Bad drivers, dead bicyclists
Let's save for another time the argument about reckless bicyclists, the crazies who blow through stop signs, ride the wrong way and act like they own the road. Timothy O'Donnell wasn't one of those cyclists.
He was a 66-year-old cyclist properly signaling a left turn on Cornelius-Schefflin Road on Saturday when he was struck and killed by a car driven by a woman with a suspended license. She hit O'Donnell when she tried to pass him and four other riders.
This case has nothing to do with cycling behavior. It has everything to do with how Oregon law treats cyclists like roadkill, even when they are run over by careless motorists.
The driver who smashed into O'Donnell, a 26-year-old Idaho woman, was cited for careless driving, passing in a no-passing zone and driving with a suspended license. Under Oregon law, she may receive a maximum fine of $1,115.
That's not enough in this case. It's also not enough to get the attention of the next motorist who comes up behind a group of cyclists on a narrow two-lane road in Oregon, and can't bear to wait a few seconds for a safe place to get around them.
It happens all the time. Sometimes it ends in tragedy. Last year in Washington County alone, three bicyclists died in two accidents caused by the inattentiveness of motorists. But the people behind the wheel in both cases drove away with nothing more than citations. Two of the victims, Sheryl and Darrel McDaniel, both longtime cyclists wearing helmets and bright yellow jerseys, were killed while riding on the shoulder of Oregon 47 south of Forest Grove. The other victim, Michael Wilberding of Tigard, was riding in a bike lane and wearing a helmet when he was run down.
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