by 
From: Nashville Bicycle Lounge
http://www.newschannel5.com/story/17389680/father-struck-killed-during-family-bicycle-ride.These children watched their father die in front of their eyes, and no charges were filed.
This is wrong.
Please help us take this viral.
I have offered this:
The Nashville Bicycle Lounge will fully sponsor a memorial ride. We will supply a bicycle for the Ghost Bike. We will also be happy to tow the bicycle. The only contingent is that the ride begins and ends in the street in front of the residence of the person who killed Stacey Floyd.
From the article:
The incident happened just after 7 p.m. on Oak Hill Road in Coffee County.
Officials from the Tennessee Highway Patrol said that a family of five was riding bicycles on Oak Hill road when 40-year-old Stacey Floyd was struck and killed by a vehicle. Investigators said that there is no shoulder on this road and they believe the driver’s sight was limited due to the sun.
Keep the rubber side down out there, folks.
by 
Jesus, that sucks. I ride the roads around Knoxville for a few weeks each year. My personal experience has been that the folks in TN are quite courteous. I ride roads that are narrow, twisty, loads of blind bends, and not much space to pass even a bicyclists. The drivers usually wait and never honk, then when I find a safe place I’ll pull over and let them pass. The only honks ever directed to me were ones of encouragement. Just knowing the folks in eastern TN, I bet the driver is freakin out and regrets this and will make every effort to cooperate. Now, if this had happened in AZ or CA, I would say hang that driver.
Nashville Bike Lounge has right idea, call out not only person who was driving, but police who time after time blame rider when they are hit from behind. He didn’t see a family of five?!?!? Really!?!?!
This was a horrific accident. I spoke with the state trooper who helped at the scene. The woman who hit him was a 50 year old grandmother with her grandkids in the vehicle. She was taking them home after having played at the park. She did not intend to hurt or kill anyone. She cooperated fully and submitted to a blood test. I am sure she is hurting too. Please pray for my sister and her family. I am sure she would be honored for you guys to do a ride in his name. But please do it in a way that honors him and his life and celebrates him being a good Dad and Husband. He passed away spending time with his family. We are all so sad. Please pray.
My thoughts and prayers go out to both families.
I’m highly supportive of a Ghost bike at the site of an accident – it’s a powerful reminder to those who know its meaning. Parading in front of the house of the person who strikes a rider – not so much (in most circumstances); positive education (e.g., requesting a news story around the meaning / placement of a Ghost bike) will go a lot farther in memory to the downed cyclist and to the safety of cyclists, in general.
The majority of people coming to this site are both cyclists and drivers; there are 2-3 spots on my cycling commute that I’ll sprint through because the level of the sun, with respect to car commuters behind me, has me betting against the house with a weak hand. But, I keep betting. I’m highly cautious of these sections both as a cyclist and a driver…because I’m an avid cyclist. I can fully understand how a driver can blindly strike a rider in these instances – all tin foil hat conspiracies aside.
Going ‘viral’ based on an 8 sentence news article – you’re safer with a light saber in the hands of a 2 year old…you at least can see the damage coming, then.
Carrie, you have no idea how sorry I am for the family. I ride with people almost everyday, and the biggest fear I have is watching a friend or loved one struck down by a motorist that “didn’t see them because” (insert stupid reason here). I can not begin to understand what that is like, but I know that there is no worse experience than being helpless while a loved one dies in front of you.
As far as the grandmother,
I have no care for the woman who killed a man because the sun was in her eyes. I have no care if she had just finished feeding homeless puppies. I have no care if she was Mother Theresa. She should have taken care when topping a rise with the sun in her eyes. If one’s view is obstructed while operating a motor vehicle, it is up to that person to take the correct action to keep not only themselves and their passengers safe, but all those around them. She is responsible for her actions even if it was unintentional. The only way I can not place 100% of the blame on her is if she had been experiencing some sort of medical trauma that caused her to lose control of the vehicle, i.e. stroke, heart attack, etc.
Too many times in Tennessee (and everywhere else) drivers are getting away with hitting/killing people on bicycles due to something well within their control. Precedent must be set. There is no room for emotion in accountability.
I own the Nashville Bicycle Lounge, and if you would like to help create a memorial ride in his honor, we will do whatever we can to make it happen. …but something absolutely has to be done.
http://www.coffeecountytn.org/departments/public_safety/sheriff/index.html
…i echo dan’s sentiments at #5…terribly saddened to read of this…
…& we all literally have the responsibility of life & death in our hands when we get behind the wheel of any kind of motor vehicle…
…most people don’t wanna think in those terms…every body is just out to have a good time…
I cry without finding fault.
@defriend
I think that you have said it best, good on you.
I’m extremely uncomfortable with the position taken by Nashville Bicycle Lounge, organising a ride like that is not going to solve anything.
Fuck people, look at who’s involved.
Fucking brutal shit. Thanks for posting this story, even though it hurts so much. Got to agree with Dan, no excuses. This is one of those low waves in the emotional undulations that makes DC a roller coaster that takes a reader many places. Don’t forget to make the most of it folks, you never know when an evil vehicle might hunting us down.
…defiend & hurben…i’d agree that the ‘ride’ concept of starting & ending at the woman’s house may not be an intelligent choice, at least in this case but i can sure as fuck find plenty of fault…
…as i mentioned above, most people don’t wanna think about the fact that the most dangerous thing they will likely do in a day is get behind the wheel of a machine which has the potential to kill other human beings (or themselves) with a simple lack of judgment or a lapse of concentration…
…but then again, that’s really what happened here…a lapse of concentration…sun in her eyes, brow of hill, whatever…it’s something one encounters often enough that your brain should kick into contingency mode rather than just literally accept blind faith…
…i know you’re more intelligent than to imply this, hurben but it seems like it could be construed that what you’re essentially saying is that everyone gets a free pass to ‘accidentally’ kill someone with their vehicle at least once, as part of their learning curve, in hope that they will thus be accountable enough that it won’t happen again…
“accidentally’ kill someone with their vehicle at least once”
That is absolutely correct. It isn’t entirely a free pass but barring being drunk or otherwise negligent that is how it works. Accidents are just that, accidents.
There are a lot worse things people do in the World.
“Accidently” kill someone with a gun and there’s a better than even chance you’ll go to jail. Where’s the justice?
@guest: This was *not* an accident. The driver was negligent.
If a blind person got onto a 3000 pound car and drove, and killed someone, it would clearly be their fault. So why is this any different? If you cannot see, then stop. Why is that so hard?
The state of New York has a law where *every* vehicle collision must have a citation issued. Doesn’t matter what happened, the police must write at least one ticket, for what they believe to have caused the collision. (Even in a single vehicle incident). Good law.
Nobody knows what was going on in that car.
Here’s a possible scenario, any parents out there ? raise your hands. Yes I thought so, so how have you reacted to your child suddenly puking or choking while driving a vehicle?
I’m not apologizing for the driver, I just think that a lot more facts need to be found before we go tar & feather someone.
@BGW, I’m disappointed, if you thought that I was more intelligent than that, why imply that?
@Sparky, guns are made for one purpose & one purpose only, & that is to kill a living thing. You’re talking to someone who has used them for that purpose.
And I will never again allow myself to get into a situation where I have to do it again.
Funny, I distinctly recall expending countless rounds as a kid with no one ever getting killed. Competitive smallbore, sporting clays, informal target practice (paper plates, empty cans etc.) and just about any other aspect of the shooting sports that you could imagine. All done safely and responsibly, always under the watchful eye of my Dad.
And I gotta tell ya, if some innocent person had been killed because someone had “the sun in their eyes”, the legal consequences would have been certain and severe. There is simply no excuse for loosing a projectile, whether bullet or Buick, unless you are absolutely certain where it will land.
I agree Dan
“I have no care for the woman who killed a man because the sun was in her eyes. I have no care if she had just finished feeding homeless puppies. I have no care if she was Mother Theresa”.
Calling her “grandma”?? She is 50 y/o. She is an adult woman who should know better.
How fast does she have to be going to kill a man?
Please contact District Attorney Mickey Layne
http://www.tndagc.org/dag14.htm
409 Madison Street
P.O. Box 147 (zip:37349)
Manchester, TN 37355
Phone: (931) 723-5055
Fax: (931) 723-5058
Keep the roads safe for all of us who live and ride in Tennessee.
…“…guns are made for one purpose & one purpose only, & that is to kill a living thing…”…that statement is 100% correct…that is what they were originally designed for…
…sure, plenty of folks have the experience you speak of joe, but don’t lose sight of the forest for the trees…i’d suggest that hurben’s specific experience adds a very different perspective…
…that being said, your statement – “There is simply no excuse for loosing a projectile, whether bullet or Buick…” is not only 100% correct but also nicely penned, sir…
…@ guest…“Accidents are just that, accidents.”…amigo, while “…shit happens…”, proper vigilance, judgment & awareness, can absolutely preclude many of the circumstances that lead to preventable accidents…
Joe, accidentally kill someone with a gun where I live you probably won’t go to jail. Intentionally kill someone with a gun and say “I was in fear for my life” and you can’t even be charged.
Ok Chris, charge her with the accident…the punishment will be so light it will seem like there was no charge anyway.
yes bgw, I agree with you. The fact is though that accidents are treated as mistakes made by otherwise good people…maybe it shouldn’t be that way but it is.
…& hurben…i definitely KNOW you’re intelligent & quite so…perhaps my remark was poorly stated…
…bottom line…despite not knowing all the facts of this particular accident, i stand 100% by my statement to ‘guest’ @ #18…
I tried to be polite and shit, but really, hurben-“guns are made for one purpose & one purpose only, & that is to kill a living thing” makes about as much sense as saying bikes are only made to take people to work in Amsterdam.
@19-Don’t know where you live, guest. Don’t give a fuck. I was speaking to my experience growing up in the fifties and sixties in our quiet Western Maryland community. And while it might have been a long time ago, I owe everything good in me to its influence.
damn Joe, rub some cream on it
…so, ahhh, lucy, choo got some ‘splainin’ to do…what the fuck exactly were guns designed to do except kill ‘living things’ ???…
…if you take a step back, i guess you can say guns can be used to intimidate but that only works with people & it also carries the implied threat that “…i CAN kill you with this gun…” & often enough the implied threat becomes the action…
…i see nothing wrong with utilizing a gun for the humane hunting of animals for food but that just proves the point that guns are made for killing living things…
…target practice can be fun (been there, done that) but what was the initial purpose of target practice ???…to get more proficient with a firearm & what exactly would the purpose of that be ???…i mean, really ???…
…sorry, joe…dunno what your thought process is on this but first off, your analogy makes no sense whatsoever & secondly you’ve offered no explanation for your stance…
i know i’m going out on a limb here, but, does no one even twinge with the consideration that a family bike ride on a potentially unsafe road exposes a lapse in judgement? the price is extreme to say the least and i have lost friends and acquaintances in what would be considered the safest of scenarios.
all the same every time i pedal away from my home i presume that there are people in cars that want to kill me.
i suppose there are now people on bikes that would like too also.
Jesus, we are all getting a little uppity here. I spoke to our Lord and He has said, “Let us all look at ourselves in this situation.” “We shall pay our respects for the man and his family. This was a very unfortunate event.” A lady with her kids coming back from a fun filled day. All is well. Then she strikes a family.” Misery for all involved, the kids from both sides. Shall He punish her? Shall she go to hell? Maybe, maybe not. How many of us have ever driven and been blinded for a moment? I have. Even though I try to be conscious of vulnerable people out there. She was not adjusting her GPS like in the Mesa incident. I almost thonked a cyclist while turning right at rush hour in Vienna. Have we ever had a moment of lapse whilst on two wheels? I wish I had more info to judge, but in the end He will be the only one to judge.
Maybe bgw is abit obtuse this a.m. Maybe he hasn’t had his coffee. Or maybe he’s just being a dick. That last would truly shock me.
In any case, I would think my point-that is, that if an eight-year-old can be instructed in the safe and responsible use of firearms, there is no excuse for the negligant killing of an innocent person by a grown-assed adult driving a motor vehicle-to be clear even to those who traveled to school in the very shortest of busses.
this is Oak Hill Road
http://tinyurl.com/bl9slyv
street view works.
i have no idea where along the road the negligent killing took place
my letter to District Attorney Mickey Layne
http://eastsidecyclist.blogspot.com/2012/04/letter-to-da-layne.html
Joe, you’re being an idiot. While there is an argument, centuries dated, that long arms can be used to forage for game, handguns were invented and developed for exactly, precisely one reason: to deliver violent human death.
Any rationalization on this simplt fact is pretty “short bus” thinking.
No Mikey, in this case it is you who are the fucking idiot. This isn’t about whatever gun rights argument you and your lib buddies want to dredge up. Kneejerk much? I never even MENTIONED “foraging for game”, whatever the fuck THAT has to do with anything. Nor did my youthful marksmanship training involve handguns. Although it could have. My point was simply that if an eight-year-old can be trained to keep his weapon pointed downrange, then a fifty-something cager should surely be expected not to run their two-ton deadly weapon into unfortunate innocents. Now get your fucking ass back on that short bus. After you give me your lunch money. Fucking retard.
…jeezus, joe…read your own fucking post @ #22…several of us are asking you what exactly you’re talking about in your original response to hurben’s statement – “@Sparky, guns are made for one purpose & one purpose only, & that is to kill a living thing…”…
…your response to that is completely illogical…thus my comments @ #25…re-read ’em, please if you are still defending your original response to hurben…
…once we’re beyond that, yes, your point “…was simply that if an eight-year-old can be trained to keep his weapon pointed downrange, then a fifty-something cager should surely be expected not to run their two-ton deadly weapon into unfortunate innocents.” is something we could agree on…
@Joe? Read much? What do YOU think handguns were invented and developed for? Jebus d00d, don’t be an idiot.
PS— speaking of kneejerk, ever consider what age my daddy taught me to shoot (I was ten)? Ever consider that I might own several guns, including both long arms and my granddaddy’s sidearm from the Big War? It’s a jen-you-eyne 1913 Colt .45 ACP, brother. It served in France, today it’s a little rusted, could use re-bluing. Jebus, d00d, don’t be an idiot.
A cyclist is dead and you’re arguing over THIS???!!! What in the fuck is wrong with you?
@Joe— so it’s agreed then? You haven’t thought out your position, nor can you reasonably defend it? All righty then, smoke ’em if you got ’em.
And there seem to be dumb fuck drivers everywhere:
http://www.ketv.com/r/30894517/detail.html
…wow, joe…talk about a seriously weak copout…to take that tact considering how much discussion this topic has promoted, particularly in light of the position, you, of all people, took earlier is absolutely insulting…
…i’m w/ mikey 100% – “…You haven’t thought out your position, nor can you reasonably defend it…”…
…if you hadn’t put up such a defensive posture, i could see this being easily passed by but you owned it & owned it vociferously…from my point of view, it’s time to man up…
And on the other coast, this ….
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_20347467/one-dead-one-critically-injured-concord-accident
No end to it.
No, that won’t do. Sorry Jim g, but they have their rules. You have to present a fifty-page dissertation and photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back explaining what each one was. You need to put up some bullshit dissertation so mikey and bgw can try to shoot holes in it, thus validating their pathetic lives. It doesn’t matter who died, how many, or where and when. It’s all aboot the trolls, eh. They own you. Just ask them.
mikey and bgw
sitting in a tree
k-i-s-s-i-n-g
Jesus tittyfucking Christ, I hate this site.
…joetheelectrian…more infantile at every turn…
…just go out & ride, joe…you seriously need to clear out the cobwebs on a lotta fronts…
pot
kettle
black
And I ride more miles by accident than you do on purpose.
jeez, would y’all start drinking? Or stop. Because whatever you’re doing, you need to do the opposite of it.
@Joe— I KNOW YOU ARE BUT WHAT AM I? (Repeat as necessary.) Moron.
Gentlemen. May I drop in on someone’s wheel and catch a break? We are fighting a headwind here and there is a harsh climb just ahead. Any help is big right now and with one less rider on the team we will have to fight that much harder to stay ahead. Tuck in and pull and we will sort out the rights and wrongs on the bus.
…sorry, trailer p, i’m not done…
…joe, i’ve made mistake on this site & when offered evidence contrary to my opinion, i’ve had the fucking gumption to admit it, publicly, here in print…
…i’ve had attitudes about people & activities through this site that where defined by my personal prejudices & when offered more informed viewpoints i’ve never been afraid to admit i was wrong because it is an opportunity to learn & expand…
…i’ve never seen you do anything but constantly defend yourself & your ideas based on nothing more than “i’m joe & i’m right & you’re wrong”…
…if you think that’s an intelligent & healthy way of approaching any discourse on life, then so be it…i’ll know better than to respond to your extremely limited capacity from now on…
…i can’t say it surprises me…
I have gotten more info and details and I’ve changed my mind. Ride past her house. I am not at liberty to disclose any info, but I know more now than I did when I typed my 1st entry. I fully support you and this ride. Please honor Stacey’s memory and make the roads safer for other cyclists, runners, walkers!!!!!
hey Carrie, please send us an email at info@nashvillebicyclelounge.com so we can do this with you.
be sure to take pictures and report back here to us.
…i hope someone will keep us informed about developments in this case…
…carrie makes reference to info she personally can’t talk about so there’s obviously more to this story than we were led to believe…
Deaths are sad, condolences.
Meanwhile, since these accidents, millions of riders have been passed billions of times without incident.
It is an imperfect world.
There has been a fund set up for my sister’s family if any of you would like to help with that:
People interested in helping the family of Stacey Floyd can make a donation at any area U.S. Bank. For more information about the fund you can call the Manchester branch of U.S. Bank at 931-728-1002.
I asked my sister if she knew about you guys wanting to do this ride and she said she doesn’t like the idea of it ending up at her house. She fully supports a ride that honors his life and helps make the roads safer for cyclists, pedestrians, runners. I thought you might be interested in knowing how she feels about it. My 2nd comment was in anger and frustration over the fact that I strongly feel this tragedy could’ve been completely avoided.
I mean she doesn’t like the idea of it ending up at the driver’s house.
Hi Carrie,
It’d be a good idea to set up a PayPal account, that way, we ‘off shore’ types could help as well.