On April 5, my friend William Curry was struck and killed by a car while riding his bicycle. Last week, APD investigators found that his death was his own fault. There are three sets of facts that make me certain that this is untrue. My fear is that APD's finding will put the lives of more people at risk.
The first set of facts is technical. APD's report claims that Wil was riding east in the westbound lanes of Tudor Road, and they base this on the GPS data saved in his phone. But his in-phone GPS only has an accuracy down to about 25 feet and includes a software "assist" that "snaps" positions toward streets, to help when driving. Since Wil used an app to share his rides online, you can go and look at his last ride, zoom all the way in and see that for much of the length of Tudor, he was marked as being on the sidewalk, but there are periodic "bounces" into the road for no logical reason. The final location shows him in the eastbound lanes, dozens of feet south from his actual position.
None of these points could be accurate.
Furthermore, while the accident happened at night, Wil took similar routes on many days at different hours. And by APD's logic, Wil must also have been riding the wrong way in traffic at rush hour several times, which is ludicrous. The truth is, the system is simply not accurate enough to make these sorts of determinations, but the logical conclusion would be that Wil was, as he habitually did, traveling on the sidewalks and in the crosswalks, not the wrong way down the road.
Which brings me to the second set of facts: Wil's habits. Initial reporting stated that Wil was wearing a helmet, that he was wearing reflective clothing and that he had multiple lights. These are the habits of a safe, experienced bicycle commuter, not one who rides in the street headfirst into traffic, as APD claims.
The third set of facts comes from my own life. Because I have been nearly killed four times in the last year. Not on a bicycle, but on foot. Not at night, but as I walked to lunch. Each time is the same. The driver is looking left, waiting for a break in traffic or a light to change so they can exit a parking lot or side street. I approach from their right on the sidewalk or in the crosswalk -- the right of way is mine -- but they don't even look before they let off the brakes. And I am certain that something like this is what happened to Wil. The driver was waiting at a red light, the light changed, and she didn't look to her right before accelerating into the crosswalk.
So far, I've been lucky. But more than once, I've had to thump a car's hood when it began to roll into me. It's a good thing that I was paying such close attention, because the driver certainly was paying none. I'm lucky they didn't gun the gas. But if not, would APD find me at fault, for the crime of walking on the sidewalk?
I don't seek to blame the driver of the car for my friend Wil's death. That won't bring him back or assuage the pain of his loss. Rather, I seek to prevent further tragic accidents like Wil's, and that won't happen by blaming him, incorrectly, for his own death in an official report. By doing so, APD is irresponsibly condoning future reckless actions by other drivers. Instead, I want APD, and all of Anchorage, to spread this message to motorists: "Look right to save a life."
My friend is dead, but you can prevent the next fatal accident.
Dale Sheldon-Hess says he was inspired to begin cycling by his friend William Curry. Sheldon-Hess lives in Anchorage.
By DALE SHELDON-HESS