To know what is right and not do it is the worst cowardice
Posted by admin on 11/7/05 in Cyclist Incidents, Opinion Pieces/Articles
Sunday, Palm Beach in Sydney, a young woman and man were riding their bicycles. For what specific reasons I don’t know. Maybe they were returning home, visiting family or friends or on a training ride. But somewhere along Barrenjoey Road at 4.45am the young woman was struck by a 4WD towing a boat. The driver failed to stop and render assistance.
She died at the scene. Her cycling companion escaped injury. God only knows the terrible emotions he experienced as his friend was mortally hit and lost her young life in front of him. There may of been mitigating circumstances to this fatal incident. These I will not speculate upon. But ostensively this driver showed a utter callous disregard for humanity. Even though he did later turn himself into police. But this question remains – how could ANYONE strike another human being, and then brutally leave them to die? Victoria has recently experienced a cluster of hit-run deaths, news article from October 31:
A 44-year old woman is fighting for her life after the sixth hit-and-run in Victoria this month, acts which have appalled Victoria Police. Major collisions investigation unit officer Steve Ashley said the number of incidents this month, three of which were fatalities, was unbelievable. “I’m really quite ashamed that we’re living in a society like that at the moment,” Sergeant Ashley said. “To find that number in a month is terrible.”
Queensland: Driver jailed for maiming triathlete Kellie Moule
A Triathlete hit while training last year by an unlicensed motorist affected by a sleep disorder has urged road users to show more respect for cyclists to avoid more families being torn apart in similar tragic circumstances.
Quote from Kellie Moule: “The laws are fairly tough . . . but I think if the attitude of people changes and there’s a lot of pressure put on them to have respect for cyclists, then we have really won,” Moule said. “Even if, as a motorist, you are angered at a cyclist you think has done the wrong thing, just remember how big and how powerful your car is and how small, fragile and unprotected the cyclist is,” she said. “The cyclist is always going to come off second-best, and you don’t just impact the cyclist, you impact their friends, their family, everyone.”
Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. – Martin Luther King Jr.
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Michael | Nov 7, 2005 | Reply
As an ardent, long term cyclist I empathise with those calling for retribution and respect from drivers.
As a fallible human being I recognise that I too could easily have an accident with a cyclist. I certainly pay attention and respect cyclists when I see them, BUT sometimes I don’t see them.
Many of us have pitiful lights, dark clothing or swerve to avoid glass, potholes or other obstacles.
The stark truth is that the roads are accidents waiting to happen.
Until we identify the true guilty party in the road carnage we are not going to change very much.
The guilty part, in my humble opinion, is the road authorities—who fail to provide even the minimum safe infrastructure for cyclists—and the governments who fail to adequately fund the design and construction of safe cycling facilities.
As long as cyclists are forced to share roads with vehicles travelling at high speed, who are often busy trying to survive themselves, accidents will happen.
When they do, the road authorities MUST be dragged into court to explain why they did not provide a safe environment for ALL road users.
cfsmtb | Nov 8, 2005 | Reply
Update: Update: Man on hit-run death counts. 08nov05
http://www.manlydaily.com.au/common/story_page/0,7168,17167279%255E15721,00.html
A MAN has been charged following the death of an 18-year-old woman who was hit while cycling at Palm Beach early on Sunday.
Jessica Bullen, of Palm Beach, was cycling north on Barrenjoey Rd near Etival St at 4.45am with a male friend when she was hit by a four-wheel-drive vehicle towing a boat and thrown from her bike.
It is understood Ms Bullen was on her way home from a party at the time and was less than 500m from her home.
Paramedics arrived at the scene but Ms Bullen had already died, police said.
Police allege the driver of the 4WD did not stop after the accident and they issued an appeal for help to locate the man.
A crime scene was established and Barrenjoey Rd was blocked to traffic in both directions for several hours while crash investigators examined the scene.
The 47-year-old driver of a 4WD later presented himself to Mona Vale police station and was taken to Dee Why police station for questioning.
The Terrey Hills man was later charged with negligent driving occasioning death and with failing to stop at the scene of an accident and render assistance.
The man’s driving licence was confiscated.
The man was bailed to appear in Manly Court this month.
Police from the Metropolitan Crash Investigation Unit are continuing their investigation into the incident.
angelica | Mar 17, 2010 | Reply
when i was little i used to go camping at a place called the basin. jessica’s father was and still is the head ranger for this camping area.
jessica bullen was a good friend of mine and to see her life cut so short is terrible, i myself am only 15 but i looked up to jessica as a sister.
it turly is amazing the amount of people that have written about her and how terrible the circumstances of her death was.
Joseph Dennis Arthur, is the man who hit and killed jessica, this man has a daughter himself and its just so sochoking that he ‘apparently’ didnt realise that he had hit anyone unitll he unloaded his boat.
the shameful thing about the justice system in this country is that joseph dennis athur only got 9 month jail starting october 3, 2006. and elidgeble for paraol april the next year…