Bicyclist killed in Waukesha County crash with car

[Russell]

The initial report was a couple of lines reporting that a cyclist had been killed while riding on hwy 18 near me this past Sunday, a day I was out riding in the same area. The later report (see story below) indicated not only how close it really was but that now I know I actually rode right past the place it occurred. I was on the Glacial-Drumlin bike path which runs parallel to hwy 18 at one point when I saw the highway just to my right blocked off due to an accident. A car was on the side of the road with the windshield shattered and there appeared to be an investigation underway. At the time I thought it was just another automobile accident but now I know that was the place were a fellow cyclist was struck and killed. I know people die every day in traffic accidents but this incident really hit home just how dangerous it is out on the road for a cyclist and how every day many of us quite literally put our lives in the hands of motorists trusting they will pass us safely. I grieve for the family of this man whose life was lost so senselessly.

Waukesha County
Cyclist killed in Town of Summit accident
Netke, of Waukesha, was father of three
By Tom Held of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: June 21, 2010

A 42-year-old bicyclist who raced locally in a citizens series and the Tour of America's Dairyland was killed Sunday morning while riding on Highway 18 in the Town of Summit, authorities reported.

Brett Netke, a father of three from Waukesha, was hit from behind by a car driven by a 20-year-old from Dousman, according to the report form the Summit Police Department. Both Netke and the car were traveling eastbound.

The crash occurred about one-half mile east of Highway 67 and north of the Glacial Drumlin State Trail. The Waukesha County district attorney's office is expected to review the crash.

Netke raced on Friday night in the Thiensville Fiddleheads Coffee Criterium, part of the ongoing Tour of America's Dairyland. Race results showed him as a competitor in the men's masters division.

Tour organizers plan to honor Netke with a moment of silence before the ISCorp Downer Classic on Saturday.

According to the Wisconsin Cycling Association results, Netke has raced locally in the masters and Cat. 4/5 divisions.

Originally from Northville, Mich., Netke ran track and cross-country at Michigan State University, his wife, Darlene, said. He took up cycling a few years ago after a hamstring injury restricted his ability to run.

"Cycling relieved stress for him and he was huge on competition," Darlene Netke said Monday morning.

Her husband regularly joined the Saturday morning rides known as Drop the Doc, organized through the Bicycle Doctor shop in Dousman. On Sunday, he was out on his own doing one of his regular training routes.

"Sixty miles in the morning on the weekend was nothing for him," said Wes Barns, Netke's father-in-law.

Netke worked as the global purchasing director for Johnson Controls, in Milwaukee. He took the job about three years ago after working in Michigan.

"He was the best father and husband; competitive and driven in his work and dedicated, loving, unselfish," Darlene Netke said.

The couple were married 14 years and they have three children, Tyler, Alyssa and Gabrielle, ages 7, 5 and 3.

Netke is the second bicyclist to be killed in a highway crash in Wisconsin this year, according to state records.

Wayne Scharenbroch, 48, was hit and killed on April 3 while he pedaled on Marken Road in Manitowoc County. The driver, Dean Koenig, has been charged with hit-and-run resulting in death. Authorities reported his blood-alcohol level was 0.119 several hours after the crash.

In 2005, 14 bicyclists were killed in roadway crashes in Wisconsin, and the number dropped to seven in 2009.

Larry Corsi, a manager in the state Bureau of Transportation Safety, said his office had been pushing to educate motorists to "share the road," and watch for bicyclists.

"There are some motorists who still believe the road is theirs and cyclists shouldn't be on there," he said.

Cyclists also need to be reminded to follow the rules - obey stop signs and traffic signals - and to look out for cars, Corsi said.


Find this article at:
http://www.jsonline.com/news/waukesha/96852759.html

 

[dogman dan]

All too common for us locally, but no fatalities yet this year in my actual town of Las Cruces. But two dead already just 40 miles away in El Paso or 30 miles away in Canutillo.

One drunk hit a guy riding at about 6:00 am in the dark, DOA. Huge shoulder bike lane on that road, but the car just mowed him down. The driver had closed down a bar at 2:00 am that night, and presumably drank more after the bar closed somewhere.

The other one also early in the morning, but in daylight, was a hit and run. Never caught the driver yet. That one suffered in hospital about a month and then died.

Last year we had one in Las Cruces. The rider was making a left turn on a green turn arrow in the busiest intersection in town in the afternoon. The car that mowed him down never saw him at all. DOA. Presumably that driver ran a light? We have red light and speed cameras on that intersection now, which have really cut down the problems at that intersection. Previously I have seen 8 in a row run the red light to turn left.

I learned years ago on motorcycles to never trust a car one inch. To this day I barely look at traffic signals because I am staring at peoples eyes across the intersection. You can see a red light runner or left turner about to do it. Green lights mean squat if that car is going to left cross you. Keep an eye on every single car that passes you. Every single one! Dive for your life if you have to.

 

[Evoforce]

I live in a huge metro area and we have plenty of bicycle riders killed every year. Road rage is alive and well when it comes to motorists. People are just too self absorbed. Don't you dare impede the travels of the King or Queen! I recently had a west coast driver, decide he was going to show me how good of a driver he was, by missing me within inches of his car!