A female bicyclist was killed by the driver of a flatbed truck in Chicago’s North side. The woman, who was on her way to work, was struck when the flatbed truck made a right-hand turn into her bike. The bicyclist was confirmed dead at the scene. Her death marks the fifth fatality in Chicago involving a bicyclist and a commercial motor vehicle this year.
On June 15th, a man was struck and killed by a double-decker bus on Michigan Avenue.
On July 1st, a woman was killed after colliding with a right turning semi truck while riding a Divvy bike.
On August 16th, a woman was struck and skilled when semi truck crossed into the bike lane she was occupying.
On August 17th, a man was struck and killed by a company cargo van that fled the scene after the accident.
Bike Accident Prevention Resources
As the five accidents above show, truck drivers are not always vigilant in watching for bicyclists. For this reason, we are providing links with bicycle safety information from the CDC and NHTSA aimed at preventing crashes and assisting motor vehicle drivers and bicyclists in the goal of a mutual sharing of the road.
https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/helmets/index.html
http://www.nhtsa.gov/Bicycles
http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/ped_focus/
Bicyclists should be extra vigilante when biking and always be on the lookout for drivers of larger vehicles who are acting negligently and not sharing the road.
Bike Accident Facts and Statistics
- In 2013, over 900 bicyclists were killed, and over 450,00 visited emergency rooms
- As of 2010 injuries to bicyclist in crashes has cost $10 billion in medical costs and productivity losses.
- Adolescents and adults over 40 have the highest risk of fatal bicycle accidents
- Most bicycle related fatalities occur in urban areas
- The best prevention method for bike crash fatalities is wearing a helmet
- Increased roadway measures to create safe spaces for bicyclists has been show to be a promising intervention
Sources:
“Woman Struck, Killed While Riding Bike in Roscoe Village — 5th Death of Bicyclist This Year.” Chicagotribune.com. N.p., 26 Sept. 2016. Web. <http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-woman-struck-killed-while-riding-bike-in-roscoe-village-20160926-story.html>.
“Woman Killed in Crash Believed to Be 1st Bike-sharing Death in U.S.”Chicagotribune.com. N.p., 10 July 2016. Web. <http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-female-bicyclist-critically-injured-in-traffic-crash-on-northwest-side-20160701-story.html>.
“Bicyclist Killed in Chicago ‘would Have Gone on to Make Beautiful Art'”Chicagotribune.com. N.p., 17 Aug. 2016. Web. <http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-cyclist-killed-chicago-art-student-met-20160817-story.html>.
“Bicyclist Killed in Hit-and-run on West Side.” Chicagotribune.com. N.p., 18 Aug. 2016. Web. <http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-bicyclist-killed-in-hit-and-run-crash-on-west-side-20160818-story.html>.
“Bicyclist Killed on Gold Coast Had Just Gotten off Work as Messenger.”Chicagotribune.com. N.p., 24 Aug. 2016. Web. <http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-north-michigan-bicyclist-killed-by-bus-20160615-story.html>.
