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- Cyclist Struck and Killed in Crosswalk in Tampa
- By:admin
- http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jul...news-breaking/
TAMPA - A 75-year-old son of former Gov. LeRoy Collins was killed this morning while riding his bicycle in South Tampa, police said.
LeRoy Collins Jr., a retired admiral and current executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, was crossing South Hyde Park Avenue at Brorein Street just before 7 a.m. when his bicycle was struck by a sport utility vehicle, police said.
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The SUV, driven by Margaux Manuel, 27, was heading west on Brorein Street and stopped at the red traffic signal at South Hyde Park Avenue, police said. She made a left turn from the one-way street to Hyde Park Avenue but did not see Collins riding his bicycle in the crosswalk, police said. Manuel then hit the bicycle, police said. He was transported to Tampa General Hospital where he died.
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Police ruled the crash an accident and said no charges will be filed against Margaux Manuel, the driver of the SUV...She made a left turn from the one-way street to Hyde Park Avenue but did not see Collins riding his bicycle in the crosswalk, police said. Manuel then hit the bicycle, police said. Huh. I always thought looking where you were going was a requirement in all fifty states. Not Florida, apparently.
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You're supposed to yield to pedestrian traffic in the crosswalk before proceeding through it. Granted that Mr. Collins was in the wrong by riding his bike through a crosswalk instead of walking it; but the motorist still had an obligation to look and yield to any pedestrians, and should certainly have seen Collins. Could also be that she did look, but Collins himself rode into the crosswalk at some more-than-pedestrian speed after she originally looked. Again, drivers should be looking where they're going... but all this is pure speculation.
At any rate, another Florida driver walks for vehicular homicide.
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I just wish we could get cyclists off the sidewalks. It really is that much more dangerous.
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I cross in crosswalks sometimes, but when I do, I go at a walking speed and keep my eyes peeled for traffic, or get off and walk if it's a sketchy intersection.
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Granted that Mr. Collins was in the wrong by riding his bike through a crosswalk instead of walking it Granted? By who? In MOST places it's perfectly legal to ride your bike through a cross walk, as such, the drivers should be looking, regardless of if the person using the crosswalk is on bike or on foot.
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1 that in many/most locations, it is legal to ride a bicycle through a crosswalk. It may not be the safest method of riding, but if it is legal, then the cyclist should not be blamed for a collision for simply riding legally.
For those areas that make crosswalk riding illegal, or advocates that claim it is illegal, how does your area handle bike path crossings of roadways?
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You're supposed to yield to pedestrian traffic in the crosswalk before proceeding through it. Granted that Mr. Collins was in the wrong by riding his bike through a crosswalk instead of walking it; but the motorist still had an obligation to look and yield to any pedestrians, and should certainly have seen Collins. Could also be that she did look, but Collins himself rode into the crosswalk at some more-than-pedestrian speed after she originally looked. Again, drivers should be looking where they're going... but all this is pure speculation. If he was riding his bike on a MUP / bike path, there is no reason he should have had to walk his bike across the crosswalk instead of ride it. Does the story say whether he was riding on a sidewalk or not? If so, I missed it.
ETA: Looks like a sidewalk, if I have the right intersection
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