Bruce was well known for lecturing cyclists to ride safely and legally and was a stickler to the rules of the road. The local police report, however, that Bruce inexplicably turned left across the path of a Honda. The report is apparently based solely on the statement of the Honda's driver. The other witness to the crash -- Bruce -- is unable to give his statement.
More:
- Roadskater is a friend of Bruce.
- Commute Orlando: He made a difference.
- Discussion at Triangle Cycling forum (thank you to Jim T).
- LAB Statement on their home page.
- Bruce Rosar Bicycling Biography.
- Cyclingnews article, with a personal note.
- Cyclist killed
- Cyclist who led others killed.
- Photo from IndyWeek.com by Jeremy Lange.
Dear Cyclelicious readers: I was there and the reports are correct. There were multiple eyewitnesses on foot and on bikes. JimT.
ReplyDeleteFrom: www.trianglecycling.com...
I too was on the ride today, I had turned left from Old US-1 onto Apex Peakway ~20 riders ahead of Bruce, and was among the first to turn around and attend the scene. Bruce was face-down, unconscious, had bled about a liter, and was breathing up until a minute before the paramedics arrived, which was no more than 6 minutes after the crash.
I agree with Chunley's description below and would only add that a number of cars passed our large group ("car passing") just prior to the incident, so we were all concerned with cars coming up behind us, and it's possible Bruce was focused and distracted by them. It's such a tragedy--the driver had little time to react. My heart goes out to his family.
JimT
Quote:
Originally Posted by chunley...
I was also on the ride today. I did not witness the accident. I did hear what two (non-cyclist) witnesses had to say. The driver involved did stop and several others that saw the accident stopped as well. A few that did stop said they where trained medics and one was a nurse(trauma room I think). I guess there were a few drivers that went on, but all witnesses I heard had the same story. Here is what I know.
Despite what wral.com reported the accident was at Old US-1(S. Salem St) and Apex Peakway. Bruce was at the back of the group and apparently decided to break from the group and head back a different way. One other rider at the front of the group had already made to same turn since he lived over that way. It's believed that Bruce was also going to make a left turn onto Apex Peakway while the rest of the group/route goes straight down Old US-1. Apparently Bruce was looking over his shoulder to look for traffic coming from behind and then turned left into on coming traffic. As far as I know there was no other cyclist behind him, so there was no one to call "car up". The witnesses said he was looking back when he made the left turn into on coming traffic. I believe the cyclists that saw it were not with our group and were taking a break not far from the intersection.
I didn't know Bruce or even his name until todays accident. But, I have ridden shoulder to shoulder with him a few times, had light chats with him, and was comfortable riding his wheel. He was always a super safe rider which makes this hard to understand.
I was a sad and horrific day for all involved.
-Chuck
Jim, thank you very much for that information. What an awful thing to witness.
ReplyDeleteTo chunley, I was one of the cyclists that had stopped to take a break about 200ft or so down the road. My group did actually not see the accident. We were eating snacks and chatting when we heard a crash from the intersection down the street. I looked up and saw a bike flying through the air and immediately rode down to the scene where there were already several other cyclists stopped. Since we really did not witness the crash itself, we are not of much assistance to the investigation as to what actually happened. It's certainly something I will never forget.
ReplyDeleteTo bsquizzato,
ReplyDeleteThe Apex Police are asking for cyclist at the seen to call in and report what they saw. I'm asking all cyclists that where there to call in and provide information matter how much or how little they saw. The police officer us released us from the scene but didn't take our names or statements since we didn't see anything, but I'm still calling in just to follow up.
The Apex Police Department: (919) 362-8661
Thanks,
-Chuck
What terrible, terrible news.
ReplyDeleteLet us not let his death be in vain. If this can happen to a rider such as Bruce, it can happen to any one of us. Don't take unnecessary risks, remind yourself to ride safely, and share Bruce's message with your own community.