Local Bicyclist Killed on Fairmont Drive
Timothy Bucher, 56, reportedly from San Leandro, was hit by a car while riding his bicycle. Authorities said the car had veered from its lane.
Bay City News
A San Leandro bicyclist died after being struck by a car in Castro Valley Wednesday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The collision occurred about 9:40 a.m. near the intersection of Fairmont Drive and Foothill Boulevard.
A 32-year-old San Francisco woman was driving a 1995 Honda Civic east on Fairmont Drive at about 35 mph when she diverted her eyes from the
roadway and allowed the car to veer to the right, according to the CHP.
The Honda struck a bicyclist who was also traveling east on Fairmont Drive.
The bicyclist, 56-year-old Timothy Bucher, whom news sources reported as being from San Leandro, hit his head on the windshield of the car and landed in the roadway, CHP officials said.
Bucher was wearing his helmet but still suffered major injuries. He was taken to Eden Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, according to the CHP.
The driver of the Honda was not arrested, but the collision remains under investigation. Drugs and alcohol are not believed to have played a role in the crash.
Scott
7:09 pm on Monday, June 27, 2011
Why was the driver not cited and held responsible for this? Her inattention and apparent lack of driving skills just cost someone their life!!! If she had hit a pedestrian, or killed another person in a car or on a motorcycle, would they have just let her go on. This is insane!!! At a minimum, vehicular manslaughter should be the charge she receives. It won't bring the victim back, but it might help get one more inept or inconsiderate driver off the road!!!
Noway
3:44 am on Sunday, July 3, 2011
You imply that because it was a bicyclist, the police gave the victim less consideration then if he were a pedestrian, motorcyclist, or driving a car, all because the driver of the Civic was not or cited at the scene.
Jumping to conclusions is easy when you have no responsibility or accountability. If your wife or daughter were the driver, would you want them cited at the scene? What if you found out the the cyclist had suddenly, inexplicably pulled into the path of their car? What is their responsibility, then? Or would you prefer that an investigation be conducted before reaching a conclusions?
I'm sure that the investigation is in fact ongoing, and that the driver might be charged with a crime, probably vehicular manslaughter. It's somewhat meaningless to declare "at a minimum..." when you don't know the facts. There is no doubt information that was not mentioned in that brief article. "At the maximum..." could be correct, for all we know.
However, if you have knowledge of the collision that wasn't mentioned in the article, that you have an advantage over most of us.
It goes without saying that holding people to answer for their actions and the consequences is not about "bringing the victim back". It's about accountability.
The next question is will the media report the driver being charged? Will they view it as significant news? Maybe we won't hear any more until she comes to trial which could be a year or two or more, from now.
Thomas Clarke
12:34 pm on Sunday, July 3, 2011
Noway, the part that is missing is that the driver is an Alameda County Probation Officer. She is being invesitgated by the CHP. No one is saying a thing. No charges, no results and I am guessing that the cyclist, who cannot speak for himself, is blamed. This is typical for the police-Sheriff-CHP. The investigation will happen. No charges will be filed. Whatever action is taken will be private, not public. That is what the union is for.
Noway
12:14 pm on Saturday, July 9, 2011
Thomas, the "missing part" is *all* the facts, which are part of an investigation. The fact that the driver was an Alameda County Probation Officer was prominently mentioned in the Patch's article on 17 June. In fact, that article mentions an ongoing investigation and the time element to complete it.
You speculate the outcome based on what-- *no* facts, at this point. You do know what facts are gathered and considered before charging someone with a crime, correct? You failed to mention them, instead accusing the involved agencies of conspiring to cover-up criminal activity, based solely on the occupation of the driver.
Please give an example or two for "typical for the police-Sheriff-CHP" (Alameda County Sheriff's Office and CHP) behavior, including actual fact. The only thing "typical" so far is that the Sheriff's Office does not investigate traffic collisions. That's the purview of the CHP. If the collision occurred in a city, the local police would handle it, unless perhaps the assistance of MATE was requested.
Your conspiracy theory doesn't hold much water to start with, completely lacking in objectivity.
Given the fact that the investigation has been completed and the driver charged with vehicular manslaughter, you might as well be wielding a sieve.
My question is still unanswered- will the media report the DA's action? Will it view that as newsworthy as the actual accident?
Thomas Clarke
7:17 pm on Saturday, July 9, 2011
Noway, my initial comments had to do with the follow up by Patch to their initial article. This death did not make much in the way of news. Thank you for reporting that the driver has been charged with vehicular manslaughter. That is the appropriate charge for the killing of the bicyclist. You and I are in agreement, the media do a lousy job of reporting both sides.
The facts are unknown to me, except that the cyclist was highly skilled and knowledgable of the area. The incident occurred in the morning. This was not much an accident so much as the result of negligence. I think the charges are appropriate.
As to how many cops get off when investigated by their brothers, that is up to a grand jury to validate. The violence criminal behavior of cops is well known to the general public. All you need do is ask them. The police are like all rich folks: well compensated, strong union, mucho benefits. Poor people do not do as well in the system.