cyclist killed

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Permalink Reply by CKS on December 8, 2011 at 19:48

Here's the story.  Details are still a bit sketchy.

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/staffordshire-news/2011/12/08/wi...

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Permalink Reply by Zeth on December 9, 2011 at 1:10

Once a car overtook me on the Pershore Road and then braked, I was going approximately 12 miles per hour and hit the brakes but I collided with the back of the car - or more specifically caressed the back of the car. Probably the lowest impact traffic collision in human history. Probably the same level of force that a bike stand receives while parking a bike in it. Cyclists colliding with things at low speeds do not normally result in dangerous or fatal consequences.

"The 45-year-old woman was cycling along Blackhalve Lane, Essington, near Wolverhampton, when she collided with a white Mercedes Sprinter van, driven by a 40-year-old Walsall man at 7.15am yesterday."

They always write it this way, as if the cyclist somehow rode into the van, rather than the more obvious statement that the driver drove his van into the cyclist at speed and killed her. It does not actually hide any information so I do not think it is based on a fear of legal action. What legal action would even be possible against a journalist reporting a traffic death.

Instead, I think that putting the cyclist as the subject (i.e. the agent/actor) of the sentence is due to our car dominated culture. That cycling is seen as such a strange thing to do that it overrides the normal use of grammar. It implicitly blames the victim.

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Permalink Reply by CKS on December 9, 2011 at 8:47

A more cynical person might think it was because the dead can't sue.

Instead, I think that putting the cyclist as the subject (i.e. the agent/actor) of the sentence is due to our car dominated culture.  

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Permalink Reply by Simon on December 9, 2011 at 10:45

"A collided with B" and "A was in collision with B" mean exactly the same thing, but many read the former to infer that it was A's fault.  Given this common (even if wrong) understanding, it is about time the media started to use the latter so as not to prejudice interpretation of the report (the media showing prejudice - surely not).

Anyway, condolences to family and friends of this poor woman if any are ready this forum...whatever happened it is a tragedy.

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Permalink Reply by John KIRK on December 9, 2011 at 23:20

Yep...she was probably doing 40mph at the time. They are trying to be neutral,but why?
Zeth said:

Once a car overtook me on the Pershore Road and then braked, I was going approximately 12 miles per hour and hit the brakes but I collided with the back of the car - or more specifically caressed the back of the car. Probably the lowest impact traffic collision in human history. Probably the same level of force that a bike stand receives while parking a bike in it. Cyclists colliding with things at low speeds do not normally result in dangerous or fatal consequences.

"The 45-year-old woman was cycling along Blackhalve Lane, Essington, near Wolverhampton, when she collided with a white Mercedes Sprinter van, driven by a 40-year-old Walsall man at 7.15am yesterday."

They always write it this way, as if the cyclist somehow rode into the van, rather than the more obvious statement that the driver drove his van into the cyclist at speed and killed her. It does not actually hide any information so I do not think it is based on a fear of legal action. What legal action would even be possible against a journalist reporting a traffic death.

Instead, I think that putting the cyclist as the subject (i.e. the agent/actor) of the sentence is due to our car dominated culture. That cycling is seen as such a strange thing to do that it overrides the normal use of grammar. It implicitly blames the victim.

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Permalink Reply by Dave Holladay on December 10, 2011 at 0:10

Note also that it is a cyclist (person) in a collision with a van (object) rather than a cycle ridden by a 45 year old woman was in collision with a van driven by a 40 year old man.  The cyclist was fatally injured and Police arrested the van driver who remained at the scene.  Sadly another 40 year old female cyclist died after receiving fatal injuries in an 05.00 collision in North Wales involving a car, which was driven away Police have now arrested a 28 year old man and charged him with motoring offences.

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