Wish it Was Good News
I try to leave the biker down posts to the boys over at drunkcyclist, as this site is all about getting stoked on riding, but you get one every now and again that hits a little too close to home, and I feel the need to share the news in case folks haven’t heard yet.
I’ve gotten a couple emails about Josh Pete, who was hit by a garbage truck today on Butler Ave while riding his bike. He was pronounced dead at 11:39 this morning.
It hits hard, because I work with his father on a daily basis.
Small towns have their ups and downs, and when the name has a face, and the face is close to home, it makes it a tougher situation to shrug off and move on without some lingering thoughts.
In case you haven’t seen the news yet, here’s a link to the daily sun article, and an article from NAZ today.
My condolences go out to the family and friends of Josh, no matter the situation or the fault, there’s no good way to slice this one.
Stay safe out there folks.
sad stuff. sending my best to the Pete family.
gotta say it’s ridiculous that the article says the cyclist and truck “collided”. that implies some parity in the accident.
when a truck drags you to your death, you did not collide with it, you were hit by it…
- robert
Link | November 17th, 2009 at 5:53 am
nathan – i was over at homeco to get some house shite and saw the cones, cops, lights, bike. my deepest sympathies to the family. it’s not safe out there. it’s just not safe. and the way planners are making it ‘safer’ is to move us off the roads, which just excuses drivers from paying attention. it’s getting worse not better. An argument might be made that Josh Pete could have taken a different route that would have involved bike paths. But he had every RIGHT to be where he was. For the last several years i’ve been riding in fear and now i mostly ride the bus to NAU. my right to ride has been effectively taken away. But not as much as Josh’s.
- Ben
Link | November 17th, 2009 at 8:39 am
My condolences also to Josh’s friends and family. I ride that route nearly everyday to and from work as do many people (gore folks in particular). There is a nice bike lane there and both lanes had a green light. However, the truck was turning and therefore should have been the one to yield as far as know. This one was especially painful for me as both a cyclist and a truck driver. I can only hope that it is as significant of a reminder for the other drivers and cyclists of Flagstaff as it has been for me that we have to PAY ATTENTION WHEN WE ARE DRIVING OR RIDING. So many distractions these days, driving/ riding in traffic is a full time job and should not be combined with phones and other distractions any more than drinking. I feel horrible for both the driver and the rider. In this great little town of ours, I think we all have to look out for each other by staying focused. I have to say though I don’t think the city planning is to blame, they try very hard to accommodate all of us users. Now is not the time for accusations or speculations but may serve better as a time of mutual respect and solidarity among all road users, please.
- latham
Link | November 17th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
My prayers go out to all who are touched by this tragedy. I am not from Flagstaff, but I am an avid bicylclist and commute to work most days. Most cars are not looking for us, I have had many close calls. Please let Pete’s family know people are praying for them as far away as Kansas!!
- Jim
Link | November 19th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Where is the investigative follow up? Where is azdailysun? Surely the driver’s drug test results are ready? Why isn’t there any news on the position of the vehicles which should have been established within a couple of days? Is the city of Flagstaff playing possum? Call the city council at 928-779-7685 and demand answers! Write to azdailysun.com, azfamily.com, and azcentral.com and let them know that you want answers! Was the city driver on the cell phone or radio? How was he hired? Trained? Previous violations/accidents? Was there something wrong with the vehicle? How come citations have not been issued to either the city of Flagstaff driver or Pete? Pete fought for us now we should fight for Pete!
- Flagstaff Unsafe
Link | November 28th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
I was at the recycling center and was therefore witness to this horrific accident. I can’t explain how terrible it was to obviously the bicyclist, Joshua, as well as the driver. On his bike Joshua came up to the level of the wheel-well on the truck. The driver was making a right hand turn, I don’t know if it was a red light or green, but when he turned, the collision happened. The driver had no idea anything had occurred. It was a terrible accident. I am not sure I will ever be able to get the image out of my head. Bikers, as well as motorcyclists, need to bike defensively. Never think that automobiles can see you, or are cognizant of your presence. It was a series of extremely unfortunate events that tragically ended a young soldier’s life. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Joshua, as well as to the driver who never intended to hurt anyone.
- witness
Link | December 5th, 2009 at 8:31 pm