The family of Kevin Black has received a settlement from a wrongful death lawsuit for $1.5 million. Black was killed in February 2009 while bicycling down 24th Ave. NW in Ballard. The van that struck him was making a U-turn and swerved into the bicycle lane where Black was riding. The van’s owner, Ambient Control Co., agreed to pay the settlement.
Here’s an article by our news partners, The Seattle Times.
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I hope the driver of the van has forgiven herself.
Everybody, slow down…..
I hope the company and its owners can stay in business, as well. A tragedy on so many levels. Share the road people.
Not a speed issue…unless you’re referring to the bicyclist.
jerk.
Semen lover…
This is a tragedy for everyone involved. My thoughts and prayers go out to the driver of the van, the company, and to Kevin’s family.
At least report what really happened, coming from this very website.
“Witnesses stated the van proceeded through the intersection and the
bicyclist passed all the stopped southbound vehicles on the left at a
high rate of speed then briefly moved back into the bicycle lane”.
“Witnesses stated
the bicyclist attempted to pass the van on the left as it entered the
turn lane”.
Purported eye-witness account of the accident,
“I was there. I was coming down 24th
and he came from my left, out of the neighborhood and into the center
lane next to the car in front of me. As that car passed he swerved in
front of me, to the bike lane and picked up speed for the hill. I dont
know how fast I was going, but I am usually about 5 over down that hill
and he was passing the cars in front of me. He was moving. As he
approached the red light at 65th, I noticed that he really wasnt slowing
down and I guessed that he was anticipating the light. When the light
turned green he was passing cars in the bike lane and the van pulled
away from the curb where the bus stop is. He swung wide to the left to
go around the van. I think he thought the van was just pulling out into
traffic, but when he realized the van was making a u-turn, he laid the
bike down and slid under the van.
I was third on the scene and thank God for the guy in front of me, the
fireman. He and the grocery clerk started CPR after we pulled the
bicyclist out from under the van. It was horrible.
I dont know if the u-turn was legal, but that guy was cookin down that
hill. I am sure that the the woman in the van checked her mirrors, but
he snuck up on her. I can say for certain that he was not practicing the
rules of the road.”
It’s just all sad. From all angles.
First time posting here. Kind of curious why this news is for public consumption? Did you ask the family for permission to report on their should be private business?
Settlements can be kept private by court order. Since the amount and winner was announced, it means that they didn’t want to keep it private.
Just re-reporting of the story from the Seattle Times which is linked in the story.
…and yet this site has kept mum for over two years on the jackass who wrapped his car around the lightpole at Taco Time on Easter morning and killed three innocent kids in the process.
Why is that? Why no follow up on that story? Why no request for the toxicology report? Why do you delete all references to the driver’s DUI just weeks before the fatal crash? Where’s the honest and open reporting?
Ah, I see you’re new here.
Seattle’s spoiled children must immediately seize on any news involving a bicycle and endlessly flog it to trumpet the moral superiority of cyclists, and denigrate anyone who drives a car.
“superiority”?
The cyclist in the story doesn’t sound to superior to me. More like dead from being dumb.
…..and thats why your insurance rates are going up.
Because that would run counter to the “Hooray For EVERYTHING!” style of PR that currently passed for “journalism.” Can’t be negative – think of the children!
Can we no longer report inappropriate comments Swedes? See above #6.
For those who want to debate the merits of the tragic accident (#8,9), it doesn’t matter anymore does it? There was an accident. A person died. There was a lawsuit. The insurer agreed to settle. In doing so I strongly suspect they included the standard disclaimers. A settlement rarely includes an admission of fault. Therefore there will be no definitive finding of the facts.
A husband, father, and friend is still dead.
Is it that hard to muster enough decency and courtesy to keep your opinions on bikes and cars to yourselves for one measly MyBallard post (trust me, there will be plenty more bike posts for you to spew on), one that his family is likely to read?
If you wouldn’t say it to their face at a memorial service, please don’t say it here. FFS, people, GROW UP.
The van pulled into a parking space and then did an abrupt U turn without signaling.
Kevin Black was traveling in the bike lane and had to go left in an attempt to avoid the van.
What looks like a “high rate of speed” on a bicycle is probably about 20 to 25mph.
…because drivers make illegal U turns that wind up with one of our neighbors dead?
Totally agree. What’s the point of re-hashing this thing again after over two years? Let it rest, and be careful out there.
The point of course it to bring more hits to a for profit web site
Wow. Simply wow. The mod removed my post where I stated that Black had been, in fact, acting stupidly.
What. the. fuck kind of forum do you expect to run if you delet factual posts because you don’t like the way they make you feel?
You’re a pathetic mod. You give the rest of us a bad name.
Kevin Black died because he was riding recklessly and STUPIDLY. If you can’t handle that, maybe you ought to rewrite the entire post and suit it to your own tatstes. Make it so he was hit by a drunk driver. Or an illegal alien. Or a stoned cop. Which would you prefer over the truth?
Hmm, maybe it was your “Vans FTW” username that marked you as an irredeemable juvenile f-wit, rather than a “you can’t handle the truth” moment.
I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.
for what? getting her company car dented by a a bicyclist rising without regard for his safety or the safety of others?
See “flagged for review” comment above. My bad if you’re the *other* irredeemable juvenile f-wit who got moderated …
No, more like driving in an unsafe manner and making a turn without signaling or looking.
I hope something like this happens to someone in your family so I can post how stupid your family is. The motorist was the one in the wrong in this incident – wouldn’t be such a large settlement if that wasn’t true.
You’re an imbecile and a street urchin if you think 1.5m USD is “large”
It’s piss.
husband? I thought he was divoriced.
just the facts, ma’am.
husband? I thought he was divoriced.
just the facts, ma’am.
also how come MyBallard (and the rest of the geeky sweede sites) articles on crime frequently exclude the race of the suspect?
Well, thanks. I stand unnecessarily corrected. You stay classy.
Truth,
If you read the story, you will know that the driver made an illegal U-Turn. And the eyewitness above says it all – driver was in the curb lane, then made an illegal U-turn in front of Kevin Black, and he tried to swerve left to avoid the van, and was unable to. The observation by the poster that ‘I can say for certain that he was not practicing rules of the road’ is that poster’s speculation, and does not align with the facts. Which is to say, the poster is wrong, and to repeat this account is ludicrous. What is incredible to me, in this world of blogs and ‘likes’ that 10 people ‘liked this’ post…what does that mean exactly? They liked that Truth is trying to lay some of the blame for this crash on Kevin Black? That the poster speculated, incorrectly, that ‘he was not practicing the rules of the road’? I remind all you ‘likers’ and bikers that rules of the road include speed limits, no cell phone to ear while driving, etc. Let’s all do our best to adhere to the rules of the road and it will be a safer road for all.
Truth – you should read the police report.
What do you ‘like’ about this, likers?
The “eye witness” that Truth is quoting was discredited durring the initial police investigation.
My family would appreciate that this entire comment section be removed. Really, what is the point?
My Ballard should start to practice some judgment and decency to not have comment sections on stories such as these. Debate all you want about policy etc. but using the tragedy of a local family to get readership is shameful.
If you choose to have these “forums” then require real names of those who post lets start to see some kind of accountibility for actions and words.