Bicyclist critically injured in collision with dump truck
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SEATTLE -- Police are looking for a dump truck driver who drove away after a collision with a bicyclist that left the rider with life-threatening injuries Tuesday morning.
The 50-year-old bicyclist was not wearing a helmet when he was hit near the intersection of Yale Avenue and Howell Street about 8:37 a.m., according to Seattle Fire Department spokesman Kyle Moore.
"He suffered a lot of injuries... that are pretty consistent with being run over," Moore said.
The man was rushed to Harborview Medical Center where he was listed in critical condition.
Police at the scene said it was unclear if the driver of the tandem dump truck even knew the bicyclist had been hit.
According to investigators, the front of the truck missed the bicyclist and he was hit back the back section of the truck.
Officers are looking for the truck, which officials said is blue and gray and was last seen taking the onramp to Interstate 5.
The 50-year-old bicyclist was not wearing a helmet when he was hit near the intersection of Yale Avenue and Howell Street about 8:37 a.m., according to Seattle Fire Department spokesman Kyle Moore.
"He suffered a lot of injuries... that are pretty consistent with being run over," Moore said.
The man was rushed to Harborview Medical Center where he was listed in critical condition.
Police at the scene said it was unclear if the driver of the tandem dump truck even knew the bicyclist had been hit.
According to investigators, the front of the truck missed the bicyclist and he was hit back the back section of the truck.
Officers are looking for the truck, which officials said is blue and gray and was last seen taking the onramp to Interstate 5.
so... if the back of the truck ran the guy and bike over... that means that the bicyclist ran into the truck. it's only common sense that since the back axle is straight and the wheels dont pivot that it's impossible for the truck driver to run anything of size over with the back wheels unless the object moved under the wheels during the movement.
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this sounds like a very similar post that I posted a month ago...
More of the same from KOMO.
No facts, just speculation. Gospel speculation mind you. All interjected with no concept of the physics involved.
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Bicyclists and motorcyclists need to operate under the assumption that they cannot be seen. More than once, I'd be driving my car or sitting at a light and have a bicyclist appear out of the blue.Â
Hmmmm? Natural Selection or a potential Darwin Award recipient? Seems everyone wants to fault the truck, but the biker is perfect. Hmmmmm.
@JT1958 No helmet. Nuff said.
if the bicyclist was hit by the pup,he wasn't paying attention. Since the article doesn't say if he was waiting or riding the rest is speculation.Â
I feel bad for the people involved in this. Maybe another reason bikes should not be on the roads they dont pay taxes like autos do.
 @godawgs I can only say this, I am glad I live in an area where bikes are treated with significantly more respect than you and so many of the other's in the area there treat them.
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Were it not for my bike I might be a fat pale depressed couch potato. Â Not that you have any of those in the puget sound region
 @sunnysandiego Why do you waste your sunshine and beach life to troll on a PNW site?Â
 @makeadifference life is not all about a beach.  but I do spend on average 4 hours a day in the great outdoors riding my bike and enjoying the babes on the beaches.  but balance is key. Â
 @godawgs Bikes should be on the roads because they are (1) less harmful to our roadways (2) do not emit air pollution (3) provide health benefits to the rider (4) are a more versatile mode of transportation (5) Don't contribute to traffic. Taxes have nothing to do with bikes on the road. Furthermore, taxes have nothing to do with this accident.
@makeadifference I never said taxes cauesed the accident i just said maybe bikes should not use the roads since they pay no taxes like that of a car.
 @godawgs  @makeadifference Where would you like bikes to be used?
 @godawgs  @makeadifference It's ok to be misinformed... More than "gas tax" goes into maintaining the public roads.
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I don't have any children but I pay taxes to support schools and education. What's up with that?
 @godawgs So you're saying that NONE of $40K+ in taxes I pay goes to roads? Ignorance must be blissful.
 @Stock Woodie  @godawgsÂ
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You pay over $40K in taxes? Â Wow. Â You should have a limo and driver with your bike in the trunk for appearances. Â Like the mayor. Â
 @Otter  @godawgs Why? I can ride my bike for free.
@Stock Woodie taxes from gas sales are suppose towards taking care of the roads when was the last time you put gas in your bicycle.
 @godawgs  @Stock More than "gas" sales tax goes into the roads (ie General Fund). I also own 3 vehicles that I do put gas into. I'm doing everyone a favor by paying taxes (property / sales ) and tabs and using the road "less" than a person that never bicycles. Plus, the roads are less crowded because of bicyclists. I think the idea of "bumpers" guarding the bicycles lanes is a great idea. Fix it.
Dear KOMO, please hire an editor. Thank you. "was hit back the back section"
Perhaps the police bshould contact city waste to see who is on the local route for this area.
If you look closely at the picture above at the time of this posting, the officers reviewing the scene are at the entrance to I-5 Southbound.  If you Google that intersection you'll see that there's a crosswalk at that location which suggests that the cyclist was at the crosswalk when the tandem dump truck rounded that corner to the entrance. Â
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With that in mind, I'm led to believe that the rider was stationary at the crosswalk waiting to cross when the tandem truck took the turn, and being a tandem, the pup didn't follow the lead of the truck and popped the curb essentially wiping out the bicyclist waiting to cross. Â
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I'm a cyclist myself and if you're waiting on your bike to cross there's very little time to react to a car (let alone a trailer truck) coming around a corner, especially if that trailer is up to traffic speed - you simply can't move you and your bicycle out of the way fast enough.Â
 @Fact Checked My crews at work have witnessed similar accidents while working on the Eastside.  At least one runner (standing on a similar shaped corner) was hit and killed by the trailer end of a semi-truck.  Â
 @Fact Checked There are also bike lanes on that street that do not require bicycles to be on the inside lane or in the cross walk.
 @Fact Checked looks reasonable
This happened right in front of where I work. Howell is blocked to all traffic. Bad, bad intersection. I have almost been hit IN THE CROSSWALK multiple times, and yes I had a walk signal!
This may be another case where the pedestrian/bicyclist did not realize the pup trailer was there, and started moving in behind the dump truck. This happened in Redmond many years ago, where a someone started walkng across the street after the truck passed, unaware that there was a pup trailer behind. If you are not paying attention, the long tow bar makes it look like the pup is a whole different truck.Â
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http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2003963635_glance20e.html
I will almost never give "benefit of the doubt" in a hit and run situation. If the cyclist was passing on the right illegally and got tangled up in the trailer, the driver would never, ever be able to see them. The position of the right mirror would be such that the view of the trailer and anything between the tandem would be completely blocked.
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About a decade ago I owned a Chevy Avalanche. I was rear ended by a Honda Civic while I was a dead stop at a stop sign and had no idea. We heard it, all looked at each other and went, "what was that," I looked in all three mirrors and saw nothing (the Chevy Avalanche is infamous for its complete lack of rear visibility) and I literally shrugged my shoulders and started my right turn. It was only then that my son said, "I think that car behind us hit us," I glanced in the mirror, and almost drove off, and then noticed the right side headlight was broken.
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I had $25 damage - they had over $1800 going under the truck. We never felt it. A bicycle getting run over by a tandem trailer? I sincerely doubt the driver knew what even happened. I bet someone comes forward in the next 24 hours on their own.
 @Howard Beale I have a feeling the driver has no idea of what happened.  I feel sorry for the victims (cyclist and driver of the truck).  I can't imagine how the driver will feel when they realize what has happened. Â
Apart of being a responsible cyclist is obeying traffic laws and being aware of your surroundings.  If a large truck  is making a right had turn, you shouldn't put yourself in a position where the rear will hit you. Â
Not sure if a helmet would have helped in this case, but it couldn't have hurt to have been wearing one. Â
I use to ride a lot without a helmet. Â It took one crash that gave me a concussion, knocked out 4 teeth, 9 stitches in my lip, and the side of my face scraped along the concrete to learn the benefits of wearing one.Â
 @KRM66 The street where this happened has 2 bike lanes, none are on the inside of where this truck was turning.
 @2009Ultra  @KRM66 Doesn't mean anything. I see cyclists all the time not in the designated bike lanes. When I bring this up the excuses include:
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1) Harder to turn from the bike lane
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2) Debris in the bike lane
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3) Pothole in the bike lane
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4) Rough pavement in the bike lane
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5) Bike lane doesn't go where I need to go
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6) Drivers ignore the bike lane anyway so screw the bike lane
 @Howard Beale  @2009Ultra  @KRM66 Those all sounds like reasonable "excuses" to me.
This is what happens when a cyclist passes someone illegally along the curb on the right side. If he legally stopped behind the dump truck, he would be at work right now. I bike commute. I stop at signs, dont pull up next to cars on the right, and know that the 4000# car outweighs me. I've made it to work all year without incident.
@TheBaldone That's nice. I also obey the law on my bicycle. However, I was run over from behind while in a bike lane by a car that was using the bike lane to pass other cars on the right. The driver didn't stop and SPD did next to nothing to ascertain his/her identity. It's nice that you a) assume the cyclist was at fault and b) assume that obeying the law means you will never get hurt.
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 @n9078jk4  @138  @TheBaldone This guy wasn't even wearing a helmet. Camera would not have helped.
Amen, bro. I bike commute too, have done so for over 20 years without incident thus far. Following the rules works, as does assuming you're invisible to motorists and pedestrians.
That's the same area where a bicyclist was killed when he was run over by a dumptruck making a right-hand turn. Helmets don't do much in these situations, but they should still be mandatory.
Another dump truck and cyclist collision. Are General Contractors staying on driver safety with all the construction in Seattle? Whoever is at fault here, drivers still need to expect the unexpected and cyclists need to adhere to traffic laws and ride defesively. (I saw a cyclist run a red light just this morning)
Such a tragedy and I hope the fellow recovers. Doubt a helmet would have helped much in this case, but you never know. I too doubt the driver knew he hit anyone, but will know when he/she sees the news. Doubtful the charges will be lessened but maybe it was just an accident.Â
Ban dumptrucks on all Seattle streets
 @yeahguy Ya, that makes a lot of sense.
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 @Howard Beale They need at sarcastic a** emoticon ; )
@yeahguy -- Yes, the rational solution.  Either ban, get rid of, or regulate, that's always the solution. How about maybe, just maybe, this was a horrific accident and the drivers really has no idea he even hit someone. Not all drivers are bad; not all cyclists are bad. Sometimes, accidents really do happen. Prayers for the cyclist.Â
 @yeahguy Maybe the tandems.  Are you supposed to use a bunch of Ford F250's to deliver stuff to all the construction?
We need dedicated dumptruck lanes...
With a truck that big, he probably didn't even realize he hit someone. At least I hope that's the case. Hopefully the cyclist will have a complete & fast recovery.
Hope and prayers for a full recovery of the cyclist.