Written by Boston Biker on Jun 02

EDIT: The name of the cyclist has been released it was Kelsey Rennebohm, who died late Friday. She was a Seattle native who was enrolled in the counseling psychology master’s degree program at Boston College. (via)





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A female cyclist was killed when struck by an MBTA bus Friday night. This is not the first time someone has been killed at this location…its about damn time something is done to make this stretch of road safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

From CBS:

A woman cyclist was killed in a crash involving an MBTA bus Friday night in Boston. MBTA Police say the accident happened on Huntington Avenue outbound at Forsyth Street. Investigators say several vehicles were in close proximity to the accident site when it happened and it was not immediately clear which one had collided with the cyclist. After a thorough investigation, police say they found evidence that the MBTA bus had made contact with the victim. The bus operator has been questioned. No charges have been filed. The investigation is ongoing. The victim’s name has not yet been released, but police said she was in her twenties. With no breakdown lane or bike lane on much of Huntington Avenue, the stretch of road is notoriously dangerous for cycling.

From WCVB:

A woman who was riding her bike was struck and killed by an MBTA bus Friday evening, transit officials said. The bicyclist, in her 20s, was killed while riding on Huntington Avenue near Northeastern University around 10:30 p.m. The woman, whose name was not immediately released, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on Huntington Avenue at Forsyth Street. “The bus operator has been questioned as part of this ongoing police investigation,” said spokesman Joe Pesaturo. He said details of the accident remain undetermined and forensic experts are investigating. A police spokesman said no citations have been issued and the investigation into what caused the accident is ongoing.

EDIT: update from The Globe

Officials are investigating the involvement of an MBTA bus in an accident that left a woman dead after she fell from her bicycle into traffic Friday night, police said. “An MBTA bus was involved in the accident,” said Officer James Kenneally, a Boston police spokesman. The victim was in her late 20s, Kenneally said. He said no charges have been issued at this time. The accident occurred around 10:25 p.m. on the outbound side of Huntington Avenue at its intersection with Forsyth Street, said Joe Pesaturo, an MBTA spokesman, in an email Saturday. “The preliminary investigation is focused on an MBTA Route 39 bus that was in the area of the accident at the time the 911 call was received,” Pesaturo said. Police questioned the driver of the bus, he said. “Like others, he was interviewed by police,” Pesaturo said. The accident occurred near the Northeastern University campus, but the victim had no relation to the university, said Renata Nyul, a spokeswoman for the school. Boston police could not say whether the victim was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. Pesaturo would not comment on whether the bus driver was aware of any involvement in the accident. “Investigators are working to establish facts,” he said. The intersection where the accident occurred was blocked off by police tape Friday night leaving a stretch of Huntington Avenue closed. The incident is under investigation by transit and city police.

EDIT: The Mayor has made a comment (via)

“That’s the third accident we’ve had where somebody has lost their life and I’ve asked the transportation department to take a look at that roadway to see what we can do to make it safer for cyclists and automobiles,” said Boston Mayor Tom Menino.

I am glad that at least there is the appearance of action, it will be up to all of us to make sure they follow through with this.

EDIT: The BCU is reporting she may have fallen into the street, I agree with them that bike lanes + reduced speed would go a long way to making this road better.

Eyewitnesses to the crash told the police that Rennebohm appeared to have lost her balance and fallen off her bike from the sidewalk and into the path of a Route 39 MBTA bus, according to Boston Police Department sources familiar with the investigation. This new information puts a different spin on events for many cyclists who may have assumed that Rennebohm’s injuries were received while riding her bike in the street. At the same time, it doesn’t mean that the instincts of those who are demanding bike lanes on Huntington Avenue are wrong. In fact, the way the accident happened highlights a secondary benefit that bike lanes have for pedestrians—-that of creating a buffer space between moving traffic and people on the sidewalk. It may also, as details unfold, speak to the need to reduce speeds on the street.

Tags: cyclist Posted in news