A 48-year-old bicyclist died from his injuries after an intoxicated driver struck him late last month just after 1 a.m. As reported at sulphurdailynews.com, the victim was riding his bicycle on U.S. Highway 171 near Parish Road in Moss Bluff. A spokesperson for the Louisiana State Police said the 24-year-old driver of a pickup struck the man from behind as he rode his bike in the outside lane.
The victim died from his injuries. Louisiana State Police investigators said the pickup driver’s blood alcohol content was .085 at the time of the fatal car crash. Troopers arrested the driver and charged him with vehicular homicide and improper lane usage. Investigators also said that the victim did not have proper lighting or illumination on his bicycle for nighttime riding.
This tragedy shows that there are two ways to avoid fatalities like this one. Despite the warnings against drunken driving, too many people choose to get behind the wheel after they have been drinking. Secondly, bicyclists should equip themselves and their bikes with the proper lights and reflectors when riding at night. There are no streetlights along highways to illuminate the road or the bicyclist.
Given the driver’s condition, do you think lighting and a glow vest would have saved the bicyclist’s life?
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