Bikes of Death

blacklabelparty, originally uploaded by Green Biker.

Upcoming Bike Battle royal featuring Black Label and Chunk 666.

More details coming soon.

This event will be in Redhook. June 25th. time?

TBD

Meanwhile another bike rider is killed in Brooklyn.
This article comes from the Daily News:
Woman bicyclist crushed by ice cream truck
DARYL KAHN
STAFF WRITER
New York Daily News | 10-Jun-2005

A 28-year-old Brooklyn woman was killed Thursday after she
tumbled off of her bike and beneath the wheels of an ice cream
truck in Park Slope, police said.

Elizabeth Padilla was riding north on Fifth Avenue at 8:53 a.m.
yesterday in between parked vehicles when the driver of a parked
tractor trailer opened his door to see if he was clear to pull
out.

When Padilla swerved out of the way of the door she lost control
of the bike and spilled beneath the rear wheels, crushing her
head, police said.

Padilla had trouble pulling her feet out of the clips of her
bicycle pedals as she was tipping over, police said.

The driver of the ice cream truck, Jose Cruz, drove for about 15
feet after running over Padilla, but stopped when a passer-by
alerted him to what happened, police said.

"He didn't realize he had hit her," a police source said.

Neither Cruz nor Ioseb Peikrishvili, 38, the driver of the
tractor trailer, were charged or summonsed in the accident,
police said.
------------------------------------------
Here are some comments from fellow cyclists:

Barbara:

"I went to the story and I couldn't believe it but on the bottom of the article in big red letters the company logo, looking like an ad, for Richards and Son, whose drivers killed the cyclist, with a link to their website site. Outrageous, disgusting, really disturbing."

Gary:

"It could have been unintentional. Some of the companies that funnel ads
into websites make them "contextual" -- they search the surrounding text
and try to find a matching ad. I don't see a P.C. Richard banner now."

Peter:

"I am wondering if this is the same Elizabeth Padilla, who worked at
the Brooklyn Bar Association's Volunteer Lawyer Project....
http://www.brooklynbar.org/vlp/volawpr2.asp"

Kate

"yes, this is the same elizabeth.
my exgirlfriend saw her struck and killed. she's sick
over this. i've felt ill all day. i'm furious that the
PC Richards driver wasn't cited. "i didn't see her."
did he fucking look?
as if it needs saying again: the city does not care
about cyclists who are killed."

From NYC indymedia:

NYCBKR:

"I am both deeply saddened and angered by the news of another brave bicyclist being mown down in a hit-and-run killing. Thanks to the witnesses who chased down the driver, though there will probably be no charges unless s/he fails a sobriety test.

As those who choose to ride bikes in NYC know, this news could have been about any one of us. In a similar incident last month Brandie Bailey(21) was killed by a sanitation truck driver who failed to stop and was eventually chased down by police. To my best knowledge no charges were brought against the driver.

My anger is directed not only at reckless drivers, but also at the city government who send the wrong message to motorists that cycling in NYC is unlawful and cyclists do not have an equal right to be on the road. When the City spends millions of taxpayers' dollars to intimidate, threaten, assault, arrest and criminalize peaceful cyclists who wish to engage in a once a month, two hour "critical mass" ride then the message to drivers is; bicyclists do not belong on the streets of NYC and are fair game.

My condolences to the family and friends of the victim. I know that I speak for many NYC bicyclists when I say " we share your loss and pledge to continue to fight to make NYC a more bicycle friendly city."

RIP

David

"This was a horrible accident and loss to the community. My girlfriend was there when it happened and is traumatized by what she saw. I cannot imagine how Elizabeth's family feels and my condolences are with them. She was not "hit" by the truck. She swerved and fell underneath the truck and back tires. The driver was not charged because he was unaware that she had fallen under his truck. He was chased down a block further, and he returned and stayed at the scene, distraught, fully cooperative with the police, as did the driver of the other truck, who had opened his door. I am angered that there are pat responses of "killer cars" and how she was "struck," that it was a "hit-and-run," etc. Don't jump to easy conclusions. The problem is that 5th Avenue is not friendly to bicyclists. There was no room for her to go when she rode between two trucks and found herself confronted with an opened door. This was a terrible accident, and there are no easy solutions. Find the true "reckless drivers" and direct your ire at them. The Critical Mass and harrassment issue is totally separate and I hope the bicyclists of the city prevail. But please don't assume every accident involving a vehicle and a bicyclist is so one-sided. You won't get very far making this city more bicycle-friendly if you aren't open to facts."

There are pictures of the memorial that took place at last night's brooklyn Critical Mass.

on NYC indymedia.org