Cyclist Struck, Killed by Garbage Truck
By Debbi Wilgoren and Allison Klein
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, July 8, 2008; 1:36 PM
A 22-year-old bicyclist was struck by a garbage truck and killed just north of Dupont Circle today, authorities said. Police and fire vehicles converged on the scene at 20th and R streets NW, snarling Connecticut Avenue traffic during the morning rush.
D.C. Police this afternoon identified the cyclist as District resident Alice Swanson, although no other details about her were released.
Swanson was struck at 7:37 a.m., D.C. police spokesman Kenny Bryson said. An officer in the uniformed division of the Secret Service was nearby and pulled her from under the truck to administer CPR, said Alan Etter, a spokesman for the D.C. Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services.
She could not be revived.
"The truck just ran completely over her," Etter said.
The truck was owned by KMG Hauling Inc., a Sterling-based company. In a telephone interview, KMG Hauling owner Hugo Garcia said his company is investigating details of the accident.
"We're looking at everything, trying to figure out what happened," Garcia said. "It looks like an unfortunate accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased."
He would not say how long the driver of the truck had been employed by KMG, or whether his company was working for the city or a private residence or business.
On its Web site, KMG is described as "the leading provider of waste and environmental management services" to the D.C. metropolitan area. The company has been in existence for nearly 30 years, the Web site says, with "a variety of commercial and residential accounts including restaurants, hotels, office and apartment buildings, retail stores, government buildings, construction companies and housing communities."
This is the first fatal bike crash of 2008. Last year there were two bikers killed on city streets, police said.
There have been 20 traffic fatalities this year in the District, compared with 27 at this time last year.
Some two hours after the accident, the mangled bicycle was still visible under the truck's right front tire. A helmet and a backpack could be seen on the street a few feet away. Parts of Connecticut Avenue were closed for more than two hours, along with portions of 20th and R streets just east of Connecticut.
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2 comments:
This is such sad news. All the more reason for people to ride smart and wear their helmets. I wonder if the street she was riding on had a bike lane? I bet not.
a very sad day for the Swanson family
from the sounds of things Alice was a wonderful person who had much to offer the world
the loss of this person causes me great pain
the pain is heightened by the hatred that the car culture is forcing on the cyclists
the "she deserves it" mentality boggles the mind
she was riding her bicycle to work
not sky diving
it should have been a safe thing to do
she should have lived to be a hundred
instead she died at 22
very sad
I feel for her parents
they will live with this void until the day they die
death for no reason is murder
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