Female Cyclist Killed By MBTA Bus On Huntington Ave

EDIT: The name of the cyclist has been released it was Kelsey Rennebohm, who died late Friday. She was a Seattle native who was enrolled in the counseling psychology master’s degree program at Boston College. (via)

More here

A female cyclist was killed when struck by an MBTA bus Friday night. This is not the first time someone has been killed at this location…its about damn time something is done to make this stretch of road safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

From CBS:

A woman cyclist was killed in a crash involving an MBTA bus Friday night in Boston.

MBTA Police say the accident happened on Huntington Avenue outbound at Forsyth Street.

Investigators say several vehicles were in close proximity to the accident site when it happened and it was not immediately clear which one had collided with the cyclist.

After a thorough investigation, police say they found evidence that the MBTA bus had made contact with the victim.

The bus operator has been questioned. No charges have been filed. The investigation is ongoing.

The victim’s name has not yet been released, but police said she was in her twenties.

With no breakdown lane or bike lane on much of Huntington Avenue, the stretch of road is notoriously dangerous for cycling.

From WCVB:

A woman who was riding her bike was struck and killed by an MBTA bus Friday evening, transit officials said.

The bicyclist, in her 20s, was killed while riding on Huntington Avenue near Northeastern University around 10:30 p.m.

The woman, whose name was not immediately released, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on Huntington Avenue at Forsyth Street.

“The bus operator has been questioned as part of this ongoing police investigation,” said spokesman Joe Pesaturo.

He said details of the accident remain undetermined and forensic experts are investigating.

A police spokesman said no citations have been issued and the investigation into what caused the accident is ongoing.

EDIT: update from The Globe

Officials are investigating the involvement of an MBTA bus in an accident that left a woman dead after she fell from her bicycle into traffic Friday night, police said.

“An MBTA bus was involved in the accident,” said Officer James Kenneally, a Boston police spokesman.

The victim was in her late 20s, Kenneally said. He said no charges have been issued at this time.

The accident occurred around 10:25 p.m. on the outbound side of Huntington Avenue at its intersection with Forsyth Street, said Joe Pesaturo, an MBTA spokesman, in an email Saturday.

“The preliminary investigation is focused on an MBTA Route 39 bus that was in the area of the accident at the time the 911 call was received,” Pesaturo said.

Police questioned the driver of the bus, he said.

“Like others, he was interviewed by police,” Pesaturo said.

The accident occurred near the Northeastern University campus, but the victim had no relation to the university, said Renata Nyul, a spokeswoman for the school.

Boston police could not say whether the victim was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.

Pesaturo would not comment on whether the bus driver was aware of any involvement in the accident.

“Investigators are working to establish facts,” he said.

The intersection where the accident occurred was blocked off by police tape Friday night leaving a stretch of Huntington Avenue closed.

The incident is under investigation by transit and city police.

EDIT: The Mayor has made a comment (via)

“That’s the third accident we’ve had where somebody has lost their life and I’ve asked the transportation department to take a look at that roadway to see what we can do to make it safer for cyclists and automobiles,” said Boston Mayor Tom Menino.

I am glad that at least there is the appearance of action, it will be up to all of us to make sure they follow through with this.

EDIT: The BCU is reporting she may have fallen into the street, I agree with them that bike lanes + reduced speed would go a long way to making this road better.

Eyewitnesses to the crash told the police that Rennebohm appeared to have lost her balance and fallen off her bike from the sidewalk and into the path of a Route 39 MBTA bus, according to Boston Police Department sources familiar with the investigation.

This new information puts a different spin on events for many cyclists who may have assumed that Rennebohm’s injuries were received while riding her bike in the street. At the same time, it doesn’t mean that the instincts of those who are demanding bike lanes on Huntington Avenue are wrong. In fact, the way the accident happened highlights a secondary benefit that bike lanes have for pedestrians—-that of creating a buffer space between moving traffic and people on the sidewalk. It may also, as details unfold, speak to the need to reduce speeds on the street.

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Salem Man In Critical Condition After Being Hit By Bus

Rebecca sent this in to me, thanks for the heads up.

Police are probing an early morning crash in downtown Salem, where an MBTA bus hit a man on a bicycle, leaving him with serious injuries, officials said.

Philip Moran, 47, was crossing Washington Street from Federal Street around 7:20 a.m. when he was hit by the front right end of a Route 544 bus, police and MBTA officials said.

Moran, with a last known address in Salem, suffered multiple “serious trauma,” and was taken first to Salem Hospital, then to Massachusetts General Hospital by MedFlight with possibly life-threatening injuries, Salem Police Captain Brian Gilligan said.

more here and here

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Cyclist Killed By MBTA Bus

Sad news, today I read the following.

BOSTON (AP) – Authorities say a cyclist has died after losing control of his bike as he tried to pass a bus in Boston.

A spokesman for the MBTA says the 22-year-old man lost control as he tried to pass the bus on the left at the intersection of Huntington and South Huntington at about 6 p.m. on Wednesday. He fell under the moving bus.

Police say he was taken to Brigham & Women’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His name was not immediately released.

The MBTA says the bus driver is a two-year employee of the agency with a clean driving record. The driver was also treated at a hospital for stress related to the incident. (via)

I can only hope this sparks a constructive effort to make the streets safer for everyone, I will have more details as they emerge.

EDIT: Got this email from a witness.

as i left school at brookline village heading towards huntington ave i saw the whole street blocked off by cop cars and a mbta bus. huge pool of blood
and a cream colored track bike on the ground. a couple officers confirmed it to be a fatal hit. im not sure what hit the rider but the cops were examining the bus so my guess is that. horrible thing really.

EDIT: It now seems like he was struck because his bike was stuck in the tracks…

The bicyclist was identified as a 23-year-old man, who was trying to pry his bicycle wheels from the trolley tracks. T police said the bicyclist was struck after he made contact with the rear of the bus.

“As a result, the male was pronounced dead not long after arriving at the hospital,” Boston police Superintendent Rafael Ruiz said.

Several witnesses said the victim’s bike got stuck on the Green Line train tracks moments before the bus hit him. They said the bicyclist didn’t have a chance.

“I was coming off the 66 bus, coming down here, and I saw this person get stuck on the tracks. (He) didn’t have a lot of time to react,” said Joe Leary, a witness.

Witnesses said the man was struggling to free his bike when the bus came around the corner heading east. The driver had about 150 feet to react.(via)

From what is written in that article it seems to me like his bike was stuck in the tracks and the bus just came around the corner and hit him…150 feet is a long time to slow down if you are going a reasonable speed. This might indicate that something needs to be done on that very heavily bikes part of that street in order to make it safer for bicyclists. I know many many people who have crashed on those tracks, and now sadly someone has been killed because of them. It might also mean that bus was going way way too fast.

EDIT: I have no idea if he was stuck in the tracks, or tried to pass on the left, but we now know the following:

“Eric Michael Hunt, 22, of Mission Hill, died at Brigham & Women’s Hospital after being struck at about 6 p.m. at the intersection of Huntington and South Huntington, said T spokesman Joe Pesaturo.”

EDIT: Some people are working on getting a ghost bike up tonight/tomorrow, feel free to stop by and leave flowers, and remembrances.

EDIT: Got this:

to anyone who commutes through that intersection, here is a tip. I do that route every single day. Something Ive found to be really helpful is that there’s a parking lot that runs behind the apartment buildings on the last block of Huntington. If you’re coming down South Huntington, make the last turn before the intersection and it will take you behind the buildings and dump you closer to Parker hill ave. When its super busy traffic, or there’s a bus unloading people at the stop, its very helpful and much safer.

EDIT:

Authorities have said Hunt was killed after he tried to pass a bus and lost control of his bike. The accident happened as Hunt was riding east on Huntington Avenue near the South Huntington Avenue split at about 6 p.m. (via)

Passing a bus on the left is NOT illegal for a cyclist, in fact is often much safer than passing on the right. I wonder if the tracks led to the accident? More details when they become available.

EDIT:

More information about Eric Hunt

Hunt’s father said his son was set to graduate next fall from the Wentworth Institute of Technology, where he studied computer engineering technology. He said Hunt has three uncles and a step-brother who are engineers and his son wanted to follow in their footsteps.

Hunt was an organ donor and tissue from his legs is being donated to help children with cleft palates, his father said. A funeral Mass will be held for him on Saturday or Monday at St. Mary’s Church in South Dartmouth, where Hunt grew up. He was a 2005 graduate of Bishop Stang High School.(via)

EDIT:

More ghost bike info. 11pm tonight if interested. (here)

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