Bicycle Crash Reports

 
 
BICYCLISTS CALL FOR AN END TO OVERTAKING CRASHES
The Iowa Bicycle Coalition is calling for an end to crashes where motorists overtake bicyclists. The recent crash on May 11th near Polk City is exactly the type of crash that should not occur in Iowa. Motorists need to keep an eye out for bicyclists traveling Iowa's roadways.
According to reports, Leesa Shoemaker was operating lawfully. Iowa's statutory laws allow bicycles to operate on roadways with the same rights and duties of motorists. Reports also state Shoemaker had lights affixed to her bike and clothing, also meeting state laws.
Iowa's laws also require motorists to operate with a proper lookout and pass safely. It is foreseeable for motorists to encounter a variety of situations that cause them to slow their speed – cars frequently stop to turn left; pedestrians crossings; debris blocks the road. In a 2001 Iowa Supreme Court ruling, “driver’s duty of proper lookout 'implies being watchful of the movements of the driver’s own vehicle in relation to the things seen and which could have been discerned or seen in the exercise of ordinary care'”.
Bicycle traffic for transportation and recreation has been increasing and is projected to continue increasing. The growth of bicycle traffic is shown to reduce traffic congestion, parking density, and wear and tear on roads – a benefit for all roadway users.
Keeping a proper lookout and passing at a safe distance could prevent overtaking crashes and save lives.
2009 BICYCLE FATALTIES IN IOWA
August 30, 2009  Mark Grguich was killed in rural Warren County on G14.  Mark was riding lawfully on the roadway and was killed by a hit and run driver in an overtaking crash.  The driver has not been located. 
August 18, 2009  Mark Anderson was killed on Hwy 71 at 6:15 AM.  Mark was traveling from his rural home to work as he had done for 5 years.  Mark rode with flashing lights.  No paved shoulder existed in the area he was riding.  The driver was a 21 year old from Minnesota and claimed he did not see the bicyclist. 
July 29, 2009  A professor from Missouri was killed on the final day of RAGBRAI when he lost control on a downhill section of road.  No other vehicles were involved.
 
2008 BICYCLE FATALITIES IN IOWA
Information from news reports have been compiled about bicycle fatalities in Iowa. There are typically 5-7 bicycle fatalities each year statewide. There were eight bicyclists killed in 2008.
April 4th 2008 Randy Van Zee, 56 killed while riding his bike. He was struck and killed instantly by a vehicle from behind as he was riding west into the setting sun near his home last evening. The Iowa State Patrol said the accident happened Friday at 7:17 p.m. in O'Brien County a half a mile west of L40 on County Road B14. The driver was westbound on County Road B-14 when it struck the rear of a bicycle driven by Randy Vanzee.
June 17, 2008 Benjamin Rodriguez, 5, of Des Moines was hit and killed while riding his bike down a residential street on Tuesday, police said. The accident happened at SE 28th Street and Scott Avenue at 11:30 a.m. A bike, with training wheels attached, was still lying in the intersection more than an hour later. Police said he was hit by a tractor-trailer that was turning onto Scott Avenue from SE 28th St. His family lives on SE 27th Street. Police said the incident was accidental and no charged were filed on Tuesday.
July 14, 2008 Rick Lind, 49, was killed late Friday (7/12/08) while riding a bike home from the Mason City office where he was working late. “He rode his bike everywhere,” Lind’s stepfather, Ken Anderson, said. While a student at Iowa State University, where he earned a business degree in management information systems, Lind sometimes rode his bicycle back and forth from Ames, his family said. “He said it was safest to ride at night” due to the slowing of traffic, his stepdaughter, Heather, 22, said. The collision took place at approximately 11:55 p.m. The pickup was driving westbound on Third Street Northwest, preparing to turn south on Washington Avenue. Lind was traveling east on Third Street. According to Mason City police, witness testimony suggests that Lind failed to stop at a stop sign and entered the intersection as Hulsing turned. Lind did not have lights on his bicycle and was wearing dark clothing, according to police.
July 31, 2008 Todd Parsons Western Jr., 64, fell from his bike and struck his head after the bike left a lawn and went into a street construction site. The death appears to be an accident. A neighbor in the 1100 block of East Ridgeway Avenue found the Western’s body tangled in his bicycle in a construction zone that shut down the street, police said. Police said Western wasn’t wearing a bicycle helmet. It appears he rode into a yard to go around the construction scene but then entered the work area.
August 14, 2008 James Basley, 83, rode his bike into the path of an oncoming car early Tuesday evening. The investigation determined that the driver took appropriate evasive action, but was unable to avoid the collision. She was cited for not having proof of insurance. Police say Basley was not wearing a helmet.
August 31, 2008 Penny Vanous, 51, of Rowley died in a car-bicycle accident in Buchanan County. Her husband, Donald, 54, received minor injuries in the incident. The couple was westbound on bicycles on 290th Street shortly after 8 a.m. A westbound Buick Century driven by Ruby Kimber, 78, of Rowley, struck the cyclists from the rear, according to the sheriff’s office. Authorities believe Kimber didn’t see the couple. Weather or road conditions were apparently not a factor.
October 2008, Douglas Kenny, 21, of West Burlington was killed as a driver hit him from the opposite direction. The driver claimed the sun was in his eyes, but witnesses said otherwise. The driver received a suspended 60-day jail sentence and probation, fined $2,000 and his driver's license was suspended for 360 days.