Awful Photo . . .

[BumbleBeeDave]

This photo was on the AP wire today. I'm assuming at this point that the quality is not better because it was taken by an amateur. In any event, I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before. Unbelieveable . . . :crap: :(

BBD

===============

A car collides into cyclists participating in a race in Mexico's northern border city of Matamoros, Sunday June 1, 2008. At least one person was killed and 14 injured when a driver slammed into a bicycle race. (AP Photo/Jose Fidelino Vera Hernandez)

[KeithNYC]

Speechless....

[Fixed]

bro that did not make my day ..that is bad imho
back to gloria

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . I will post it. At this point I don't see a story.

BBD

[regularguy412]

OMG! That's horrendous.

Seems like I remember reading about a similar incident several years ago in a race here in the U.S. There was a rolling closure, but somehow a driver in a pickup truck got on the course and met the peleton head-on at the top of a rolling hill. As I recall, there were no fatalities, but several serious injuries. The only picture that I recall seeing was one of the front of the pickup after the wreck. It looked like someone had taken a baseball bat and totally demolished the grille, hood, headlights and bumper.

Sure is a scary. Be safe out there, you all.

Mike in AR :beer:

[znfdl]

That brings back very bad memories from the Tour de Moore in NC back in 1989 or 1990 when a car did the same thing to my Cat 4 pack of 125+ going 30mph.

[Kevan]

every bad accident we've ever discussed here looked a lot like this scene. Remember that Miami neighborhood crash?

Absolutely horrific.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . and am still finidng nothing. I'll keep an eye out for anything more.

BBD

[deechee]

google? (http://news.google.ca/news?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&tab=wn&ncl=1218518032)

[sn69]

Agree with Fixed. That is unnerving as hell. :confused:

Reminds me of a triathlon, the name of which escapes me at the moment, when top 90s long-courser Christian Bustos was run over by the media vehicle following him. Crushed his femur and severed the artery. Needless to say, he almost bled-out. It took him a few years to recover....

[ThasFACE]

How does that happen? Was the driver maybe pulling into traffic?

Very scary, however it happened.

EDIT: Just checked out the story links. Of course the driver was jacked up on all kinds of nonsense.

[Erik.Lazdins]

The pic is horrific.

I attended all 3 days of crits in Tulsa (Tulsa Tough) this weekend and saw one car make it on course - my heart stopped - The race announcer announced it immediately while fortunately local police stopped the car quickly,and got it to move before the peleton came through.

[rsl]

oh my, that just makes my stomach sink...

Thoughts and prayers go out to the riders and families. How terrible.

[tuco]

[Bad person] was driving drunk and under the influence of drugs, Matamoros newspapers reported in their Monday editions. (http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/brownsville_87322___article.html/
along_matamoros.html)

[BumbleBeeDave]

Brownsville man killed in Matamoros cycling accident
Comments 3 | Recommend 8
June 2, 2008 - 12:18PM
By Jose Borjon, The Brownsville Herald

A Brownsville man is dead and at least five people remain hospitalized at a number of Rio Grande Valley hospitals after being struck by a car as the group, along with other cyclists participated in the third annual Bike Tour Matamoros-Playa Bagdad Sunday morning.

At least two people have been confirmed dead. Alejandro Alvarez, 34, of Brownsville, and a second person both died, the Mexican news outlet Tamaulipas enlinea.com reported in its online edition Monday.

Edgar Omar Castro, 14, Miguel Gonzalez, Alejandro Martinez and Rolando Loriqute, along with another person remained listed in conditions ranging from good to critical at Valley Baptist Medical Centers in Brownsville and Harlingen, VBMC spokeswoman Teri Retana confirmed late Sunday night.

The group, along with others participants in the bike race shortly, were struck by Jesse Lopez, 29, who drove a 1989 Gran Marquis. Lopez was driving drunk and under the influence of drugs, Matamoros newspapers reported in their Monday editions.

For more on this story, see Tuesday's Brownsville Herald.

[gone]

I'm absolutely speechless. So horrifying to imagine what it must have been like to have that car headed at you. A friend of mine in a 4 man paceline had a car plow into them in a classic left hook. Driver uninsured and "never saw them".

I imagine this is what that scene must have looked like.

Awful.

[dannyg1]

BBD,

I've got to say that, as a photographer (one of my professions), there's nothing at all wrong 'quality wise' with the photo. It's news value is obvious and it captures the drama of the moment perfectly. To say that it's chillingly frightful is understatement and I cannot criticize a single element, other than line resolution. Even then, I think the photo might be far less dramatic were it 'sharper'.

Danny

[Louis]

If we dissect this down to the pixel level it will end up like what the lawyers did to the Rodney King video during the trial. You loose sight of the bigger horrible picture.

This isn't about how good or bad the picture is. It's about a tragedy.

Louis

[dannyg1]

If we dissect this down to the pixel level it will end up like what the lawyers did to the Rodney King video during the trial. You loose sight of the bigger horrible picture.

This isn't about how good or bad the picture is. It's about a tragedy.

Louis


In the OP, BBD wrote>>I'm assuming at this point that the quality is not better because it was taken by an amateur.<<

And that's what I was answering to directly.

Danny

[cleavel]

Hello All,

A horrific accident and photo. My condolences and sympathy to all involved and their families. :(

My question is how was it that there was someone in a position to photograph or capture a video of the accident?

[BBB]

Is that black object in the top left hand side of the photo someone's helmet?

Very nasty image.

[regularguy412]

Is that black object in the top left hand side of the photo someone's helmet?

Very nasty image.

Looks like it to me.

:crap:

Mike in AR

[RonW87]

Doesn't "matamoros" mean "kill dark people"? Weird irony.

Ron

[barry1021]

Hello All,

A horrific accident and photo. My condolences and sympathy to all involved and their families. :(

My question is how was it that there was someone in a position to photograph or capture a video of the accident?

Because it was a race. I hope it wasn't a relative of one of the riders involved.

b21

[brians647]

Man oh man. My prayers go out to those guys and the families of those that passed. Ugh. I feel sick.

[shinomaster]

Thanks for the warning... :no:
I once saw on TV a rally car race in South America where the race car plowed into a huge crowd of people sending them flying like dolls. THe driver just backed up and got on course and kept racing!!!! It wasn't Christian BTW.

[thinpin]

I feel sick

[flickwet]

in me needs to subside after seeing that, My initial feeling is one where I hope some of tthe less injured may be able to spend some time in a closed room with a broken whiskey bottle and teach the DB driver a lesson, but that its not very civilized of me to feel this way. Yet we all know that as cyclists drivers even drunk ones suffer little at the hands of any justice system. I'm sure there are members of this forum who will say "How tragic all are victims", yet the driver made the decision to render himself incapable of operating a motor vehicle in a safe manner and just as shooting a gun into a crowd should be treated accordingly.

[rounder]

That brings back very bad memories from the Tour de Moore in NC back in 1989 or 1990 when a car did the same thing to my Cat 4 pack of 125+ going 30mph.

I was just thinking about that. I was out riding around about that time and ran into a guy who said that he had been in a race in NC a few weeks before and a car made a wrong turn and took out a bunch of riders including him...he was all taped up but still trying to stay in shape.

[dookie]

drunk? (http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/06/02/mexico.bikers.ap/index.html)

so completely unnecessary...

[jsfoster]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/06/02/mexico.bikers.ap/index.html

This link answers some of the questions. Driver was American citizen.....

[Louis]

Maybe it's time for some "Midnight Express" jail time for Mr. Campos, Mexican style...

[William]

My condolences to the family & friends of all the victims.



It may not be PC to say, but an eye for an eye is apropos IMO. Reminds me of a few stories Beungood has told me about arresting meth heads who have driven into all sorts of things and have no recollection of how or why they ended up where they did.




William

[gone]

Third hand but possibly reliable info. My wife is in the area and spoke to someone in a bike club from Brownsville who was at the race and was told that the driver went around a police car that was trailing the race and hit the riders from behind. Hard to tell from the photo but looks like it might be possible.

[brians647]

Third hand but possibly reliable info. My wife is in the area and spoke to someone in a bike club from Brownsville who was at the race and was told that the driver went around a police car that was trailing the race and hit the riders from behind. Hard to tell from the photo but looks like it might be possible.

Yes, that seems likely, as there is a guy in green bike kit, stopped on the left hand side of the photo, facing away from us.

[Russell]

. . . and am still finidng nothing. I'll keep an eye out for anything more.

BBD
I read about this am on CNN.com

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/06/02/mexico.bikers.ap/index.html