Cyclist, 69, struck by car in fatal NW Harris - 2009/11/29 16:17Cyclist, 69, struck by car in fatal NW Harris crash
By ANITA HASSAN HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Nov. 28, 2009, 11:29PM
A 69-year-old bicyclist was killed after he was struck by a car in northwest Harris County Saturday morning, authorities said.
Frank Stafford Campbell, identified by family members, was riding his bike with two other bicyclists north on Stokes around 8:45 a.m. as the group approached an intersection on Waller Spring Creek Road, Harris County Sheriff's Office authorities said.
One of the cyclist noticed that the driver of a 1995 Nissan Altima, traveling east on the road, was going very fast and did not appear to be slowing down as it approached the intersection.
The bicyclist then attempted to give Campbell, who was first in line, a warning by yelling ‘car left,' but it was too late.
He was hit by the car and was thrown into a ditch at the northeast corner of the intersection, authorities said.
Paramedics pronounced Campbell dead at the scene. Authorities said he was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
Campbell was an active volunteer for National Multiple Sclerosis Society and participated in the BP MS 150 ride for nearly a decade, a family member said. The ride Saturday morning was a regular weekend outing with members of his bicycle club.
Campbell, who retired as a Chase vice president, serves as chief financial officer for St. Stephens Episcopal Church.
He is survived by his wife, daughter, twin grandsons and two brothers, one of whom is longtime Chronicle copy editor and chron.com blogger Rick Campbell.
The case is still under investigation.
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kf5nd
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Re:Cyclist, 69, struck by car in fatal NW Harris - 2009/11/29 17:27...
Post edited by: kf5nd, at: 2009/11/30 21:19
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teckys
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Re:Cyclist, 69, struck by car in fatal NW Harris - 2009/11/30 06:30Peter,
According to Google street view for the intersection, Waller Spring Creek Road has a stop sign with what looks like "cross traffic does not stop" sign underneath.
In that case, the cyclist on Stokes Road had the right of way and the car blew the stop sign.
I am not familiar with this area, so it may have changed since the last time Google street view was taken.
Tecky
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kf5nd
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Re:Cyclist, 69, struck by car in fatal NW Harris - 2009/11/30 14:03...
Post edited by: kf5nd, at: 2009/11/30 21:20
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mjl_twg
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Re:Cyclist, 69, struck by car in fatal NW Harris - 2009/11/30 16:27I believe until the details come out, we should refrain from assuming anything. There were two riders behind him at the time, so there are witnesses, and Stafford was no 'speed demon' on the bike. He was, in fact, very safety conscious.
As far as that intersection, I ride too infrequently (over the last several years) out there to have had a clear picture of the intersection until the Google Maps feature jogged my memory. The section in question, when viewed in a North to South direction on Stokes, is clearly a clear passage for the N/S driver with stop signs for the E/W driver on Waller Spring Creek. Yes, riders legally ride through this intersection, shouldn't have to slow for crossing traffic and anyone attempting to stop on Stokes with traffic behind them would actually create more of a safety issue. The E/W intersection on Waller Spring Creek is clearly marked as a stop sign and when viewed from Google maps there is not restricted vie of the stop sign.
If you feel that the NW rides are unsafe then you can chose to not ride on them (as you have indicated) but it seems this is just a tragedy where a longtime rider on this route simply did not see a vehicle that ran a stop sign at an intersection that had always been safe. Unfortunately it could happen to any of us...
-Mark
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mjl_twg
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Re:Cyclist, 69, struck by car in fatal NW Harris - 2009/11/30 16:28I believe until the details come out, we should refrain from assuming anything. There were two riders behind him at the time, so there are witnesses, and Stafford was no 'speed demon' on the bike. He was, in fact, very safety conscious.
As far as that intersection, I ride too infrequently (over the last several years) out there to have had a clear picture of the intersection until the Google Maps feature jogged my memory. The section in question, when viewed in a North to South direction on Stokes, is clearly a clear passage for the N/S driver with stop signs for the E/W driver on Waller Spring Creek. Yes, riders legally ride through this intersection, shouldn't have to slow for crossing traffic and anyone attempting to stop on Stokes with traffic behind them would actually create more of a safety issue. The E/W intersection on Waller Spring Creek is clearly marked as a stop sign and when viewed from Google maps there is not restricted vie of the stop sign.
If you feel that the NW rides are unsafe then you can chose to not ride on them (as you have indicated) but it seems this is just a tragedy where a longtime rider on this route simply did not see a vehicle that ran a stop sign at an intersection that had always been safe. Unfortunately it could happen to any of us...
-Mark
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