Reviewing Tampa Bay Times stories about crashes involving\nbicycles from approximately June 2019-2020 reveals a common litany of problems:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Example of reporting \u201cfacts\u201d with no source:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1.https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/pinellas\/2020\/05\/23\/bicyclist-dies-after-being-struck-by-drunken-driver-in-pinellas-county-troopers-say\/?fbclid=IwAR0XxXSh2V16UWC-dWNQ4Ft64oQhwFqNwJE1xPoXVIfg4hrQE2OcpjFonO8<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n In a recent report, a drunk driver\nallegedly hit and killed a cyclist. Romy Ellenbogen reports, \u201cThe bicyclist traveled\ninto the path of the car<\/strong>, which hit him.\u201d No source is cited. Even if the\ninvestigating officer made the statement, he has no way of knowing this. And\nthe motorist was drunk. Saying the cyclist \u201ctraveled into the path\u201d suggests\nculpability, as if he left his line of travel and swerved in front of the drunk\ndriver. This phrase reoccurs in your bike crash stories. But in this case,\nthere is no attribution of that statement of fact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples\nof reporting with charged language from law enforcement without questioning how\nthey would know what they said or questioning why it is relevant:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2.https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/pinellas\/2020\/05\/23\/bicyclist-in-madeira-beach-critically-injured-after-collision-with-garbage-truck\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In May 2020, Josh Fiallo reported on a\ncollision between a garbage truck and a cyclist on Gulf Blvd., with this\nlanguage that reflected a press release from the Pinellas Co. Sheriff\u2019s Dept.\nPIO: \u201cJulie Henning, of Alexandria, Virginia, couldn\u2019t stop her bike in time\nfrom hitting the City of Madeira Beach garbage truck because she was riding\ndownhill, witnesses told deputies.\u201d The fact that the cyclist \u201ccouldn\u2019t stop\nher bike in time\u201d implies she was at least partially culpable, perhaps going\ntoo fast downhill. (Speed limit is 35 mph, which I can almost guarantee that\nthe cyclist could not have reached that speed descending that bridge.) The PIO\nrelease is unclear in what direction the truck was traveling. But in whatever\ndirection the truck was traveling, the cyclist had the right of way. If the\nvictim had been a motorist, I doubt that TBT would have reported the car\n\u201ccouldn\u2019t stop in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And the lede? \u201cA 44-year-old bicyclist is\nin critical condition after a garbage truck entered a bike lane on Saturday\nmorning and she struck its passenger side, the Pinellas County Sheriff\u2019s Office\nsaid in a release.\u201d That the cyclist struck the vehicle again implies she did something\nshe could have avoided. Maybe the truck cut her off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3.https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/breaking-news\/2020\/02\/12\/cyclist-killed-after-being-hit-by-truck-on-state-road-60\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabrielle Calise reported, \u201cBrian M. Bentz,\n57, was heading south on a bicycle in the intersection and entered the path\nof the truck<\/strong>, troopers said.\u201d The phrase \u201centered the path of the truck,\u201d\nlanguage similar to #1, is not knowable, even if the trooper said it. Moreover,\nit implies the cyclist did something wrong. This happened at an intersection,\nif the cyclist had the right of way, he may have entered the \u201cpath of the\ntruck,\u201d but the motorist may have been at fault for running the red light.\nCould this have been written, \u201cVincent\nA. Givens, 36, driving a 2018 Ford truck east on State Road 60 at St. Cloud\nAvenue, collided with Brian M. Bentz, 57, who was heading south on a bicycle in\nthe intersection. A state trooper investigating the crash did not indicate who\nhad the right of way\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\nfound no follow-up story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/hillsborough\/2020\/01\/06\/teen-bicyclist-killed-after-being-struck-by-suv-in-brandon\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Frank Pastor reported that, \u201cA red 2000\nFord Explorer was headed north on N Parsons Avenue when deputies said the teen rode\ninto the SUV\u2019s path<\/strong>. The driver saw the bicyclist right before impact but\ndid not have enough time to avoid a collision, according to the Sheriff\u2019s\nOffice.\u201d Again, we have no information on who had the right of way or whether\nthe cyclist was in a lane and was hit from behind by the motorist. Obviously, the\nmotorist did not have time to stop, but why? Was the motorist speeding? And the\nfact that it was a 2000 Ford Explorer adds nothing to the story. Couldn\u2019t it\nhave been written that \u201cA motorist struck and killed Terry Martin, 16, who was\nriding his bicycle on N Parsons Avenue, just south of Clemons Road. No\ndetermination of fault was made by the investigating officer\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I found no follow-up story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/pinellas\/2019\/12\/05\/pinellas-bicyclist-82-dies-after-being-hit-by-dump-truck\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chris Tisch reports, \u201c[The cyclist] got to\nSeminole Boulevard, where he rode into the path<\/strong> of a dump truck driven\nby Iran D. Manrique-Herna, 54, of Tampa.\u201d Did the cyclist have plenty of time\nto enter Seminole Blvd. but the truck driver did not see him?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I found no follow-up story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/pasco\/2020\/03\/10\/14-year-old-bicyclist-killed-in-crash-in-pasco-county\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chris Tisch reports, \u201cJayden Relyea of New\nPort Richey was pedaling a bicycle east on Slidell Road about 7:25 a.m. when\nthe crash occurred. The teen went through the intersection with Moon Lake Road\nand was hit by a northbound Jeep Wrangler driven by Ann M. Feeney, 61, of New\nPort Richey, troopers said.\u201d Again, saying the cyclist \u201cwent through the\nintersection\u201d implies he was at fault. Who had the right of way? A statement\nthat it was not reported who had the right of way and that no fault was\nassigned would be helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I found no follow-up story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7. https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/pasco\/2019\/12\/27\/woman-biking-with-dog-is-struck-and-killed-on-us-19-in-hudson\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Brandon Meyer reports, \u201cA Homosassa woman\nriding a bicycle died early Friday after she was hit while crossing the path of\na pickup truck on U.S. 19 at New York Avenue, the Florida Highway Patrol said\u2026.\nClendennen had a green light and Casson failed to obey a pedestrian control\nsignal or use the marked crosswalk, the Highway Patrol said.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Given that the victim is dead, how does the\nofficer know the motorist had a green light? <\/p>\n\n\n\n And then there is the infamous phrase used\nin too many bike crash stories, \u201cCasson was not wearing a helmet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I found no follow-up story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 8.https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/st-petersburg\/2019\/09\/20\/driver-strikes-kills-woman-as-shes-riding-her-bike-in-st-pete-crosswalk\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Reporting a crash where a driver hit and\nkilled a cyclist in a marked crosswalk, Caitlin Johnston writes, \u201cOnly one of\nthe 10 bicyclists who died was using a bike lane. That collision involved a\ndrunk driver, [Transportation Director Evan] Mory said.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is the purpose and relevance of that\nstatement? Without context, it suggests that bicyclists were in the wrong in nine\nof those crashes because they were not in the bike lanes. Bicyclists have all\nrights to ride in the travel lane, if there is no bike lane. And even if there\nis, they needn\u2019t use it if it unsafe to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet,\nhere are a couple of examples where TBT reporters duly repeat unverified\nexculpatory information about motorists:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 9.https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/pinellas\/2019\/12\/17\/teen-on-bicycle-seriously-injured-in-dunedin-crash\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Brandon Meyer reports, \u201cThe driver of the\nJeep didn\u2019t stop, though Pinellas sheriff\u2019s investigators said witnesses told\nthem that the driver may not have realized they had hit someone.\u201d How would\nwitnesses come to that conclusion? What facts could that observation be based\non? And it is then repeated a couple of paragraphs later: \u201cWitnesses told\npolice that a black Jeep Wrangler with a dark-colored soft-top did not maneuver\nout of the teen\u2019s path, and added that the driver may not have realized they\nwere involved in a crash.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s also puzzling why this was reported: \u201cThe\nteen was not in a crosswalk at the time of the crash, police said.\u201d Why is this\nrelevant? A cyclist isn\u2019t required to be in a crosswalk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And again, the victim is to be blamed\nbecause, \u201cThe teen, who wasn\u2019t wearing a helmet<\/strong>, was taken by\nhelicopter\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 10.https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/hillsborough\/2019\/11\/13\/driver-arrested-in-hit-and-run-crash-that-killed-bicyclist-in-tampa\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In an otherwise excellent story, Tony\nMarrero writes, \u201c\u2019It\u2019s likely that Baker didn\u2019t see Weinert,\u2019 [Highway Patrol\nSgt.] Gaskins said. \u201cBut if Baker had stopped, checked and called for help, he\nwouldn\u2019t be facing a felony charge that could land him in prison for up to 30\nyears,\u2019 Gaskins said.\u201d Why do we allow Gaskins to speculate with exculpatory\ninformation? How would he know that the driver didn\u2019t see the victim? Again,\nit\u2019s blaming the victim for putting himself in a position of not being seen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not to mention that Gaskins highlights that\nmerely hitting and killing a cyclist is not a big deal as he wouldn\u2019t be in\nmuch trouble. That is an issue TBT should explore. Under Florida law, a driver\ncan hit and kill a cyclist and pretty much walk free, unless he was drunk, left\nthe scene, or it can be proven he was driving recklessly. Not carelessly,\nhowever. Even if distracted by her cell phone, a driver will only get a ticket\nand fine. In fact, a driver can simply say, \u201cI didn\u2019t see the cyclist,\u201d and be relieved\nof any criminal responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Example\nof gratuitous victim blaming:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 11.https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/transportation\/2019\/09\/28\/bicyclists-stage-rolling-memorial-past-scene-of-recent-st-pete-fatality\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In a story about a memorial ride for a\ncyclist killed on MLK by a driver who was distracted by his cell phone, Dennis\nJoyce writes, \u201cParticipants were encouraged to wear helmets and white clothing,\nuse bike lanes, stop at lights, and keep a slow pace.\u201d Which all seems to be\nintended to remind readers that cyclists don\u2019t wear helmets, or use bike lanes,\nor stop at stop lights and speed. If this were a procession of motorists\nhonoring a victim of a car crash, would you write that? And it\u2019s in the passive\nvoice. Who \u201cencouraged\u201d them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TBT\ncan do better\u2014and have. Here are well-reported examples of TBT putting bike\ncrashes into context:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 12.https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/breaking-news\/2020\/04\/04\/traffic-death-on-bayshore-boulevard\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Obviously, reporter Marlene Sokol\ninterviewed witnesses and avoided any charged language that implied the\npedestrian was at fault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13.https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/breaking-news\/2020\/01\/09\/pedestrian-seriously-injured-in-bayshore-boulevard-crash-in-tampa\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Christopher O\u2019Donnell obviously did not\nrely on a law enforcement press release and filed a good report that did not\ntry to assign blame to the victim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 14.https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/tampa\/2020\/01\/10\/driver-in-deadly-bayshore-crash-had-just-drank-whiskey-tampa-police-say\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n O\u2019Donnell and three other reporters\nfollowed up with additional information the next day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 15.https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/tampa\/2020\/01\/21\/is-tampas-bayshore-boulevard-really-that-dangerous\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n This follow-up by Charlie Frago is\nwelcomed, as it is one of the few stories of such crashes that follow up on the\noriginal reporting and provide a larger perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 16.https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/tampa\/2020\/05\/05\/widow-sues-pinch-a-penny-over-death-of-bayshore-jogger-hit-by-pickup-truck\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n More follow-up by Anastasia Dawson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\nwill note that the crash on Bayshore Blvd. in Tampa (all covered in stories #13-16)\nwas of a victim with what researchers call \u201chigh social capital,\u201d i.e., a white,\nupper middle-class man. Research shows such victims are often covered more sympathetically\nthan, for example, lower socio-economic black men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\nwould encourage TBT editors to take a few steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can download a research\npaper<\/a> by Bike\/Walk Tampa Bay regarding the reporting of bike crashes in the\narea over the past 10 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There\nis evidence that lately bicycling is increasing greatly, and I fear more lives\nwill be ended or forever altered. We should report their stories in a way that respects\ntheir right to be on the road and does not assume that they must be at fault\nwhen crashes occur.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Reviewing Tampa Bay Times stories about crashes involving bicycles from approximately June 2019-2020 reveals a common litany of problems: The use of phrases and language that implies cyclists\u2019 culpability in most crashes, even though nationwide, studies have shown that most car\/bike crashes are the fault of motorists Relying solely on police reports and press releases… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/griendling.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2086"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/griendling.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/griendling.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/griendling.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/griendling.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2086"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/griendling.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2086\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2089,"href":"http:\/\/griendling.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2086\/revisions\/2089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/griendling.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/griendling.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/griendling.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}