I first heard of it during the shooting of the professor at UCLA. It was telling the world what happened hours before the “real news” caught up.
Think of it as Wikipedia for news. The bar is pretty low for people to add in details and pictures and relevant facts. There is a risk that wrong or deliberately inaccurate information and speculation might become part of the story, but that can quickly be challenged and removed.
Over in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the 50 year old driver of a pickup truck killed 5 and wounded 4 people who were riding bicycles as a group on a rural road. The names of those hit have just been released, but the name of the drive who fled the scene but was caught and arrested have not. The youngest bike rider was 40 – most were seniors.
Here is their coverage
https://www.everipedia.com/2016-kalamazoo-hit-and-run/
Right now, the sentence structure and overly complex sentences need work 😉
Everything in one place with real time updates as the story evolves. I look forward to seeing if the driver has a motive. He had to have been going at a high rate of speed and targeting the group.
The Detroit Free Press now has a complete list
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/06/08/faces-tragedy-nurse-researcher-among-victims/85600748/
While it doesn’t explain the driver’s action, the Freep reporter’s interview of a 74 year old cyclist gave huge clues about the other part of the cause
He indicated his groups avoid this section of road as the edge of the road is narrow. The accident happened just outside Marking Glen County Park, which has an interesting history all by itself
http://www.kalcounty.com/parks/markinglen/
The rider indicated this was a scheduled ride for the group and they typically drive to the location and then ride. There is a bike path that runs through the park parallel to a railroad line. There is a parking lot across the street which would be a logical place to gather – but at least in Google Earth, the gate to the park is locked. The park office closes at 5 PM, and the accident happened at 6:30 PM. To access the trail they would have had to ride northbound on the street.
Police were actively looking for the truck, because they had received three separate calls about an erratic driver, who was possibly drunk.
More details
http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2016/06/weekly_ride_by_kalamazoo_count.html
The riders started at the health department parking lot, east of downtown there is a bike path in the area – it does not directly connect to the Kalamazoo River trail, which runs from downtown along the river up to the point of the accident
The youngest person (40) and the least injured was the leader. The speed limit is 35, but about a block north goes up to 50 mph. It’s a puzzle to me why they were riding along the edge of the road when there was a bike path right there – path doesn’t run through the park, but there is a connection to the paths inside the park.
Back in high school and my early 20s, I actually rode a bicycle some. Riding along rural roads is an adventure. In retrospect, it was pretty dangerous, like riding in the sideways facing back seats of a station wagon as a child.
I am an avid cyclist. We ride the roads as we are “vehicles” defined by law in I believe all 50 states. Cyclists don’t mind trails, but trails have issues with joggers, skateboarders and walkers. The issue are how not to hurt anyone else on the path. So, it is normal for experienced cyclists to ride the roadways.
Ohio, as an example, has a law where motor traffic must provide a 3 foot distance between them and cyclists when overtaking. The reality is that this law, like so many, is not enforced and is not prosecuted. We lost 3 cyclists in Brecksville, OH last year when they were descending a hill and a pickup truck turned in from of the group. Charges were considered, but never filed. The driver’s excuse? The sun was in his eyes. Good thing it wasn’t a semi descending the hill.
I rode my bicycle in Charlotte out to the first bike path the day it opened around 1978 – it meant riding on very busy roads with no sidewalks and no shoulder. One of the things I remember from that day was some yahoo driving by and throwing a beer car at me. Unfortunately, I don’t drink beer, but I appreciated him trying to help me.
One of the other places I looked at in Charlotte 3 years ago is a co-op located right on a bike path, but I decided the place had issues that made it not a reasonable choice.
Maybe I should join SoulCycle
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/spinning-a-lawsuit-injured-soulcycle-900649
There was discussion on the mlive comments section early on that these cyclists were experienced, and drove too fast to be safe on the trail shared with walkers and others. There was also discussion about the narrowness and dangerous nature of the road they chose to ride on.
It’s a typical Midwestern county road – straight, no visibility issues, weather was clear. To take out all 9 riders, he had to be speeding and impaired, or did it deliberately. I’m waiting to see if his name is Jose.
Another story on mlive where you might see me in the comments section – two white 18 year old young “men” with prior arrests for breaking into cars, garages etc and stealing stuff picked the wrong home the other day. The homeowner shot them both dead at 6:30 AM in his yard. Police are considering their options. I don’t think there is a jury of 12 would convict them of anything more than littering.
With a group of 9 people riding on a two lane road, would they typically ride as a group occupying the lane or single file along the edge? My sense is I’ve experienced both.
The Freep interview showed a leader of another group wearing glasses with a mirror so he could watch the road behind him. I sure could have used one of those 35 years ago. Bicycles or swimming would be the most reasonable options if I get more active, but doing anything by myself would not be prudent.
My suspicion is while the police were not chasing him, he was probably fleeing from them. He is from Battle Creek – heading North from Kalamazoo is not heading toward home.
Maybe he was spending the day celebrating Hillay’s victory
> Bicycles or swimming would be the most reasonable options if I get more active, but doing anything by myself would not be prudent.
Walking is also a good option. My brother walks a lot and almost all of it is on golf courses.
I walk a lot too but didn’t until I discovered earbuds and podcasts that I can play back 2x speed and skip the commercials, or the SiriuxXM and iHeart radio apps for music. Prior to that, I was too bored to walk. It makes a huge difference. Start by just walking around the block or down the street and back, then every month add a little distance.
Some people get dogs for it, but I prefer podcasts and have lost tens of pounds in the last year from doing this. I highly recommend it.
Not for me.
The confederate helmet is an extra magical touch. As you surely know, Michigan is full of people from the South who came north to work in the car factories. He hails from Tennessee.
Being a Harley rider, you would think he would be all the more careful about not hitting people on bicycles.
So what is the best “progressive” solution so this never happens again? For you consideration and embellishment
– ban bicycles
– lower the speed limit for cars to 10 MPH
– require more training for trip leaders
– close roads one day a week to all vehicle traffic
(See cleaning day in Lagos for an example)
– mandate SEIU escorts to accompany all bicycles similiar to wide loads on the Interstate
– mandate 5 foot wide shoulders on both sides of all roads
(Would that have mattered?)
The arraignment was put off today for medical reasons. Maybe he tried to kill himself. All seriousness aside, is he a Trump supporter? Remember Trump was greeted in DC by the the Rolling Thunder rally on Memorial Day weekend.
http://wwmt.com/news/local/multiple-sources-identify-suspect-in-tragic-kalamazoo-bicycle-crash
Chasing reporters away with a front end loader is a nice touch
http://heavy.com/news/2016/06/charlie-charles-e-pickett-jr-battle-creek-kalamazoo-bicycle-bike-crash-driver-suspect-name-victims-photos-facebook/
The most relevant picture is him sitting on his motorcycle with a beer in his hand
Perhaps he is undergoing alcohol detox. It can take awhile if one is a long-term chronic alcoholic.
Back to the original question, the answer is “no”. They still have no information about the suspect that broke 20 hours ago.
Trying to be the Encyclopedia of Everything without a rigid classification system is a flawed concept – I would not be surprised if there are dozens of versions of the event
He has been charged with 5 counts of second degree murder and 4 counts of reckless driving causing serious injury.