[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by Windguy

This is the second person from our club to be hit in the early morning. Both drivers that hit them said they had been blinded by the sun. I won’t ride when the sun is low.

Originally Posted by NoMo50

After reading many of the comments following my original post, a few clarifying remarks may be in order:

1. The crash happened on a street, not a MMP.
2. It occurred around 8:30am, not pm. Therefore, the sun was rising, not setting.
3. The bicyclist, at the location of the crash, had 100% the right of way.
4. Despite how anyone feels about bicyclists in general, this particular individual had no obligation to yield to the golf cart, whatsoever.
5. The cart driver, claiming the sun was in her eyes, has an excuse, but not a defense.

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Perhaps this is what the golf cart driver did. We don't know. We know there was a collision but we don't have the detailed information necessary to know how it could have been avoided.

Originally Posted by rustyp

Wow how fast was this cyclist going to result in death ? Did he have a helmet and /or other protective gear on ? How about one of those flashing headlights like they use on motorcycles ? Did he see the cart driver merge from the cart lane into the car lane before the turn took place ? Perhaps he was wearing earphones and listening to tunes.

Two sides to every coin as the attorneys will now litigate.

Originally Posted by Bill14564

I wouldn't bet that no one thought of transporting him to the nearest trauma center. Not being familiar with the protocols involved or the condition of the man when the EMTs arrived, I would assume he received the best possible care. If he was not transported to a trauma center there was likely a reason.

It appears there are trauma centers in Tampa, Orlando, Ocala, Gainesville, and possibly a few in Lake County.

First and most important, condolences to the family. An 80 year old healthy enough to be riding bicycles in a club was killed in a senseless accident.

Having read all the posts in this thread, I have to agree that none of us have enough information to speculate about this tragedy. But for what it's worth, I have several questions and comments.

According to the not to be named news source, this gentleman was riding westbound from his home in Charlotte to the Bradenton Rec center to join his club for a ride----if so, why was he at the intersection of Hillsborough and Ichabod? That would mean he missed his turn onto Anna Maria by 1/4 mile. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

There is no question that the cyclist had the right of way (or more precisely the cart driver had to yield the right of way). I drive eastbound in my cart on Hillsborough 4-5x/week, at similar times to this accident with the sun in my eyes, and turn onto Inverary---the next block from this accident. There is absolutely no problem at all making this turn and seeing oncoming vehicles---just have to use a hand to block out the sun.

Like Rustyp, I do also wonder whether the cyclist anticipated the cart turning---after all she had to merge into the car lane, with or without turn signal or hand signal (unknown), all in plain sight of the oncoming cyclist. The illegal turn and subsequent collision is certainly NOT his fault, but is it possible he could have avoided it by braking or swerving?

Lastly, about the time of the accident my wife was driving along Powell/462, and a medical transport helicopter was taking off from the field. So it is possible the victim WAS transported to a trauma center. I think the statement that "no one thought of moving him to a trauma center" is a bit naive.