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UAMS resident dies in weekend bike accident


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Updated: 7/09/2012 7:56 pm Published: 7/08/2012 11:17 am
LITTLE ROCK, AR – An Emergency Department resident at UAMS was killed Saturday night when the bike he was riding was hit by a truck at the intersection of Plateau and Pine Streets in Little Rock.

The victim, 30-year-old Jevon Newman of Madison, Wisconsin, was taken into surgery at UAMS after the accident but did not survive, according to the police report.

The driver, 52-year-old William Rush, was driving north on Pine Street through the intersection. Rush tells police he did not have time to avoid the bicyclist, who entered the intersection from Plateau and was hit by the truck.

According to the police report, the bike Newman was riding appeared new and had pedals that require “bike shoes” to lock in. A witness to the accident tells police that Newman was wearing flip-flops and seemed to be having trouble keeping his feet on the pedals and may have been trying to stop when he entered the intersection.

Rush passed a field sobriety test administered by responding police officers. The witness to the accident tells police he didn’t think the truck had enough time to react to the bike.
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cwdublin - 7/22/2012 5:22 PM
0 Votes
We are being told that everyone has a right to use the roads but we need to respect each other. This is a crucial point, cooperation is needed from other road users if cycling is to be made safer. My main point is that if community cycling is seen as an extreme sport there is something wrong. Looking at google maps (all be it a 2007 version) it is arguable which is the main road at the crossroads in question (Plateau and Pine, Little Rock). The overhead cables are the main visual leading me to believe that that road has priority. There is a stop sign but no road markings, a solid white line across the traffic lane that does not have priority is a strong visual and should be there. Then I look again and see that from the left there are two lanes with priority coming down a hill. Now that is a major junction, it needs road markings at the very least along with warnings that a major junction is ahead. Should there be 2 lanes of traffic coming down a hill towards that junction at all? Perhaps the road should be one way in the other direction. You don't see the stop sign until you get to it and then it is too late.

cwdublin - 7/22/2012 5:20 PM
0 Votes
We are being told that everyone has a right to use the roads but we need to respect each other. This is a crucial point, cooperation is needed from other road users if cycling is to be made safer. My main point is that if community cycling is seen as an extreme sport there is something wrong. Looking at google maps (all be it a 2007 version) it is arguable which is the main road at the crossroads in question (Plateau and Pine, Little Rock). The overhead cables are the main visual leading me to believe that that road has priority. There is a stop sign but no road markings, a solid white line across the traffic lane that does not have priority is a strong visual and should be there. Then I look again and see that from the left there are two lanes with priority coming down a hill. Now that is a major junction, it needs road markings at the very least along with warnings that a major junction is ahead. Should there be 2 lanes of traffic coming down a hill towards that junction at all? Perhaps the road should be one way in the other direction. You don't see the stop sign until you get to it and then it is too late.

cwdublin - 7/22/2012 5:17 PM
0 Votes
Cycling within the local community should not require the protective equipment that sport cycling requires. One of these things is not like the other, and neither should the gear required be. To facilitate cycling the environment should be made reasonably safe so that members of the community including children and the elderly are able to move around to and from school, work, visiting friends, shopping etc. An experiment was done recently in the inner city area of Dublin, Ireland. It was decided to have bike stands all over the city where for a small fee one could rent a bike and drop it back to the bike stand of your choice. (There was advertising involved to cover costs I think, also one has to sign up to join the scheme, I am not an authority on the subject.) There was also a ban of large trucks in the inner city, and a speed limit of 30kph (c18.5 miles) for other vehicles, around about the same time. I thought that it would not work, but I was wrong, (I was wrong about bus lanes too). It is an amazing success. I thought there would be rules about attire, helmets etc. Not a bit of it, we quickly became used to seeing the bikes and avoiding them, they are being used by everyone from people in suits with shiny shoes, to tourists wearing whatever shoes you are having yourself. I am not claiming that it is totally accident free just that you are supposed to be able to move around relatively safely. It has worked so much so that the scheme is being expanded. It is not perfect by any means, a lot has been achieved but there is still an awful lot of work to be done in the greater Dublin area in particular in terms of suburban cycle lanes, quite often they are a joke. There is also a current campaign in Ireland in the media about people seeing the road differently. Bus and lorry drivers see things one way car drivers another etc. , pedestrians another etc. We are being told that everyone has a right to use the roads but we need to respect each o

mpgreene - 7/12/2012 10:35 AM
0 Votes
Many experienced (even professional) cyclists ride their road bikes (with special pedals) while commuting (or just around town). It does NOT affect your ability to ride safely. I can safely say that this was not the reason for the accident. Cities and towns alike need to start looking into ways to make their communities more bike friendly. With better planning and infrastructure (of roads and paths), better teaching of auto-drivers, and better community outreach, they can greatly minimize fatalities. My deepest condolences to Jevon's friends and family.

springbok - 7/12/2012 3:52 AM
0 Votes
With respect - you cannot be that ignorant of other places! In Ireland and many other countries cars travel on the left hand side....

lagnaf - 7/11/2012 11:26 AM
0 Votes
"in Dublin traffic runs the opposite direction" You mean all the traffic in Dublin runs south?! Weird! Do they have to circle out of town to get back home?!

caeagle - 7/11/2012 12:28 AM
0 Votes
Please- there should be absolutely no room for criticism on the biker. This gentleman is now deceased, so anyone being critical of his riding, instead, show respect and condolences for him and his family- not criticism.

ladyofthehill - 7/10/2012 3:39 PM
0 Votes
Sorry for the loss and people who ride bikes please stop at all intersections as i have witnessed some people not obeying the stop signs.This would be devastating to take a life even if you were not at fault.

8adrienne8 - 7/9/2012 12:18 PM
0 Votes
Jevon passed the 'bright cyclist' test by surviving 5 years of commuting on his bike daily in Dublin. His passing is an absolute tragedy. Please consider that those of us who are grieving for him are reading these articles and comments in hope of gaining information about his accident.

springbok - 7/9/2012 4:13 AM
2 Votes
Yeah Jevon was an awesome guy. He was an accomplished cyclist riding for the UCD team on occasion whilst studying medicine there. He was always on the thing. He was probably used to looking the other way when crossing traffic as in Dublin traffic runs the opposite direction. Whatever the reason it no longer matters and should always be remembered for whom he was. That being a kind considerate, fun, adventurous, intelligent and a individual in the truest sense of the word. My condolences to his family and friends both at home and abroad.
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