We had missionary hit and nearly killed while riding his bike while I was on my mission (he was a previous companion of mine and a good friend.) Had he not been a 270 lb Tongan he would have died - he has brain damage - his life was essentially destroyed in a minute.
He was hit a little after dusk by a priest in the ward he had previous gone on splits with. Had he had a flashing light attached to his bike he almost certainly would not have been hit.
Starting on that day a new rule was instituted in our mission. All missionaries were required to have those flashing lights on their bikes - red on the back & white on the front. We had not more incidents. That was in 1992.
Now here's the point. My guess is this lady did not have one of those flashing lights installed on here bike. (I could be wrong.)
If so the LDS church is directly to blame (especially considering it is led by a prophet of God - a God who would care about the lives of his missionaries.) Even before my friend was hit the prophet should have had a churchwide revelation that those bike lights were required by all missionaries.
Oh yeah, God was too busy telling the prophet to build a mall and to limit the number of earrings in women.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/2013 03:13PM by bc.
I saw this too and count myself lucky, Ronin, my son was hit by a car on his bike too. He survived with a mild concussion. My wife thought that might have lead to the depression, but since he has been home his depression has lifted. I personally chalk it up to the cog diss and loss of freedom.
Even with flashing lights, a helmet, and reflective vest, it is stupidly dangerous to ride a bike at night in most places in America. Our road systems are just not designed for them.
True that. I wonder how much more common it will be to for sisters to ride bikes with the new influx of sisters? Otherwise the church is going to buying a whole lotta Corollas.
Not here, BC.... The sister missionaries here don't get a car...OR bikes. They get NOTHING for transportation. We do not live in a metro area where they can get around on public transport either. They have to rely on members to take them everywhere.
For many years, I rode the 26-mile round daily trip to and from work on a little Yamaha scooter. I had a snowsuit - plus helmet - for wintertime, though I didn't ride when there was actual ice or snow. It was delightful in warm weather, despite the helmet.
Because so many people where I live seem to think of people on two-wheeled vehicles as social deviants who need to be driven off the road, I was the politest driver you ever saw. If somebody seemed like they were getting a little too close, I was only too happy to pull off the road and let them pass.
Sadly, these same people are even more belligerent with bicyclists. For some reason, they don't feel any obligation to share the road. So bikers have to think not only for themselves, but for the other drivers as well. It's a shame.
I spent the first 57 years of my life living in SLC Utah, then I moved to Maryland in 1998. Car drivers in Maryland are much more courteous and friendly to bicyclists than Utah drivers. I have no idea why that is true, but it is definitely a fact.
Last summer there were a lot of days when it was very hot (97 degrees) and humid (65%). By using a Camel-bac hydrator that I filled with 70 oz. of ice cubes and water before I started my ride, I could easily drink the ice water constantly. That kept me hydrated and cool.
My standard ride was 14 miles and it took an hour. I would take a rest stop in the shade three or four times during the ride, and on a regular basis a passing car would stop by me, the driver would roll down the window and then ask me if I was okay and if I needed any help. I never did require help but it was wonderful that the driver had the courtesy and concern to ask me. That never happened to me in Utah over tens of thousands of miles of cycling.
In my experience, Utah drivers just suck all around. Utah roads are a truly terrifying place to be! I've never been anywhere else where you have to worry so much about what stupid decision someone around you is going to make.
The greatest bike trails I've ever seen were in Maryland. I used them for fun and not to get anywhere important, but they were well-maintained and the scenery was just gorgeous.
A classmate was killed in New Zealand in the 70's while riding a bike. The companion of my nephew was hit by a car that ran a stop sign a couple of years ago. It was broad daylight. My nephew was, luckily for him, following his companion otherwise it would have been him. His companion survived, completed his mission at desk job. I'm sure he will have lifelong problems as I don't think he had good medical care. These kids put too much faith in the church to take care of them. I have a niece who is going soon. I am worried.
Don't shift all the blame onto drivers. I try to give bicyclist all the space they need, but a lot of bike riders go about their way as if they own the road. The worst is when two ride side by side in the middle of the lane, so that there is no easy way to pass, or they serve back and forth across the street, for no reason at all. Some bikers make it really hard not to hit them.
Here's what one of the other sister missionaries in her mission said in her letter home (I can't imagine how her companion will stick it out not only having watched her companion get struck and killed, but also having it happen on just her THIRD day in the mission!)
Fatality Is Not Forever "And thus we see the great call of diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord; and thus we see the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing--sorrow because of death and destruction among men, and joy because of the light of Christ unto life." -Alma 28:14
2:30 p.m. on a Saturday. Driving home from a perfect appointment with our favorite investigator when the call comes: Sister Smith was hit by a truck--killed on impact. She and her companion were biking home from an appointment in rural Oklahoma, where they were opening a new area. The driver was 18 years old. Her companion was only three days out from the MTC.
You cry in the car, but there isn't time. You are already behind, with five back-to-back appointments looming. So you press on with a chipper smile. But all day long you think and wonder, "Is it worth it? Is our message worth the cost of a LIFE? Can we justify the death of a faithful young girl for the cause of our religion?"
If I ever wanted to go home early, the desire is gone Now I must share. I will finish my mission because people need to know that souls are eternal, and that Jesus Christ is our source of salvation both here and hereafter.
The missionaries of the Oklahoma City Mission will be teaching the Plan of Salvation very differently now. Fatality is not forever. Without Jesus Christ, nothing can ever be permanently right. but with Jesus Christ nothing can ever go permanently wrong.
HYPERLINK: LDS missionary killed in Okla. remembered as loving, kind