WBJ Exclusive: Driver charged with Chelsea Traynor's death ran red light

"I can tell you without a doubt that the truck ran the red light. It was a big 4x4 type pickup doing maybe 50mph."  That is what an eyewitness told WalkBikeJersey last week after we ran the story about Roger Hode being charged in the crash that took Chelsea Traynor's life.  Also according to the eye witness "she had the green light and that the truck ran the red light."

When WalkBikeJersey visited the site in December 2010, we looked at the signal timing specifically at how long it took to cross the intersection once the pedestrian signal button was pushed.  With this information it would seem likely that Chelsea took the time to wait until she had the proper signal and the right of way.  This new information makes her death all the more tragic.

Driver who killed Rutgers student charged in 2010 traffic death

The Star-Ledger is reporting that Rodger Hode of South River has been charged with aggravated manslaughter and death by auto in the December 2010 killing of Chelsea Traynor on Route 18 in New Brunswick.  On the morning of December 9, 2010 Traynor was crossing Rt 18 on her bicycle at the southern most intersection of George St when Hode's Ford pickup truck hit and killed her. 


View Bicyclist fatality Rt 18 and George St. 12/9/10 in a larger map

The then 21-year-old Californian Chelsea Traynor, of Concord, California was a sophomore, in the class of 2013, majoring in nutritional science at the university’s School of Environmental and Biological Sciences in New Brunswick, formerly known as Cook College.  She had previously studied at Humboldt State University in California and had recently transferred to Rutgers.

Site of the Traynor crash in December, 2010.

Traynor's death was the second reported bicyclist/pedestrian fatality on the newly renovated New Brunswick section of Rt 18.   The previous fatal crash was in October of 2009 when 15yo George Coleman was struck and killed just north of the George St intersection at Commercial Avenue.  WalkBikeJersey is thankfully unaware of any other pedestrian or bicyclist fatalities along this stretch of highway since Traynor's death.  WalkBikeJersey reverently visited the crash site in only a few days after the tragic events and investigated and photographed the facilities as they were at that time.

Our hearts at WalkBikeJersey reach out to the Traynor family and hope that justice carried out in her case.

Lambertville Man Ticketed In Route 1 Bike/Car Crash

Following up on the Route 1 crash that killed Aguedo Cruz on May 7, the Lawrenceville Patch reports that a 59 Year Old Lambertville Man has been charged with failing to obey a traffic control device. Cruz was travelling the wrong way at the Route 1/I-295 Interchange when he was struck by the driver.

The driver was cited for not staying in the lane by crossing over the painted channelization area as he was merging onto Route 1.

The stories on this crash have constantly been questioning the motive of the bicyclist to travel the wrong way down Route 1 through this dangerous merge.

• Let clarify one thing, this section of Route 1 is open to bicycle traffic. Bicycles are banned from the Trenton Freeway which begins about 1 mile south where Route 1 splits with Business Route 1.
• This entire stretch of Route 1 barricaded, that is to get from the northbound side to the southbound side you have to climb over the jersey barriers. The nearest crossover is more than a half mile north at the Quakerbridge Mall.
• Route 1 is a retail and restaurant hotel corridor, many of the jobs there are filled by low income workers, the same jersey barriers that inconvenience bicyclists make it nearly impossible for people who walk to transit to access those jobs. 
• The nearest alternate route between the Quaker Bridge Mall and the Trenton area for bicyclists involves a 5 mile detour via Quakerbridge Road (another monster interchange) and the Delaware and Raritan Canal). 

So the answer to the rhetorical question "Why was he there?" is because there were no other options.

Cruz and other cyclists who have been killed by motor vehicles were honored by last nights "Ride of Silence" events.

This report first appeared in The Greater Philadelphia Bicycle News and appears here with their permission.

The Princeton Patch reported that a 58-year old Trenton man was struck by a motorist while cycling and killed on US-1. The crash happened just after 9:30 on Monday morning at the merge with the off ramp from I-295. Aguedo Cruz, 59, died shortly after the crash at Capital Health System Regional Medical Center in Trenton.


View PA/NJ Bicycle Crashes 2011-2012 in a larger map

Like many US Highway arterials in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, US-1 is inhospitable for bicyclists and pedestrians. However, Route 1 is also a commercial corridor where people work, visit the doctor, and shop. Thus bicycle and pedestrian traffic persists despite previous efforts of highway engineers to make it nearly impossible to do so. This tragedy is another reminder that re-configuring our existing suburban road network to make Complete Streets is not only desirable but a matter of life and death.

We mourn the death of Aguedo Cruz and offer our sympathy to his family and friends.

Driver 3X over Legal Limit Gets 7 Years for Killing Cecilia Harrop

The below post originally appeared in the Greater Philadelphia Bicycle News and is reproduced here with permission.  

According to the Courier Post, 40 year-old Daniel Stocklin pled guilty to vehicular homicide and was sentenced to 7 years a jail for killing tricyclist Cecilia Harrop, 39, in Brooklawn on July 7, 2010 (reported here). Stocklin’s blood-alcohol level was .246 at the time of the crash (the legal limit in NJ is .08.) The article notes that Stocklin was pulled over nearly a quarter mile away - technically a hit and run. The Judge has also suspended his license until 2020. Stocklin was also convicted of DUI in 1994.


View Bicyclists Crashes 2007-2010 in a larger map

• Four days after Ms. Harrop's death, 39 Year Old Manuel Albandoz was allegedly drunk, unlicensed, and driving a black Ford Taurus that did not belong to him when he fatally struck Celina Langan in the bike lane at Torresdale and Adams Avenues in East Frankford. This blog post suggest that Vehicular Homicide by DUI charges were dropped and bail was reduced. His attorney's quote was particularly disturbing.
• On September 14, 2010, 44 year old Thomas McCoy was killed by a drunk driver on Route 47 in Deptford, NJ. On February 6th, Mary Dalton pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and must serve out 85% of her sentence in jail. Sentencing is scheduled for March 16th and she could face up to 10 years in jail.
• Paul Jones, the man who struck and killed Randall Bratu on Baltimore Pike in Upper Darby on December 30th 2010, pled guilty and was sentenced for 3 to 6 years in prison plus 3 years probation and $15,000 in restitution. Last month, the Bicycle Coalition sent a letter to the court in asking for sentence stronger than the 3 year minimum for the offender.

Why were 3 Wayne boys crossing Rt 46 on a train trestle?

Simple!  There is absolutely no other way for the kids to walk or bike between the area neighborhoods and towns.

If you haven't heard, over the weekend two boys were hit and killed by an NJ TRANSIT train and another injured as he jumped off the trestle bridge to avoid getting hit (Read the informative and well written article from The Star-Ledger).  This tragedy happened at where I 80, NJ 23 and US 46 all intersect.  This interchange is locally know as the "Spaghetti Bowl" due to its seemingly endless and dizzying expanse of twisting, turning off-ramps and clover leaves.  Unfortunately this interchange was built in an era when no consideration was given to the needs of pedestrians or bicyclists looking to travel between the surrounding neighborhoods.  Even more unfortunate, at least one of the possible alternative crossings was given a major renovation within the past 15 years with nary a consideration given for anything other that the efficient flow of motor vehicle traffic.


View Location of Wayne double fatal NJ TRANSIT crash in a larger map

If you take a close look at the above map I prepared, you can see that there are no practical routes for miles around for non-motorized road users looking to travel north or south over both I 80 and US 46 anywhere near the NJ 23 corridor. 
Every roadway nearby that crosses both highways requires running a gauntlet of "meat grinder," high-speed off and on-ramps.  When faced with these "non-choices," the NJ TRANSIT rail corridor is probably in all reality the safest option even though it is illegal and wrought with its own hazards.

This reality has not been lost on a number of local area residents who commented on the above mentioned The Star-Ledger article:

Bottomline says:

Well for all of you who don’t understand. Yes it is dumb to be on tracks. If you know the area, that is the only direct route between the two towns, without crossing 2 major highways. (Rt.23&Rt.46). As a kid I grew up in this area, everyone knows it’s a commuter line and the chance of a train being on there at 9pm is almost unheard of. For these two boys their luck ran out. But now maybe the local gov. might put in a foot bridge for people instead of trying to dodge traffic or cross the rail road bridge. People are always seen trying to cross the highways right there. They do it so often that the grass on the side of the highway is worn out. R.I.P.

Lorraine 895 says:

I totally agree that a foot bridge is needed, since the only other way to cross the highway is go walk down to McBride or Browertown roads, and they are nearly a mile apart (if not more) on the town streets. So not just teenagers, but anyone who wishes to cross RT 46 has two choices, the rail bridge or play 'dodge the cars" on RT 46.

Finally videodummy says:

Prayers and condolences for the families. I know this area very well, and used these tracks to cross Rt.46 as a teen-ager. We knew it was wrong, but it the only way to get across the busy highway which is just as unforgiving.

This was not a case of "playing on the tracks after dark", these 3 boys were all with-in 10 minutes of their homes in a section where all three towns comes together.  The only way to get from where they were to where they were going was to either play dodge the cars on the highway, or take the trestle over it.  They were good kids put in a position of weighing right from wrong against the odds of being struck by car on the high-way.
 
Residents in the 3 adjoining towns have all pleaded for a walk-over bridge for many years to no avail. So many walk the tracks...many because they have jobs at the Willowbrook Mall and other retail establishments in the area, some because they have friends on the side of the highway.  Just the fact that 1 boy was able to jump off the trestle and save himself from being run over or crushed by the train was a miracle.  The fact that the DOT highway safety commission, and the town council boards continue to turn they're backs on this issue compounds the tragedy.

Achor House bicyclist killed in Clinton Township crash

The Express-Times of Easton, PA reported the tragic death this weekend of Doug McCune as he rode as part of the Anchor House Ride for Runaways on Payne Road near Rt 31 in Clinton Township (1, 2).  At around 9am on Saturday mourning Mr. McCune reportedly crashed into the back of a stopped vehicle.  He was taken to Hunterdon Medical Center and was pronounced dead.  Mr. McCune's death is being called "a tragic accident."


View Larger Map

This is the second deadly crash in the 33 year history of the Anchor House Ride for Runaways which is considered New Jersey's and one of the East Coast's premier charity bicycle rides.  Unfortunately both of these deaths occurred in New Jersey on the last day of the ride.  In 1998 a 15-year-old Mercer County boy, was fatally struck by a car during the last leg of the fundraiser.  The Ride for Runaways is an annual, 7 day, 500 mile charity bicycle ride that exists to support Anchor House, a shelter for runaway and/or abused teenagers located in Trenton, NJ.

We at WalkBikeJersey extend our condolences to Doug McCune's family.

Bicyclist killed in Tabernacle

This crash report was first posted by our affiliates at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.  Reading the comments in the Phillyburbs article linked to below, it appears that the bicyclist was using a flashlight (possibly handheld) as a headlight.  All should know that New Jersey State Law regarding operating a bicycle at night reads as follows:

39:4-10 Lights on Bicycles
When in use at nighttime every bicycle shall be equipped with: 1) A front headlamp emitting a white light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the front; 2) A rear lamp emitting a red light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the rear; 3) In addition to the red lamp a red reflector may be mounted on the rear.

According to Phillyburbs.com - 23 Year Old Shawn Patterson was riding his bicycle on Old Indian Mills Road in Tabernacle, NJ when he was hit by a truck making a left onto the road from Route 206 at around 10:55 p.m. Patterson was flown to the Trauma Center at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where he succumbed to his injuries, police said.


View PA/NJ Bicycle Crashes 2011-2012 in a larger map

As you can see the intersection of the road a vehicle traveling 50 mph on US 206 can almost seamlessly veer left onto the Old Indian Mills Rd.

Our deepest sympathies go out to Shawn's family and friends.

Pedestrian deaths are always more than just statistics

I was reading The Star-Ledger today (yes, real newsprint) and came across the tragic story of the life and death of Joao Silva written by columnist Barry Carter.  It was so touching that I felt must be shared with you all.  Stories like this, that put a real human face on the statistics we hear about everyday, are important to remind us what's at stake.

Silva was the chef at St. Philip's Academy who had a knack for sneaking healthy vegetables into the school lunches without the kids ever noticing.  He was hit and killed while crossing Central Ave in a crosswalk directly in front of the school, as he walked to work back in early November.

Barry Carter's story about Joao Silva and his memorial service can be found here.

The original story about the fatal crash can be found here.

Was snow and ice a factor in fatal bicycle crash in Berlin, NJ?

The following was originally written by John Boyle and posted on the Greater Philadelphia Bicycle News. It is reprinted here with the permission of our friends at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

The Courier Post reports that an unidentified cyclist was killed in Berlin, Camden County near the intersection of White Horse Pike and Bishop Avenue on at approximately 11 p.m. Thursday January 13th.

The victim was taken to Cooper University Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

It's not known whether the road conditions were a factor in the late night crash but given that it was only about 36 hours after the end of a 6 inch snowfall it is possible that slippery roads narrowed by plowed snow contributed to the crash.

Streets narrowed by plowed snow were cited in a fatal bicycle car crash in New Haven Connecticut where a 14 year old boy was struck and killed by a hit and run driver. New Haven received 19+ inches of snow in the January 12th storm.

Our hearts go out to the families and friends of the victims.


View PA/NJ Bicycle Crashes 2011-2012 in a larger map

Brief bicycle news brief: Bicyclist killed in Toms River, more

I had no intention of doing this post but I came across some important news articles while searching NJ.com just moments ago.

Millburn Police seek witnesses in crash involving bicyclist on Old Short Hills Road
Independent Press • Sunday, December 26, 2010

Toms River bicyclist dies after collision with car
The Star-Ledger • Friday, January 7, 2011

Bike trail construction starts soon (in Camden)
The Gloucester County Times • Sunday, January 2, 2011

Bergen County Prosecutor calls hit & run pedestrian crash "vehicular homicide"

In an interview on NJN News on Monday, January 3rd, the Bergen County Prosecutor, John Molinelli is calling the hit-and-run crash that killed Dr. Paul Kudowitz "vehicular homicide." According to the report, Dr. Kudowitz was crossing Broad Avenue at 5:30 on December 24th as he was walking home from a Friday night prayer service at his daughters house for the Jewish sabbath.  Police found parts from the vehicle that hit Dr. Kudowitz and are looking for a mid 1990's Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban or extended cab truck that is either white or cream in color.

It is interesting to note that the Prosecutor is talking vehicular homicide at this moment without even knowing much about the driver.  Usually the only time this charge is used in a fatal pedestrian or bicycle crash is when the driver is drunk, otherwise impaired or in the act of committing a crime.  The NJN report says that Broad Ave were Dr. Kudowitz was struck and killed, is marked at only 25mph but that drivers routinely speed on this roadway.  This would seem to indicate that the prosecutor may be taking the likely speed of the vehicle into account in considering such a charge (pedestrians hit at 25mph are very likely to survive a crash).  Undoubtedly the driver will also be charged with hit-and-run along with any other charges.

All too often in the past, drivers who speed and kill pedestrians, are usually not even charged with anything or are given a slap on the wrist when they are charged with "failing to yield to a pedestrian," which is a couple of points and a few hundred dollar fine.  This is truly a cheap price to pay for taking a life.  In hit-and-run situations, if there is no other criminality, the driver will usually just be facing the hit-and-run charges with the minor "failing to yield to a pedestrian" charge.  While hit-and-run is a serious crime, it is secondary to the primary offense.  If the driver stops, they usually weren't charged with anything in the past, even if they were speeding.  It seems as if attitudes are changing, at least when pedestrians are rundown by motorists.

To see the NJN News report for yourself follow this link, click on "Monday" and advance to time stamp 14min 15sec.  The link will only be good for a week as there are no longterm online archives for NJN News and there is no way to directly embed the video here.

Cyclist killed in New Brunswick crash ID'd as California woman - Updated with photos of intersection

The Star-Ledger reported on Saturday that the woman killed in a crash on Rt 18 at Georges Rd in New Brunswick was 21-year-old Californian Chelsea Traynor, of Concord, California. Traynor was a sophomore, in the class of 2013, majoring in nutritional science at the university’s School of Environmental and Biological Sciences in New Brunswick, formerly known as Cook College. As of Saturday, no charges were filed against the driver.

Since the Google Streetsview imagery was outdated for this newer intersection I went out and visited the location, took some pictures so I and our readers could get a better understanding of the place and what could have happened to Chelsea Traynot. I went through the crosswalk to cross the northbound local lanes of Rt 18. Going over to the riverside it took exactly one minute to get the walk signal. Upon my return in took only 20 seconds. It also appeared that when traffic turning left from George Stgot the green light, all traffic on the northbound local lanes also came to a halt. I did not observe the operation of the light well enough to say that this was the case with 100% certainty.

It was rather somber to go to a place where someone had lost their life not even a week earlier and I took these pictures and show them here with the greatest reverence to the deceased.

Traffic turning left onto Rt 18 in the foreground. The green signal for these
drivers seemed to bring all Rt 18 traffic to a halt seen in background.A view of the approach to the intersection with George St.
A view of the approach to the intersection but further south along the highway.
Note the posted speed limit.

Rt 18 claims life of Rutgers student crossing on bike

MyCentralJersey.com and several other news organizations are reporting the death of a 21 female Rutgers Student 11:10 a.m Thursday morning who was crossing the local lanes of the highway with her bicycle at Georges Rd near the Cook and Douglas Campuses. This is the second fatality of a person crossing the northbound local lanes of Rt. 18 in New Brunswick. The previous fatal crash was in October of 2009 when 15yo George Coleman was struck and killed just north of the George St intersection at Commercial Avenue.


View Bicyclist fatality Rt 18 and George St. 12/9/10 in a larger map

We at WalkBikeJersey send our condolences to the unnamed victims family.

Bicyclist Killed By Open Truck Door In Woodbury Heights, NJ

The following was originally written by John Boyle and posted on the Greater Philadelphia Bicycle News. It is reprinted here with the permission of our friends at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

A report in the Gloucester County Times describes the death of a man who according to the article "crashed his bicycle into the open door of a truck parked on the shoulder of Evergreen Avenue in Woodbury Heights.

The victim identified as 57 Year Old George E Schilling Jr was taken to Underwood-Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The crash occurred on Friday November 26th at 6:05PM, well after dark and Police describe the lighting in the area as poor.

Our condolences go out to Mr. Schilling's Family.



View Bicyclists Crashes 2008-2010 NJ and SE PA in a larger map

Charity ride to honor bike crash victim, Joe McBride

The following message was originally posted on the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance Blog and was reposted here to help spread the word about this noteworthy event.

On Saturday, November 13 at 9:00 am, a charity ride will be held in honor of Joe McBride, a member of the Princeton Free Wheelers bicycle club, who was killed in a motor vehicle collision last week while riding his bike near Washington Crossing, PA.

Join the Hill Slugs on Saturday, November 13, as we ride one of Joe McBride’s favorite routes along the Delaware River and the ridge above Frenchtown. The ride will be C+/B difficulty, 13 – 16mph average speed, for about 50 miles. Joe didn’t like big hills, so we’ll stay away from the nasty ones. There will be one rest stop in Upper Black Eddy, PA, and an additional, optional, stop in Sergeantsville.

Meet in the CVS parking lot off of Route 29 in Lambertville, and please arrive about 20 minutes early, to be ready to leave at 9am. Wet roads cancel the ride.

Please bring a check made out to the American Diabetes Association or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Leaders: Laura Lynch and Joe Miller. Contact Laura Lynch (perpetualheadwinds@gmail.com) if you have any questions.

NJ Bicyclist Killed on River Rd in Washington Crossing PA

The following was originally written by John Boyle and posted on the Greater Philadelphia Bicycle News. It is reprinted here with the permission of our friends at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

Joseph McBride, 58 of Ewing NJ and a member of the Princeton Freewheelers was killed Friday while bicycling on River Road near Overlook Avenue in Washington Crossing. A report in the Bucks County Courier Times stated that the victim drifted into the path of an oncoming minivan. However an unconfirmed report suggests that there was incidental contact with the rear wheel of a second bicycle that caused McBride to lose control and cross over the yellow line.

The Courier Times article has been inundated with negative comments about people on bicycles. These cowards, hiding behind their keyboards, believe that every tragedy involving a bicyclist is an opportunity for an anti-bike rant . Imagine if one of the TV stations covered the bike crash and some troll got on camera and recited "I almost hit one of these neon spandex wearing retards on my way to work". Why do news websites tolerate such inflammatory discussion when it involves the death of human being? Perhaps you can help restore sanity by leaving a supportive comment.


View Larger Map

Our sympathies go out to the family of Joseph McBride.

Joseph's Obituary on Legacy.com

Woodbury Man Killed By Drunk Driver in Deptford

The following was originally posted by John Boyle on the Greater Philadelphia Bicycle News:


Another person on a bike struck and killed by a motorist in a wide shoulder.

According to the Camden Courier Post Thomas McCoy 44 0f Woodbury was struck and killed on Tuesday at 11:30 PM in the shoulder of Route 47 near Turkey Hill Rd by car the drifted into the shoulder. The alleged motorist fled but her vehicle was found about a mile up the road and she was arrested. The suspect was charged with death by auto, leaving the scene of a fatal accident and driving while intoxicated.


View Bicyclists Crashes 2008-2010 NJ and SE PA in a larger map

We extend our sympathies to Mr.McCoy's family. Every traffic death on our highways is one too many.

Bicyclist Killed on Route 555 in Gloucester County

The below report comes to us from John Boyle and our friends at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia:

Another cyclist has been struck down in the wide shoulder of a Gloucester County road, this time it's fatal. 70 Year Old Robert Schwinn of Vineland who as the report states was wearing a helmet and a reflective vest was struck in the shoulder.

From New Jersey Newsroom.com:

"Schwinn, 70, was traveling northbound along the shoulder of Route 555 (Main Road) at 7:23 a.m., wearing a helmet and reflectorized vest. In the vicinity of Weymouth Road, a pick-up driven by Anthony Leatherwood, 32, of Franklinville, overtook Schwinn from behind and struck him, according to authorities."



View Bicyclists Crashes 2008-2010 NJ and SE PA in a larger map

Remarkably at this time there have been no charges have filed against the driver. The circumstances bear some similarities to several other crashes on the straight rural roads of South Jersey. Most recently On June 12th in West Deptford Randall Gartner suffered serious injuries (more serious than posted in the news story) when he was struck from behind at a lethal 45 miles per hour. Gartner was well equipped with ample lighting and a reflective vest. The perpetrator who committed this violent act left the scene and police do not have any suspects. Last July another cyclist Rick Clendaniel was killed in the shoulder of Mays Landing Road in Vineland by a driver that was allegedly driving 70 mph. The driver Jerome Byrd was charged with speeding and not wearing a seat belt.