder.

[erb]

Dang man im orry to hea that.

Thats why I try not to rideon main streets, but if have t it on the side walks.

Who are the guys saying all that stuff.

From an avid cyclist we have just as much of a right on the road as you even if there is NO bike lane its not that hard not to be a jerk.

[skibum1111]

This is the exact reason I hate riding on the roads. I've had things thrown at me, doors opened, been cut off, many other things as well. I do believe that driver ed should be mandatory, and it must cover dealing with cyclists. Where I live, the city is requiring bikes to be registered, and the local pd has been known to stop kids on bikes to make sure some things like brakes and reflectors are present and functional. They don't bother the off road riders as much because we don't have much interaction with motor vehicle traffic. But yeah, I've seen some pretty scary stuff, mostly from cars and trucks, but some from cyclists who seem to think they own the road. I think what happened to your friend sucks, and from the sounds of it it shouldn't have happened, and that the truck driver wasn't paying enough attention. It's at its worst here in the spring when all the bikes are coming out of storage. Same thing with motorcycles as well, most drivers don't know how to react to them.

[drunken monkey]

the title is spot on.
People these days are so quick to jump to their predetermined and often inappropriate sound-bites which they have in their head, that they don't appear to think or have a mind of their own.

Sheeple indeed.

[freakray]

David, I had a friend die in a very similar way, what was worse is he was a multiple Junior national champion cyclist with a very promising career as a pro - the truck driver didn't even have a licence and still got away with a 'misdemeanor'.

People clearly do not understand the laws. A bicycle is considered a vehicle and as such has the same right of way as a car. Would the truck have turned right if there had been a car to his right?

[erb]

I dont understand why peope hav to be dicks and throw honk yell or what ever. Its pretty stupid these kids threw a drink at me which then i crashed got sprinted up to thee car and punched the one kid in the passenger seat a couple times until they ran the red light.

The driver should be in big trouble his ignorance should not be allowed if he is driving trucks.

[mellowboy]

I'm very sorry to hear about your friend. It really irritates me to see/hear people comment on things as if they where there. Maybe I should ask them for next week lotto numbers? It's really pathetic and I'm very sorry that you lost a friend.