Oregon’s Willamette Valley was the scene of a motor vehicle crash that downed two bicyclists, killing one and sending the companion cyclist to doctors at Oregon Health Science University in Portland via Life Flight. The Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone who may have witnessed this crash to contact Sgt. Joe Shipley at 503-434-7506 or via email at shipleyj@co.yamhill.or.us. It was 7:05 p.m. September 8 when the sheriff’s office responded to the crash involving the two bicylists and the driver of a sport utility vehicle. Investigators said the driver is cooperating, but a full investigation is under way. The tragic collision occurred on North Valley Road near Ewing Young Elementary School in Newberg, Oregon.
Accident reconstruction to determine cause in fatal bicycle accidents is a critical part of any investigation, including independent probes launched by bicycle accident attorneys for the next of kin. Immediacy is important for the sake of an unobstructed, full review, including the hiring of experts to recreate causation.
While bicycle mortality rates have improved among children due to increased safety measures and decreased number of trips, mortality rates for adults aged 35–74 years have increased significantly since 2000, according to a cycling mortality study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The largest increase in that category was among adults aged 35–54 years, with the mortality rate increasing nearly threefold. The study showed that bicyclists are dying on U.S. roads at a rate double that of vehicle occupants.
“Vision Zero is a traffic safety program with the goal to eliminate all road fatalities through road design, education, and enforcement. The program, supported by transportation officials and bicycle advocacy groups, is based on the concept that traffic fatalities and serious injuries from crashes are avoidable, and should not be tolerated. Too many people in society still blame cyclists for accidents where motor vehicles are involved. Vision Zero has a track record in Europe and other places where communities have flipped the script. The idea is to prioritize human life over the quick movement of cars and adopt a goal to eliminate ALL traffic fatalities by a certain date.”
