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Fund set up for family of man killed in truck collision in Dorchester
By adamg on Sun, 11/05/2017 - 1:49pm
Friends of Antawani Wright have set up a GoFundMe site to help his family pay for his funeral following his death on Friday.
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RIP, Mr. Wright.
I went back to the previous link cited here. The comments ranged from the respectful to the hopelessly obnoxious. Look, the poor kid is dead at the age of nineteen. Was he in the wrong place at the wrong time? Definitely. Whose fault is that? Maybe his, maybe the truck drivers', you don't know unless you saw it. If you wish to cast stones, at least wait for the police report.
It was a truck. For those few here that know more about trucks than bicycles, you already know that blind spots are a fact of life with trucks. You have side mirrors, thus helping, but behind you is a blank spot. That's the reality of trucks. That's why they don't have rear view mirrors.
You look around, observe all that you can, then move. There is a report that it was a dump truck backing up. There is a certain element of risk in that action, but backing up is a relatively slow process. Could this have been averted? Wait for the official report, then judge it accordingly.
Having seen the results of MVA/pedestrian accidents, my heart goes out to the family.
Blind Spots
You ask people to wait for the police report (which is reasonable) but then go on to suggest something bogus about blind spots. (Tip: Just because someone is in your blind spot doesn't remove your guilt. It's not as if the cyclist magically materialized within the blind spot.)
I have no idea what happened. It's entirely possible it was the cyclist's fault. Realistically we'll never know. The driver will claim the rider rode right behind his tires as he was backing up even if that isn't the case. (Such as the truck abruptly backing up with little warning and without checking his mirrors.) The cyclist, being dead, will never be able to give his side of the story.
The best outcome would be Boston/Massachusetts/DOT requiring backup cameras on trucks as is the law on cars.
No, not bogus.
Whatever happened in this tragic instance is unknowable such we were not there. However, you comment " just because someone is in your blind spot doesn't remove your guilt. It's not as if the cyclist magically materialized within the blind spot" is just silly. As I have said, blind spots by their very nature are just that. If a driver can't see you in his/her mirror (very common with trucks), that is a blind spot. There is no way he or she will be able to see anything in a blind spot because...wait for it...there is nothing there. Kindly answer me how can one see something that is not there?
I am amazed at this way of thinking. Here, check out this very good British, I believe, video on the topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV-rhiGRFTE There are many videos on this topic via Professor YouTube.
Did you every stop to think that your bogus information would actually put cyclists in danger if they believe blind spots do not exist when riding around and/or near large trucks?
When I rode as a bike commuter, way back when, we were told, by local bike organizations, to drive defensively in traffic which including understanding about blind spots. For some reason, now this logic has been pushed aside and I do not know why.
No
It would be very easy for a truck driver to put their truck in reverse and quickly back up without giving anyone behind the truck a chance to clear their vehicle. This is why truck drivers need to wait a moment after putting the truck in reserve before accelerating. This is told in CDL classes.
As a cyclist (or pedestrian or motorist) it's impossible to not momentary be in a trucks blind spot if passing perpendicularly.
Ok, yes.
But that does not make my argument about blind spots less valid. The issue I am having is with those who say "blind spots do not exist" for a truck driver and/or blind spots are bogus.
Look. If I am a pedestrian and I see a truck backing up (and most have some sort of alarm), I am not going to try to beat it. Unfortunately, I see this behavior too many times. I have no idea if this truck driver "gunned it", which I think is highly unlikely, or he/was distracted or the cyclist was distracted or whatever as I was not there. And since someone died, I really do not want to play the blame game.
Their fundraising goal is
Their fundraising goal is $15k. Is that how much a funeral costs these days? Wow.
I'm a few years out of touch
I'm a few years out of touch on prices, but - oh, yes, easily!
It's hard to do it for less than a few thousand. Ten to fifteen is an unfortunately believable figure and not even doing over-the-top options.
Part of it would depend if there's already a grave (a family plot somewhere) or if they have to start from scratch on that.
Truck driving is a difficult job
I've been a daily Boston bicycle commuter for 30 years, and so probably no one here is more pro-bike and bike pro-safety than me. But I also have known a lot of truck drivers, and I can tell you that the job that they are tasked with is very hard.
Especially especially in Boston (as opposed to Omaha). Like was said, trucks have blind spots. That's just a fact of life. People here tossing out a bunch yeah-buts appear to have never been inside a truck cab in their life. Otherwise, they would know that any truck is going to have severely reduced visibility compared to any other vehicles. (Except maybe Winnebagos.)
Unfortunately, accidents (sometimes tragic) happen to even the most cautious participants. The drivers of trucks don't want to kill anyone. They have kids, too. All of us can be more cautious. But these kneejerk reactions against trucks and truck drivers are mypoic. (And have a faint smell of classism to them.)
Very good about time
Finally people doing good for good people instead of blaming who's at fault (arguing/fighting etc)