Cyclist dies after collision on W&OD

That’s terrible.

And of course NBC noted whether the cyclist was wearing a helmet or not. Must be a macro built into journalists computers.

There is something missing from the article. On the WOD. In Ashburn. Gets clipped by another cyclists and falls down. And dies???????? Huh?

Well, it’s possible that he died of a brain injury, the same way Natasha Richardson did skiing. Even if he had a helmet on, it may not have been secured properly or, as we all know, helmets don’t protect you from all head injuries.

@KLizotte 118308 wrote:

Well, it’s possible that he died of a brain injury, the same way Natasha Richardson did skiing. Even if he had a helmet on, it may not have been secured properly or, as we all know, helmets don’t protect you from all head injuries.

Wow! According to Wikipedia

On February 20 2009, Richardson sustained a head injury when she fell while taking a beginner skiing lesson at the Mont Tremblant Resort in Quebec, Canada about 80 miles (130 km) from Montreal. The injury was followed by a lucid interval, when Richardson seemed to be fine and was able to talk and act normally. Paramedics and an ambulance which initially responded to the accident were told they were not needed and left.[19] Refusing medical attention twice, she returned to her hotel room and about three hours later was taken to a local hospital in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts after complaining of a headache.[20][21] She was transferred from there by ambulance to Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur, Montreal, in critical condition and was admitted about seven hours after the fall.[22][23] The following day, she was flown to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, where she died on 18 March at the age of 45.[24][25] An autopsy conducted by the New York City Medical Examiners Office on 19 March revealed the cause of death was an “epidural hematoma due to blunt impact to the head”, and her death was ruled an accident

@Dickie 118325 wrote:

PLEASE don’t let this tragedy turn our forum into ANOTHER pointless helmet debate with “experts” stating their opinions. Lets stick to discussing the facts that contributed to the accident. The shoddy reporting shouldn’t surprise anyone at this point.

What? What? No one mentioned helmets. I didnt mention helmets. My dog ate my helmet.

We don’t know all of the facts, but we do know this (1) a collision between cyclists, (2) on the W&OD (which we all consider pretty safe-at least I do), and (3) a cyclist died. And those of us who ride on the W&OD know that not all cyclists call their passes. And also that there are side paths, and that that is where you really need to be cautious if you are overtaking another cyclist. If there are any lessons here, it’s be careful, call your passes, and look before turning.

@Crickey7 118354 wrote:

Let’s not forget that there may even be no smoking gun. There are large numbers of cyclists out there, and statistically, you’re going to have the occasional freak fatal accident.

No question there will be freak accidents. A couple of years ago there was a fatality locally that occurred when a cyclist hit a groundhog. That to me is a freak accident. But cyclist hitting cyclist when one is turning and they collide? Freaky that it was a fatality maybe, but not freaky that there was a collision.

This is tragic. My thoughts go out to to his family and friends.

William Scott Dudgeon