[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by JMintzer

Bicycles have seatbelts?

She is from Iowa.

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by bluecenturian

I am a regular bicyclist and ride 25+ miles 3-4 times a week and feel That is a completely ignorant and plain stupid statement. Try reading the statute before you make such a ridiculous comment. No way you can argue depraved indifference in this situation.

It helps if you quote the "ignorant and plain stupid statement", so we know to whom you're responding...

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by brianherlihy

bicks dont have to stop just go right along pull right in front of you

Well, considering that is not what happened, why post it?

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by kendi

Someone’s always gotta play the blame game.

Well, it WAS her fault, so...

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by LuvNH

Yes it is an accident, a preventable accident, but the driver of the golf cart did not stop. Does anyone know if there is a stop sign at this intersection, if there is the golf cart will be at fault and a civil suit will clean up. You cannot go around killing people and saying "oh sorry the sun was in my eyes". Anyone with any sense would have stopped or been more cautious if the sun was in their eyes and they could not see. She could have made a left turn in front of a car and been killed, instead it was a defenseless cyclist.

I get the impression from saying she is from New Jersey that she is a renter .... well she will remember this winter for a long time.

Or, a part time resident...

[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by bluecenturian

What charges do you expect. It’s a traffic violation at best for fail to yield. Nothing in this information would come close to supporting criminal charges. It’s an accident, yes a tragic one but still an accident. There is civil liability but nothing criminal by no means.

There are very few "accidents". A deer jumping unexpectedly into your path, in a way that avoiding hitting it is impossible, while you are traveling at or below the speed limit is an accident. A meteorite hitting your car is an accident. A tree limb falling on your car (yes, it has happened) is an accident. You get the picture. But any occurrence that causes damage or injury, caused by either an error of omission or commission on the part of one (or more) of those involved is NOT an accident. And given the circumstances it can be, and very often is, a crime.

This woman was driving while circumstances prevented her from getting a clear view of anything that could possibly lead to an incident. The "circumstance" was the sun and the "incident" lead to a death. It was this woman's responsibility to see what was ahead or just to the side of her. She knowingly (and admittedly) kept on driving during a time when the circumstance made this impossible. She SHOULD have pulled over and done something to assure that she COULD see what was there. She did not.

This was no accident.

[Pairadocs]

Originally Posted by Michael 61

This story is horrific - be careful out there, and drive defensively, always assuming another car/golf cart could do something crazy at any moment.

Sadly, these kinds of needless tragedies serve to "wake up" a "few" people for 24 hours (maybe), then most go back to their life time routines. So sad, so AVOIDABLE !

[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by VApeople

We are going bike riding today on some of the beautiful walking/biking paths, but we will not ride on any street or path that allows cars or golf carts because it is much too dangerous.

Don't let complacency put you in danger. Just because golf carts are "not allowed" somewhere doesn't mean that they won't be there. I've seen 'em trying to navigate roundabouts where only cars are allowed, and saw one this morning tooling merrily along on a street that had a prominent sign posted where the cart had to have entered the street "no golf carts allowed beyond this point".

The biggest danger here, in my opinion, is that all too many times we are not dealing with scofflaws, but with people behind the wheel of an automobile or golf cart, or even on the seat of a bicycle, who may be the most well-intentioned people on the planet but who have been robbed by the inevitable advances of age of the ability to adequately and safely pilot their vehicle on our roads, streets or paths.

[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by JMintzer

Or, a part time resident...

Doesn't seem to matter. You could be born somewhere else and moved to Fla the next day. Technically, you are from "away" and will never really be "one of us".

[Pairadocs]

Originally Posted by Gerrir

There are certain times of the day when the glare of the sun on the windshield blinds the driver from seeing what is coming in the lane where the sun is setting… the windshield blockers don’t help. So sorry to hear about this tragedy for both rider and driver. 😢

What you commented is true ! While there is usually some way (visor adjustment, good non glare sunglasses, etc.) to escape extreme glare at certain times of the day and the direction, I normally consider myself more aware of defensive driving than the average, but had a very close call with a gate arm a couple years ago due to glare. Don't even assume "it can't happen to me" ! Yesterday (Sat.) driving car to Brownwood farmer's market, I was struck by the numbers of cyclists who ride in huge packs, 4, and at times even more riding side by side on the Buena Vista Speedway. Of course this is all legal, but in one morning saw two very close calls... same old, same old.... trucks with one and two trailers attached, intentionally swinging over the center lines, speeding around packs of cyclists... Don't known, I guess I expect too much in a LIFESTYLE, RETIREMENT, community, that ENCOURAGES cycling, walking, in-line skating for health reasons. Many retail and service people don't even realize they are in such a community, 55 mph not at all unusual !

[Bill14564]

Seen several posts stating the woman should have stopped and waited until she could see. Nice thought, not workable. It would take what, 20 minutes for the sun to climb high enough to no longer be in her eyes? She would/could have been ticketed for obstructing traffic by parking in the driving lane.

Could something have been done to avoid the collision/accident? Probably, but we don't have the detailed information necessary to determine what that might be. At this point we can keep this in mind the next time we are blinded by the sun and leave the charges and the verdicts up to the prosecutors, lawyers, and juries.

[VApeople]

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive

Just because golf carts are "not allowed" somewhere doesn't mean that they won't be there.

I very seldom have encountered a golf cart on one of the walking/biking trails. When it happens, my wife and I stand in their way and tell them to turn around and get off the trail.

We did that twice to one couple on two different trails. The second time, the guy didn't like it so he got out of the cart to challenge me face-to-face. I didn't move and I asked my wife to call the police, so then he got back in his cart, turned around, and drove away.

In my opinion, the problem is because The Villages did not initially put in poles blocking the carts from the walking trails and cart drivers got used to driving on the trails. In the newer sections like Newell and Lake Denham, they now put in the poles as soon as they put the roads in, so the cart drivers know they are not allowed on those trails.

[Velvet]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Seen several posts stating the woman should have stopped and waited until she could see. Nice thought, not workable. It would take what, 20 minutes for the sun to climb high enough to no longer be in her eyes? She would/could have been ticketed for obstructing traffic by parking in the driving lane.

Could something have been done to avoid the collision/accident? Probably, but we don't have the detailed information necessary to determine what that might be. At this point we can keep this in mind the next time we are blinded by the sun and leave the charges and the verdicts up to the prosecutors, lawyers, and juries.

If I can’t see and must go forwards (for whatever reason) then I would approach like a blind person, because with the sun in my eyes in fact, that’s what I am! Cautiously, inch by inch and if I’m still ok, some more. This way IF I hit something it is just a touch, and if someone can see me, they can swerve.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Velvet

If I can’t see and must go forwards (for whatever reason) then I would approach like a blind person, because with the sun in my eyes in fact, that’s what I am! Cautiously, inch by inch and if I’m still ok, some more. This way IF I hit something it is just a touch, and if someone can see me, they can swerve.

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.

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Velvet

If I can’t see and must go forwards (for whatever reason) then I would approach like a blind person, because with the sun in my eyes in fact, that’s what I am! Cautiously, inch by inch and if I’m still ok, some more. This way IF I hit something it is just a touch, and if someone can see me, they can swerve.

I couldn't have said it better...