[Doolab]

It seems reporters can't seem to agree on some basic facts such as the number of cyclists hit...
So 3 or 4 cyclists hit by an 81 year old driver, and the report below is speculating if the 3 cyclists could have all been at fault... :mad2:
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here's one source that says 3 cyclists
KTLA News Report
and
<a href="http://www.ktla.com/videobeta/?watchId=e7ae3b9f-45aa-468a-bc62-efd465711c11">KTLA Video Report From The Scene</a>

Two of the cyclists were critically hurt in the accident. A third suffered minor injuries.
Watch Our Report From The Scene

KTLA News

10:53 AM PDT, August 23, 2010

CALABASAS, Calif. -- Three bicyclists were struck by a car driven by an 81 year old woman on Mulholland Highway in Calabasas. Two of the cyclists were critically injured. A third suffered minor injuries.

It happened at 7:30 a.m. at the intersection of Mulholland Highway and Stokes Canyon Road.

California Highway Patrol Officer Leland Tang says the driver of an Audi A4 was making a left turn onto Stokes Canyon Road when the bicyclists were struck.

There is no traffic signal at the intersection, Tang said.

It's unclear if the bicyclists didn't see the Audi, or the Audi didn't see the cyclists, CHP officials said. No one has been cited for the accident.

The car's driver was not hurt, but was visibly upset after the crash.

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And from another source, they claim it was 4 cyclists hit....

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KNBC Report

4 Bicyclists Hit While Riding in Calabasas
By MARISSA SIFUENTES
Updated 1:45 PM PDT, Mon, Aug 23, 2010

A morning bike ride turned disastrous for four bicyclists in Calabasas on Monday.

A car hit the group near Mulholland Highway and Stokes Canyon Road. Three of the bicyclists were so badly injured that they had to be airlifted to UCLA Medical Center.

The California Highway Patrol says an 81-year-old female driver in an Audi A4 caused the crash. The driver was on Mulholland, turning left onto Stokes Canyon when she hit the group.

According to the CHP, the woman said the sun blocked her vision.

CHP officers have not cited the motorist. There is no light or stop sign at that intersection.

 

[frmrench]

Yup. The oldies are the scariest. Had my share of close calls with them over the years.

 

[wim]

According to the CHP, the woman said the sun blocked her vision.

Well, there you are: clearly the cyclist's fault for being on the road at a time when the sun might possibly block a motorist's vision. She could not "reasonably have expected an unusual object such as a cyclist or several cyclists" on the road at that time. Not guilty, I bet.

 

[asciibaron]

i didn't see the school bus full of infants - the sun blinded me.

 

[Doolab]

The weird thing I found was how incomplete the information was being delivered from either one of these news "outlets"... I mean, if you read either report but not the other, you'll miss a big chunk of the story...
Whatever happened to reporting excellence and all that mumbo jumbo?

Regardless, I wish these cyclists a speedy and complete recovery...

 

[askmass]

Whatever happened to reporting excellence and all that mumbo jumbo?

Edward R. Murrow surely rolls in his grave.

 

[Richard]

Yes, the cyclists were at fault for inhibiting the right of an 80 year old driver to make a left turn.

I convinced my late mother to stop driving at that age when, riding with her, she stopped at the end of a freeway onramp because she wasn't convinced she could "merge."

 

[foofighter]

tragic truly tragic

 

[il sogno]

I ride out there. This is awful.

 

[philippec]

I have been hit by a few cars in my time ... but never in my Calabasas!

 

[fazzman]

CHP officers have not cited the motorist. There is no light or stop sign at that intersection.

I never understand why no one ever gets a ticket or anything for hitting or killing a cyclists. If she hit a car then there would be all kinds of citations.

 

[Tommy Walker]

According to the CHP, the woman said the sun blocked her vision.

Actually this is a grave danger to cyclist; need to watch where the sun is in the morning when you pick routes. Last year I almost hit a cyclist who was riding right in front of me; I never saw him, the sun completely blinded me; good thing that I was driving straight and there was enough room in the lane that when I did see him he was next to me,

Now in this case, the lady was making a left turn, so the cyclist probably did pick a good route because it seemed like they were approaching the intersection and the sun must have been at their back. Sounds like she crossed over into their lane.

 

[jlandry]

I have been hit by a few cars in my time ... but never in my Calabasas!

Dat was funneh.

 

[JCavilia]

I never understand why no one ever gets a ticket or anything for hitting or killing a cyclists. If she hit a car then there would be all kinds of citations.

Well, it's not true that "no one ever gets a ticket or anything for hitting or killing a cyclist." It may not happen as often as some of us would like, and drivers may sometimes get off with lighter punishment than we'd prefer, but drivers do get cited, and fined, and jailed, for such offenses.

I don't think we have all the facts on this one yet. It's a nasty one, to be sure.

 

[Cadent]

The weird thing I found was how incomplete the information was being delivered from either one of these news "outlets"... I mean, if you read either report but not the other, you'll miss a big chunk of the story...
Whatever happened to reporting excellence and all that mumbo jumbo?

Regardless, I wish these cyclists a speedy and complete recovery...

From my former newspaper days, the facts you have are limited to what the LEOs are releasing in their reports. You can see the original officer's writeups, but they are usually sketchy at best. If a LEO were reporting WWII, it would have been:

"Responded to reports of gunfire, requested backup. Perpetrator subdued after confrontation."

 

[stevesbike]

I have been hit by a few cars in my time ... but never in my Calabasas!

some might find making a joke when 2 cyclists are in intensive care in bad taste....

 

[Cliff O]

I don't think we have all the facts on this one yet. It's a nasty one, to be sure.

A lack of facts doesn't usually prevent people from arriving at judgments on the Internet.

FWIW, if you look at this intersection in Google street view, you'll see that the road has an East/West facing and the driver was Eastbound at the time of the accident. So the sun was indeed behind the cyclists, probably low on the horizon at 7:30am when this occurred, and this no doubt had a significant effect on visibility. The cyclists would have been descending on a shallow, straight grade on a broad road with good shoulders, so they were probably moving pretty fast. It can be hard for cars to judge our speed - I know people are surprised when I tell them I regularly reach 40mph+ speeds on my bike.

It's tragic, but sometimes bad stuff just happens. It's up to local law enforcement to sort this out and assign blame, not us.

 

[philippec]

some might find making a joke when 2 cyclists are in intensive care in bad taste....

.....just as some might find that humor makes the intolerable, tolerable!