Kid Hit By Car On way To School DIES :: Walkman To Blame

[Bodie]

There was a kid hit and killed as he walked to his bus stop here yesterday. Not just any kid but a kid that attended classes for gifted children. He died upon arrival at the hospital.

The kid was wearing a WalkMan radio and was probably so engrossed in what he was lsitening to and so distracted another kid that witnessed the incident said he just walked into the path of a Toyota Camray. Car was a total loss and driver was so very dstraught he needed a Medic also.

Driver will not be charged.
Warn your kids about walkman use and the ipods etc when they are waering headphones and also about talking on cellphons and not paying attention.
This could be a fatal mistake for some kids.

[Styx]

There was a kid hit and killed as he walked to his bus stop here yesterday. Not just any kid but a kid that attended classes for gifted children. He died upon arrival at the hospital.

The kid was wearing a WalkMan radio and was probably so engrossed in what he was lsitening to and so distracted another kid that witnessed the incident said he just walked into the path of a Toyota Camray. Car was a total loss and driver was so very dstraught he needed a Medic also.

Driver will not be charged.
Warn your kids about walkman use and the ipods etc when they are waering headphones and also about talking on cellphons and not paying attention.
This could be a fatal mistake for some kids.

Thanks, Bodie...
How tragic.

[ctt]

I almost hit a kid the other day who was wearing headphones and looked like he was rapping to himself. After I stopped and he had passed I hit my horn, he stopped, took the headset off looked around and then looked at me like "huh, you honking at me?"

[RabbitMPD]

Very sad Bodie. Like I said in another thread, those new I-Pods aren

[letshearit4blue]

That drives me crazy... people wrapped in their own little world not paying attention.
In NYS, it is illegal for bikers to wear headphones, and that's for a reason! I cannot count the number of times I have seen some dumbass almost get killed when he's blowing his eardrums out and then he gets upset at whoever's path he ran into.

Whenever approaching a ped from behind on my bike, I always slow to practically a crawl and say loudly "Biker on your LEFT" or "Excuse me" starting when I'm 10 feet away. If they don't turn around or acknowledge, I say it louder at a level which should reasonably get their attention. If they still don't show any sign of hearing me I walk my bike around them.
And generally they are bopping their head to their iPod

[toby101]

Whenever approaching a ped from behind on my bike, I always slow to practically a crawl and say loudly "Biker on your LEFT" or "Excuse me" starting when I'm 10 feet away. If they don't turn around or acknowledge, I say it louder at a level which should reasonably get their attention. If they still don't show any sign of hearing me I walk my bike around them.
And generally they are bopping their head to their iPod

I do this also, but I don't get off of my bike. But I can yell pretty darn loud, so even a old lady who forgot her hearing aid should be able to hear me. Also usually I am going pretty good speed, and they don't expect me to come up that fast. Its kinda funny actually.

But if they don't acknowledge me there, and its on a trail, I will take the grass. If they have kids even will take the grass. Its not worth the trouble.

[letshearit4blue]

I do this also, but I don't get off of my bike. But I can yell pretty darn loud, so even a old lady who forgot her hearing aid should be able to hear me. Also usually I am going pretty good speed, and they don't expect me to come up that fast. Its kinda funny actually.

I don't get off my bike, I take my feet off the pedals and walk it while still on it (yeah, my seat's a bit low, but that's the way I like it).
On the flat I can hit 20 mph (I bike a lot, use it for cross-training too), but I won't exceed 12 mph in a residential area. If some kid runs into the street and I have to hit the brakes I don't want to flip my bike.
I haven't clocked my speed when coasting down a hill, but I know it is more than 20 and I just can't see someone going that fast on their bike "plugged in" to an iPod or CD player or even *gags* a cellphone (wtf?!)... Its ridiculous... Generally people who are biking at those speeds have SOME amount of common sense but every once in a while ya get a moron who just does not pay attention and he runs into a person, an animal (ok, I've almost hit squirrels several times, but haven't hit one yet...), a car, or a telephone pole/traffic sign....

[Metro174]

Twice I have handled accidents where a pedestrian was wearing headphones and managed to walk/run into the path of a light rail train. Both were extremely lucky that the trains were at low speed.

In the first one the guy had just gotten off the train and decided to cross the tracks in front of the train as it was pulling off. Pretty much walked into the side of the train and got bounced back onto the platform. Got shaken up pretty bad but walked away with scratches. Said he was listening to music and not paying attention.

The other knucklehead ran across the street as the train ws approaching. Train operator saw what was happening and was able to hit the emergency stop. Guy had on headphones and got knocked a good way up the street. Lots of bruising, cuts and sprains. Had it not been for an attentive train operator, he'd be dead.

[1sgkelly]

Kid Hit By Car On way To School DIES : Walkman To Blame

Not the Walkman; Darwin