The causes of the two fatal bike accidents this summer in Lincoln have not yet been officially determined, according to Lincoln Police Chief Kevin Kennedy, who urged both bicyclists and motorists to know the rules of the road to prevent further accidents.
Eugene Thornberg of Wayland died on June 16 and Westford resident Mark Himelfarb died on August 17 when they were hit by cars while bicycling in Lincoln. Police recently removed a “ghost bike” that was installed at the site of the Himelfarb accident, stirring questions among residents. Among those questions: who was at fault in each accident, and how often such accidents occur in Lincoln.
Both accidents are still under investigation and the cause or fault (if any) has not been officially determined, Chief of Police Kevin Kennedy said Wednesday. Accidents involving fatalities must be investigated by local police as well as the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and state police, which includes an accident reconstruction team.
“I can appreciate everyone wanting to know results of investigations in a timely manner, but we owe it to the victims and their families to take the appropriate time to thoroughly examine all the facts and provide a complete and accurate account of what happened,” Kennedy said. “I urge people to withhold judgment on either the cyclists or the motorists until the investigation is complete.”
According to Massachusetts Department of Transportation accident reports gathered by Lincoln resident Joanna Schmergel, there have been 20 reported accidents involving cars and bicycles in Lincoln since 2005 (though probably have been more than were not reported to police, Kennedy noted). Six of them resulted injuries and two (both this summer) led to a fatality. Last week, another bicyclist was injured in an accident with a car on Route 117 near Mt. Misery, Kennedy said.
“A lot of times, motorists and bicyclists are not as educated as they should be about the rules of the road,” said Kennedy. He recommended that everyone review state law on bicycle operation as well as the right of way and the driver’s obligation to yield in certain circumstances, as outlined in the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles’ “Rules of the Road” starting page 95. Common sense on the part of both bicyclists and drivers is also important in situations such as deciding when it’s safe to pass a bike, or for cyclists to ride two abreast (which is legal, though they are always required to “facilitate overtaking” by cars).
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