[I’ll note, that I have to seriously question the wisdom of using a 5 ton military vehicle over a motorcycle cop for crowd and cross street traffic control.]
By TheAthletesLawyer
On the way home from work this evening I was saddened by the news of a biker killed just blocks from the White House. Washington, D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical personnel revealed that a female bicyclist was dead after being hit by a moving motor vehicle in downtown D.C. this afternoon.
WTOP News reported that the accident occurred around 6 PM at the intersection of 12th Street and New York Avenue in NorthWest Washington, D.C. This is an intersection within the restricted area for the Nuclear Security Summit. A D.C. National Guard spokesman says the vehicle that struck the woman was a five-ton military truck. The truck was pulling into the intersection to block it off for a motorcade and failed to see the woman aboard her bike.
Military vehicles have different site lines in comparison to civilian cars and trucks. Army vehicles designed for desert warfare or rough terrain may have “blind spots” that are different than those experienced in passenger cars and pick up trucks. Perhaps when National Guard vehicles are recruited to provide security in civilian settings with high pedestrian and bicycling volumes, it would be safer to realign and/or add mirrors and site lines in accordance with US city street and foreseeable road users.
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https://theathleteslawyer.com/uncategorized/bicyclist-killed-blocks-from-white-house-in-downtown-d-c-accident/
News coverage : https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local-beat/Deadly_Collision_Near_Nuclear_Summit_Washington_DC.htmloldId.20100413100001258
One Reply to “Bicyclist killed blocks from White House in downtown D.C. accident with Military truck”
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Sorry, but I don’t agree with you on this. I’m in the DC Guard and I was a driver/team lead for the recent DC snow emergency. DC pedestrians/cyclists don’t know how to keep clear of military vehicles. I’m sorry this lady got ran over by a DCNG vehicle, but the vehicle had a ground guide, and this lady probably decided to not follow the ground guide’s directions and tried to do an end run around the vehicle.
I see this happen all the time. DC cyclists and pedestrians act like they own the sidewalks, roads and intersection, and they’re busy yapping on cell phones or taking pictures instead of paying attention to their surroundings. This is the lady’s fault. If she would’ve stayed away from the vehicle, and/or not try to gun it, then she would’ve removed any risk of her getting run over, no matter whos fault this will end up being.