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Editorial: A careless and shameless act

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

(Updated 3:00 am)

The SUV that struck a Summerfield bicyclist late Saturday afternoon hit him with such force that it instantly killed 55-year-old David Sherman.

Adding shamelessness to tragedy, the silver Dodge Durango then made a U-turn at the scene of the crash on North Church Street and drove off in the other direction.

The tragedy marks at least the third time within the last two years that a Triad cyclist has been either seriously injured or killed in a crash involving a motorist.

In April, Elon University professor Eugene Gooch, 57, was killed while riding his bicycle near campus.

In March of last year, UNCG professor Mark Schulz, 54, was struck by a car driven by a woman who admitted she was texting at the time.

The incident also comes, ironically, only days after Greensboro became the fourth city in the state to be named a "Bicycle Friendly Community" by the League of American Bicyclists. The award was based on the city's efforts to enhance bicycle safety through such initiatives as bike lanes, a Web site and expanded greenways.

To be fair, Saturday's fatal crash did not occur within the city limits. But policy makers and planners can do only so much anyway.

No amount of engineering can substitute for common decency and common sense.

Saturday's incident underscores the need for motorists to be more aware of their surroundings and to respect the right of cyclists to use the same streets and roads as cars and trucks.

Not everyone does.

Schulz, a local expert and advocate on bicycling, praises Greensboro's efforts but concedes that there are places he simply won't go on his bike anymore.

As for whoever was involved in Saturday's incident, the Highway Patrol said Monday that it had found a vehicle that was involved in the crash. The owner should come forward and account for what happened -- before someone does it for him.

All of us make mistakes. But there's precious little sympathy in this corner for a hit-and-run driver.

What do you think?

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Fred

October 27, 2009 - 5:44 am EDT

A tragic event for all involved.
Fred

nrsux

October 27, 2009 - 7:50 am EDT

Hey N&R, I am supposed to be the troll. So what are you doing talking about the deaths of family providers and then worrying about some garbage moniker where GSO is named "bicycle friendly?"

Cold comfort for the decedents' families.

AirDoc

October 27, 2009 - 8:14 am EDT

David Sherman's death is tragic and my heart goes out to his family.

With that said, the common response to a tragedy of this nature is for motorists to drive more carefully. Although that is logical, there is a bigger picture here to be addressed. For all avid cyclists like David Sherman and myself, we need to be more selective in where we choose to ride. I personally would never ride on the section of Church Street where this accident occurred - it's just not safe. I'll choose the neighborhood street, the park, or the bike path everytime. Why? Because it's more important to me to be alive than to be right. Sure, the law has perimeters for motorists in regard to the operation of their vehicles around bikes, but that won't guarantee my safety, period. Although a biker such as myself may have a right to ride on almost any public street I wish to, I choose to be alive, and select my routes so that my exposure is limited to big machines that can easily kill me. It's all about decisions.
It's also legal for me to take the cover off my breaker box in my home and stick my hands in amongst all those wires, but I choose not to. Same kind of decision.

lwww

October 27, 2009 - 4:23 pm EDT

Well said! This section of Church as well as Highway 150 is very narrow and dangerous.

bottechia

October 29, 2009 - 3:15 am EDT

No offense but calling yourself an avid cyclist who only rides neighborhood streets, and bike paths?

buzzman

October 27, 2009 - 8:17 am EDT

With the way folks drive in this area, it's surprising that more bicyclists are not killed or seriously injured. There is no way I would ride a bike on the roads or streets. The majority of drivers are not paying attention to driving their vehicle. Instead, they are doing all sorts of other things. And then there are those aggressive drivers who constantly change lanes, tailgate and display their impatience.
Until Greensboro provides the GPD with enough officers on the street to catch these idiots, things will only get worse.
It's a pity that this gentleman's family has to suffer his loss, just because of a reckless driver!

sayyestobiking

October 27, 2009 - 7:01 pm EDT

I don't understand the lack of respect for the law. The driver killed someone who was going about living their life as they saw fit, not doing anything illegal. Someone makes the comment about putting your hand in the wiring and getting shocked-- what is that! A correct comparison would be me forcing your hand into the hot wires. By your logic if I go to a liquor store after 10 pm and get shot it is my fault because that is where the robberies happen. That is troublesome -- I think you are missing the point, there was a crime committed, not a cyclist being irresponsible.

johnq2

October 27, 2009 - 10:43 pm EDT

These narrow winding roads are so dangerous. I drive Sandy Ridge/Johnson Street regularly and am always concerned with the mix and volume of traffic. There is just not enough room to safely maneuver. Please look out for each other. Shame on the driver who left the scene. Even if you were afraid you should have thought of trying to get help for the victim, not just getting away. You won't. You will be caught and it will be worse for you than if you just took responsibility.

GSOCycle

October 28, 2009 - 9:53 am EDT

I really don't get the attitude about driving around here. If roads like Church and Rt 150 are so narrow and winding, why don't people slow down? Has everyone forgotten what a speed limit is? The speed limit is the absolute maximum speed you should drive on a road during good lighting and weather conditions. If the sight lines on a given stretch are short, slowing down is not just prudent but a legal requirement.

And along with that issue, why are stop signs and red lights treated as suggestions around here? In the past month I have witnessed one t-bone crash and one near t-bone, both at the intersection of Smith and Elm, when a south bound motorist on Elm ignored the red light which had been red for several seconds both times. At the intersection of Latham and Cridland (an all ways stop) I see someone run the stop at speed at least once a week. I'm not talking about a California roll, I'm talking about running it at 20-30 MPH (BTW-limit there is 25).