On April 22 I was very happy to be a guest on Ann Fisher’s wonderful, and popular, “All Sides” radio program on WOSU in Columbus, Ohio. We had a long list of topics to cover- as well as emails, tweets and old school phone calls to answer. All in all a very interesting and fun hour that FLEW by!

You can watch/listen here –

Ann Fisher’s “All Sides” is a very popular radio show on WOSU in Columbus. The first time Ann asked me to appear I was on a phone line with a bad connection –  I sounded like I was standing in a cavern with bats flying by, I think.  My 10 minutes or so was sandwiched between Doris Kearns Goodwin and another Pulitzer Prize winner!  The past couple years Ann has devoted an entire hour to Bicycle issues. That probably says a LOT about the rise of the Bicycle in American Culture…

This year there was a lot to talk about, much of which we never even reached:

– The Three Foot Law proposal – HB145 – currently stalled in Committee but hopefully moving towards a vote.

– Proposed amendments to the Hit/Run law  HB 397 which would increase hit/run situations in which people are maimed or killed to a second degree felony – passed the House and awaiting action in the Senate.

– Recent local high profile hit/run cases, and fatal crash cases, involving:

• Steve Wartenberg – struck by an alleged drunk hit/run motorist whose criminal case is pending for trial
• Bob Lennon – Struck by hit/run motorist Mary Paul, who was sentenced for 4.5 years
• Joe Giampapa – Columbus attorney and avid cyclist struck on an organized bike ride
• Fred Carey – killed in Cincinnati by an alleged drunk, hit/run driver
• Elijah Smith, struck & killed by 20 yr old Jasmine Herring. Herring plead guilty. Her sentencing is set for May 29, 2014.
• Dr. Elizabeth Unk – the “Drunk Dr.Unk” who ran down a cyclist in Delaware County. Dr. Unk plead guilty and received a whopping 15 DAY sentence
• 16 year old Zach Kerns was killed in Shelby County by a 72 year old man who said he “didn’t see” the young boy because the sun was in his eyes.

Each of the three fatal crashes so far in 2014 was caused by a passing motorist. In Fred Carey’s case, the motorist was allegedly drunk, and fled the scene. In the death of Joe Giampapa, the motorist who killed him told police he was going to move over to pass Joe but couldn’t because another car was there. That was disputed by another eye witness. No charges have been filed in that case. there are lawyers for inujuries from motor vehicle accidents

The 72 year old man who killed Zach Kerns has been charged with misdemeanor Vehicular Homicide. The fellow who killed Joe Giampapa was 78 years old. The man who turned left in front of Travis Freeman was 87 years old. We are seeing more and more crashes involving, and caused by, “older” – no wait, that’s too “young” sounding – let’s say “elderly” motorists.

I will be discussing EACH of these cases in detail in separate posts in the future. I had hoped to discuss them a bit with Ann, but we went in many other different directions!

THANKS Ann Fisher for having me – I’ll come back any time to Talk BIKE!

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

---

---