Green Valley cycling fatality this morning — Jerome Featherman
From the AZ Daily Star:
Green Valley cyclist, 84 killed in vehicle collision
By Alexis Huicochea
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 09.03.2009An 84-year-old bicyclist died this morning after he was struck by a car in Green Valley.
Jerome Featherman was riding south on North Desert Bell Drive, near West Calle de Oro, at 9:38 a.m. when a motorist drove into the bike lane and hit him, said Deputy Dawn Barkman, a Pima County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman.Featherman was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, she said.
The driver of the car — David Armstrong, 76 — was given a citation on suspicion of violation of the three-foot passing rule causing death and driving in a bike path.
The three-foot passing rule states that when passing a bicycle that is going in the same direction, a motorist has to leave a safe distance between the vehicle and the bicycle of not less than three feet until the vehicle is safely past the bicycle.
My condolences to the family of Mr. Featherman. Bicycle fatalities around Tucson are nearly always the result of a hit-from-behind accident like this one, but the Sheriff’s Department only issues “three foot rule” citations when a cyclist is killed or injured.
–Erik Ryberg
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:22 pm
So all you have to do if you want to murder someone and get away with it is wait until they are riding a bike and smack them from behind? There has to be a greater consequence than a citation for violation of the 3 foot rule.
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:50 pm
So sorry. My Dad is about that age, and he still rides every day.
September 3rd, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Jerome Featherman was my dad’s first cousin. My dad hadn’t seen him in over 30 years. I found out about this from a Google alert. If anyone knows how to reach his relatives, please let me know. I’d like to send them sympathies from my family. My email address is john@featherman.com
September 3rd, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Joe, you are correct.
September 3rd, 2009 at 5:59 pm
The shoulder or bike lane never replaces a motorist’s responsibility. Until we solve this issue or provide an incentive to promote motorists responsibly. There is really no need for these types of infrastructures. It only propagates the “me first attitude” and a lack of incentive too see cyclists and pedestrians.
September 7th, 2009 at 7:47 am
Please help me try and change these non existent laws that do nothing to protect us on bicycle. The 3 foot laws needs to be broader and have stiffer penalities. Please sign a petition to try and change Arizona Laws
http://www.gopetition.com/online/30316.html
September 7th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
[...] It is very unusual for police (in this case the Pima County Sheriff’s Office) to cite immediately. The normal pattern in fatal collisions (e.g. Allen Johnson) is nothing gets issued, a lengthy investigation (most of elapsed time is due to waiting on tox results) is conducted, after which the prosecutor declines to file criminal charges, and finally traffic citations are issued. Will there be no further investigation? Seems hasty. Entry at tucsonbikelawyer.com [...]
October 16th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
[...] In the city of Tucson over an 18-month period there were a total of 3 citations according to tucsonbikelawyer.com; [...]