kylie: tandem bicycle struck in texas, no charges on driver.

(via urbanvelo)
it was 3 in the morning when i read this:

"Folks, that is a photograph of seven year old Kylie Bruehler. She is at a funeral service to bury her parents, both of whom were killed last week when a driver veered onto the shoulder and drove his pickup truck into them.

They were riding together on a tandem.

The local news reports that “investigators say there are no charges on the driver. They believe this was an accident and that somehow the driver lost control of his truck.”

apparently "He looked off, he was looking at something else and realized the curve in the road came a lot faster than what he anticipated," explained Deputy Chief Dale Bennett of the Bexar County Sheriff's Office."

now, the texas law does not give a safe passing distance for cyclists (for example, in California, there should be about a 3 foot buffer zone around cyclists), in fact the texas governor VETOED that law deeming it unneccessary:

(via WOAI)

is that neccessary? that's unacceptable. that's wrong. if this was an accident and the driver is getting off scot free, you'd expect to see kylie's parents alive and only a little dent on that truck's bumper. this isn't right, and it's an outrage. i hope that the governor of texas sees this. no, i know the governor of texas will see this. kylie has an army of cyclists, including myself. bicycles do belong on the road and the road needs to be shared. it doesnt matter if there are 2 ton cars on the road with bicycles, drivers should be able to be cautious and alert enough to be behind the wheel.

jmik