Cyclist Killed In Collision With 18 Wheeler In Cambridge

Channel 4 reports the following happened last night.

CAMBRIDGE (CBS) – A bicyclist was hit and killed on the corner of Mass Ave. and Vassar in Cambridge Tuesday night.

The eighteen wheeler was making a right hand turn when it happened. The bicycle was stuck under the wheel of the truck after the accident.

The male victim was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police are not releasing his name.

More info when I get it…this is horrible.

Edit: more here

EDIT: photo, not graphic, but still sad. from this tweet

“Bicyclist struck and killed by a tanker truck in Cambridge by MIT. Truck was making a left onto Vassar St”

(Note, I think this tweet is wrong, it clearly looks like a right turn…but who knows)

EDIT: video from fox

Bicyclist struck and killed while riding in Cambridge: MyFoxBOSTON.com

EDIT:and more from fox

EDIT: Cyclist has been identified

The bicyclist who was struck and killed in a collision with a truck Tuesday evening was a 23-year-old man from Myanmar who graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology last year, school and law enforcement authorities said today.

Phyo N. Kyaw, who lived in Cambridge, was cut down off his bicycle around 7:40 p.m. at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Vassar Street, a busy intersection teeming with bikers, pedestrians, and motorists near MIT, said Jessica Venezia Pastore, spokeswoman for the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.

Kyaw was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

State Police accident investigators are trying to reconstruct whether there was criminal negligence in Kyaw’s death. The driver of the truck has not been charged.

Cambridge police said that since January 2010 there have been 27 accidents at the Massachusetts Avenue and Vassar Street intersection.

Kyaw received his degree in chemical-biological engineering from MIT in 2010. A native of Yangon, Myanmar, he was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity and was involved at MIT in Camp Kesem, an overnight summer camp for children with a parent who has died of cancer, according to the university.

“This death, so tragic and so close to home, touches and concerns our entire community,” said MIT chancellor Eric Grimson. “Our thoughts go out to Phyo Kyaw’s family, friends, and classmates. We share their sense of loss and grief.”

State Police and Cambridge police are investigating the accident, with assistance from the MIT police.

MIT officials said student support and mental health services are being made available to all members of the campus community. Those affected by this death are encouraged to contact MIT’s mental health services at 617-253-2916.

At the scene of the fatality today, students and commuters described the intersection as busy, but generally safe.

“This is terrible,’’ said MIT graduate student Xin Zhao. “I’m shocked, actually. I don’t think this area is extremely dangerous.”

Joel Dashnaw, a Jamaica Plain resident who rides his bike regularly to work in Cambridge, said bicyclists in urban areas have to be vigilant about obeying the rules of the road and be aware of what is happening in front of and behind them.

“I am surprised and a little horrified,’’ said Dashnaw.

Bikers making the rounds today said they are used to the heavy traffic and do their best to follow the rules of the road. But accidents between bikers and vehicles, do happen, they conceded.

One pedestrian said he’s come close to being hit a few times while crossing the street.

“The cars won’t let me pass,’’ said the man, who would not give his full name.

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BU Student In Critical Condition After Crash

Got this in the email today, sad news, will try to keep on top of it as things change.
Thanks for the news tip Craig.

Hope she recovers.

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Via the Daily Freepress.

A male Boston University student hit a female biker with the car he was driving at the corner of Buick Street and Commonwealth Avenue at about 6 p.m. Wednesday.

The victim was a BU student also, said Sargeant Patrick Nuzzi of the Boston University Police Department.

The biker’s head smashed the windshield of the BMW sedan, which is registered in New York, said a Boston Police Department officer on the scene who wished to remain anonymous.

Despite being a BU student for the past four years, the driver had failed to get a Mass. license and is considered under state law to be driving without a license, the officer said.

New bike lanes on Comm. Ave. have made it easier for bikers to be safe, but the lack of traffic laws specific to bikers has led to accidents, he said.

A friend of the offender had to drive the vehicle away from the site of the accident and have his license verified by police.

The BPD officer said that the charges against the vehicle operator will depend on the victim’s medical condition, but it is up to BPD to decide.

The female student was rushed to Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She is in fairly critical condition and could possibly be suffering from head trauma, he said.

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Crash In Cambridge

Be careful out there people, got this report and picture set this morning.

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At the corner of Portland/ Broadway.
Biker was being taken away on a stretcher with a neck brace, Bike looked basically OK, but the whole back window of the Honda CRV was smashed in. Blood on the pavement, but not a lot. Looked like a witness was hanging around to talk to the police, who were there talking to the driver as well.

Bike had front and rear brakes (nice looking touring / road bike) Must have been a combo of bike going fast and car stopping short. Hope the guy is OK.

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I Say Give Him The Money Back

Just so you all know (this is in NYC but the law is the same here), Bike lanes are to keep cars out, not bikes in. You can leave the bike lane whenever you feel you need to/want to. You have the full legal right to use the entire lane, cars are not allowed in the bike lane.

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Boston Crash Map

The Boston Cyclist Union has come out with a bike crash map. Using data from old ambulance calls they have constructed a map of all the crash data in Boston for the last couple months.

The map isn’t perfect (see the notes at the bottom), and because it is pretty new it doesn’t have enough data on it to find trends, but it is a start, and with time will be highly useful for finding problem spots. Check out a live version here.

ps. thanks for the tip Ron.

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