Female Cyclist Killed By Truck Driver In Cambridgeport
Written by Boston Biker on Mar 11A female cyclist was struck and killed by a container truck around 1:40 p.m. Wednesday at the corner of Allston and Pleasant streets.
The victim, whose name will not be released until next of kin is notified, was pronounced dead at the scene. No charges have been made at this time against the male driver of the truck, who remained at the scene.
“If there were any witnesses, we ask them to call us at 617-349-3300,” said Jeremy Warnick, director of communications for the Cambridge Police Department.
This is horrible, more information when I get it. My heart goes out to her friends and family.
Edit: Update, she may have been walking her bike, it is unclear at this point
a dump truck hit a 65-year-old Cambridge woman as she either rode or walked her bicycle from a parking area onto Putnam Avenue between River and Pleasant streets, near a Whole Foods Market, where she may have been shopping, authorities said.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, Cambridge police spokesman Jeremy Warnick said. Authorities did not release the names of the driver or the victim.
Edit: The name of the woman killed was Marcia Deihl, there is a lovely piece on her at the globe here is a bit:
Friends say Marcia Deihl was always the first person to think up a witty song that perfectly captured the moment, and to encourage the same lyrical invention in others with her “Bizarre Song Parties,” where the price of admission was a ditty of one’s own.
Deihl was a Cambridge activist who spent her life fighting — and singing — for what she believed in, and who had embarked upon retirement with joy that she could finally dedicate all her time to her art.
And she loved to ride her bicycle, a clunky old three-speed decorated with paper flowers and streamers. With her long hair streaming behind her, she cut a distinctive figure, one familiar to many Cambridge residents.
On Thursday, friends mourned the untimely death of the 65-year-old, who was killed Wednesday after being hit by a dump truck while riding her bike on Putnam Avenue.
“She was an icon of Cambridge life. She was a very colorful figure, beloved by the people who knew her,” said Pam Chamberlain, a longtime friend who described Deihl as “a riot” with a keen sense of irony and a gift for bonding with people. “It’s a great loss for the folk community and the feminist movement.”
Edit: MassBike Has responded, read it here.
Add to Reddit. Tags: cambridge, cyclist killed, death, fatality, Marcia Deihl
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By Tracy Hu on Mar 21, 2015 | Reply
My heart goes out to Marcia, especially since I was also involved in a Central Sq crash on 3/16/15.
I was going northbound on River St in the bike lane, approximately 1/3 of the way through the Mass Ave intersection when an Air Gas truck made a right turn from the left lane, without signalling, into my path. I braked, hopped off my bicycle, but the truck continued with the turn, pulling me underneath its trailer.
While I didn’t need an ambulance, I am still recovering from cuts and soreness, and my bike is being repaired. I’m incredibly thankful for all the pedestrians that rushed to my assistance. I was seconds away from being crushed under the wheel of the trailer – a fate i was spared because of the pedestrians that rushed to stop the truck
I can’t help but think that Marcia’s recent death had sparked the strong reactions I’ve seen that day. Pedestrians accosted the driver, who initially did not want to stop or leave his vehicle. A few even stayed to provide a statement to Officer Gilbertson.
After the accident, the driver simply stated that he did not see me and indicated to the officer that I had struck his truck and his mirror may have been damaged by one of the pedestrians.
I was disheartened to see the contents of the police report two days later- none of the witnesses’ info were listed, and their statements omitted. The time of the accident is erroneously recorded, off by over 90 minutes. I was even more dismayed to find out the driver was given no citation, nor did Officer Gilbertson find him at fault for the accident despite having confirmed the unsafe turn with several witnesses on the scene. I was puzzled when she ripped off and discarded several sheets from her notepad at the end of her investigation, but I was anxious to get home to check on my wounds so I didn’t think to question her actions.
It’s appalling to me that less than 1 week after Marcia ‘s death few blocks away, this is how the Cambridge Police Dept responds to a cyclist hit. I’ve spoken with Officer Gilberton’s supervisor, Lt. Schofield, and was told 1) enforcement of laws pertaining to traffic violations are not mandatory but is at the officer’s discretion, so clearly the officer had good reason not to issue a citation. 2) I could file my own crash report if I felt the police report was inaccurate. After a lengthy conversation, he indicated he would review the case but a citation was not likely.
What was more disappointing was that Lt. Schofield insinuated that I was challenging authority and deliberately being difficult by questioning the officer’s decision not to give a citation. I told him I was simply in shock since being stuck under a truck was a traumatic experience for me, and I wanted to make sure that the driver is is held accountable for the negligent behavior.
To this, he replied “you must’ve not been that traumatized if you didn’t get on the ambulance” – those were his words, verbatim.
I spent the next hour crafting a letter urging him to thoroughly review the case with the officer – the end result? a citation was issued. No apologies given, simply that our recollections of the conversation was somehow different.
As for me? I still feel like crap. My knee is swollen, I have several cuts and bruises, and my bike is still in the shop. Not to mention, the whole ordeal with CPD left me incredibly disappointed.
Cyclist hits occur far more frequently than reported. It’s rare for a hit to occur in a place with many witnesses, and even rarer for a police officer to be present to conducting an investigation with both parties and multiple witnesses present. Yet even when the stars align and all of the above conditions are met, it still took this cyclist nearly a day’s work, multiple phone calls, and a long, indignant letter to accomplish what should have happened in the first place: a citation holding the driver accountable – which begs to question, what if this had happened to an international student, or a single mom working two jobs, with no time to write a letter? What would have been the response then? What if I were incapacitated or worse, and unable to stand up for myself? Would the driver then have gotten away with no citation and no fault pursuant to Cambridge Police Department’s investigation? In my case, I believe the answer is a resounding yes.
Frankly, this is appalling given Marcia’s death less than a week prior to my hit. Based on my personal experience with CPD’s investigative protocol, I find it difficult to believe why any Cambridge drivers would be deterred from negligent driving and hitting cyclists in the future.
Far too often, cyclists are treated like nuisance on the road – and this anti-cyclist attitude makes the streets an especially hostile and dangerous place for us. I think one of the fundamental shifts that needs to occur, first and foremost, is how the police responds to cyclist hits – and thus far, CPD’s behavior has only confirmed this anti-cyclist bias.
By Rebecca Albrecht on Mar 21, 2015 | Reply
What a terrible story! Please report it to Cambridge Bikes, they have a facebook page, the Boston Cyclist Union and Mass Bike. There will be a vigil tomorrow, Sunday, March 22 at 4pm on River Street at Whole Foods where a Ghost Bike has been installed for Marcia Deihl. There will be people there from the above mentioned groups that you can share your story with. Your’s is a story that needs to be heard.
By Michael on Mar 25, 2015 | Reply
This is why even though you were not grievously injured you need to get in the ambulance and get a lawyer or your accident will not be taken seriously.