Family seeks answers in mysterious Oak Creek biker fatality
Sam Ferrito’s survivors have visited the scene of his death numerous times in the past week, always leaving with more questions than answers about the crash that killed him on July 17.
To them, it’s inexplicable that a car heading in the same southbound direction on Nicholson Ave. would cross the center line and hit Ferrito, who was biking along the northbound lane intent on avoiding exactly the kind of collision that killed him.
The point of impact - based on preliminary reports - puts the southbound car well over the center line, nearly to the opposite shoulder, and the information released to the public so far provides no explanation as to why.
View of the crash site, facing south, from the east side of Nicholson Ave.
Photo by Tom Held
“We have the statement from the kid who hit him, the 18-year-old,” said Wesley Schaefer, an Oak Creek firefighter engaged to Ferrito’s daughter, Jenna. “It’s a very vague statement that’s giving them no answers.”
Assigned to a station near the crash, Schaefer has looked at the roadway, crash debris and markings left by investigators to piece together what happened.
Ferrito, 56, was a chemist at Rexnord and a wedding photographer, who took up cycling in recent years and used the exercise to lose 70 pounds.
He biked the route regularly from his home a few miles north, Schaefer said. His wife, Marcia, often joined him, but stayed home to avoid the heat and humidity that night.
They typically traveled south on the paved Oak Leaf Trail and crossed onto Nicholson Ave. less than a half-mile north of County Line Road and the crash site. According to Schaefer, it’s likely that Ferrito crossed to the northbound side of Nicholson and planned to go east on County Line to another connecting point to the paved bike path.
Jenna Ferrito, in a post to JSonline, wrote that her father made it a practice to bike against traffic on that particular section of road because the southbound lanes lacked a shoulder, and the foliage limited sight lines. He wanted to see cars coming toward him.
“My dad didn't know what was coming because he didn't expect a car to cross over onto the opposite side of the road,” she wrote.
The medical examiner's report suggests that Ferrito may have swerved into the path of the car.
Jenna Ferrito discounts that possibility because of the point of impact, the lack of skid marks and her father's penchant for safety.
"I know my Dad. I know how safe he is. He would never cut in front of the car," she said.
Police have refused to release the accident report or witness statements, citing the ongoing investigation. The Wisconsin State Patrol has begun to gather information for a crash reconstruction, and the information will be turned over to the Milwaukee County district attorney’s office.
Dave Schlabowske, the communications director for the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin, said it’s a relatively common, yet illegal, practice for cyclists to ride opposite the flow of traffic. Especially in rural areas, the thinking is that it’s safer than risking being hit from behind.
The problem is that it creates added dangers at every driveway and intersection, because motorists would not be looking for a bicycle or a car moving in the wrong direction.
Schlabowske analyzed the crash scene in this blog post.
Ferrito’s death and a similar fatality in Muskego on July 1 highlight the need for more education, for both motorists and cyclists. With the state Department of Transportation, the bike federation has started the Share and Be Aware campaign to teach all users of the roads to pay attention and be more watchful for others.
Through the program, bike and pedestrian ambassadors will lead classes around the state focused on sharing the road, law enforcement, bicycle and pedestrian commuting, and child bicycle safety.
A bouquet of flowers placed as a memorial to Sam Ferrito on the east side of Nicholson Ave. Photo by Tom Held
The crash scene viewed from the west shoulder of Nicholson Ave. The intersecting road is County Line. Photo by Tom Held.
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42 Comments for "Family seeks answers in mysterious Oak Creek biker fatality"
Modra Jul 27, 2011 11:35 AM
amous Jul 27, 2011 11:41 AM
billyjack1 Jul 27, 2011 11:46 AM
I have absolutely never seen a bicyclist wait at a red light as they should - they drive in the car lane, which is fine, but don't stop at red lights or they stop and go - something which no one is to do, but they seem to go by their own 'laws'. I almost saw an accident because a bicyclist saw another bicyclist blow a red light, so the when the second bicyclist got to the red light, he/she didn't bother looking and crossed right in front of car that had the green light and was not speeding. The car had to slam its brakes to keep from hitting the bicyclists.
Downtown, bicyclists will go the wrong way on a one way & of course not wait at red lights
Bicyclists want equal rights = then start following the laws like everyone else. Bicyclists should have equal rights, but they need to obtain the law too.
HalleB0205 Jul 27, 2011 12:33 PM
last 2 years and truth is that biking on the roads that piece together the
trail is scary. I always bike the same direction as the cars. Once a car
on Oakwood Rd came 3 inches away from my handle bars. Other cars will
make a point of driving over the yellow line down the middle of the road
to stay far enough from the biker. I also have small kids that ride in a
trailer (thankfully they were not with me when the car came so close),
but I refuse to ride with them on the roads. I don't feel safe on the
roads. I put my bike on a hitch and bike to the trail, ride the trail and
then drive home. Fact is these country roads aren't safe and accidents
like this are horrible. There is no place to go in many parts, no shoulders
at all. I wish Oak Creek was more bike-friendly, since we have this
beautiful trail. Really what would it take to complete more sections of the
trail without having so many parts be on the country roads?
carollewandowski Jul 27, 2011 12:44 PM
the trail, bike the trail and then drive home.
carollewandowski Jul 27, 2011 12:47 PM
twister929 Jul 27, 2011 1:04 PM
and friends that are undoubtedly terribly hurt right now. This is not the
time to start blaming the victim. Mr. Ferrito was riding "illegally" in this
situation, but only because he felt he had no safe legal place to ride on
this very important on-street bike connection with the Oak Leaf Trail. He
was not a common scofflaw.
As for the percentage of other cyclists who break the law, the Bicycle
Federation of Wisconsin has done extensive studies and those results
show that people are people no matter what their mode of
transportation. People tend to break laws they can get away with
breaking if doing so gets them where they want to go faster. Pedestrians
sometimes don't wait for the walk signal, bicyclists sometimes don't wait
for a green light, and many motorists speed.
If you interested in the facts and would like to see the actual
percentages of each of those violations, based on actual traffic
engineering studies, including radar speed checks, take a look here:
http://overthebarsinmilwaukee.wordpress.com/2010/09/21/scorchers-
and-scofflaws-just-the-facts-please/
There is a place to comment on that report if you dispute the results of
the studies or just hate people on bikes. But please have some respect
for the feelings of Mr. Ferrito's family and friends and stop blaming the
victim in these very public comments. This is not the appropriate forum
or time for negative comments about people on bicycles, even if you
have those feelings.
Dave Schlabowske Jul 27, 2011 1:06 PM
downtown guy Jul 27, 2011 1:08 PM
reasonable attempt to move out of way of other traffic, even when i am
legally allowed to use the full lane. I commute through brookfield, tosa,
and downtown Milwaukee. I am more upset seeing another biker go thru a
red light than anyone else on the road because of the unfounded hate
that might be directed at me to 'get back at' seeing a different biker ride
illegally.
How many of you in cars that are upset with seeing bikers go through red
lights or stop signs without coming to a full stop, actually come to a
complete stop themselves. A very large majority of vehicular 'stops' at
stop signs when there is not other traffic present seem to be of the slow
down rather than stop type...
mikeyd Jul 27, 2011 1:09 PM
tdg54 Jul 27, 2011 1:29 PM
Second was a guy deliberately driving into my path as he turned right onto the road. He saw me and then played games - slow down, speed up, slow down, speed up. I got away from him by moving to the wrong side of the road and waiting until he was out of sight. This is regular driver behavior, and going to the other side is one way to get away.
The third common thing was a woman flying left out of a parking lot without looking to her right. I saw her, braked hard, and she missed me by about three feet. She must have been in a hurry to get to the red light. When we arrived and I banged on her window, she had no idea that she had come so close to killing someone. What does she care? She was driving.
This is what drivers do, because so many people, like "HalleB0205" above, will non-related reasons and wild speculation to justify killing someone.
If I see someone wearing jeans skip ahead of someone in line at a grocery store, does that mean anyone who wears jeans can be killed without remorse? According to the logic of "HalleB0205" it does. If I see a person with blond hair go through a red light, does that mean all blonds should be killed? According to "HalleB0205" it does.
Walktime Jul 27, 2011 1:41 PM
Who is "everyone else"? If motorists follow laws, why do we have car insurance, a multimillion dollar industry? If motorists follow laws, why are there legions of lawyers who do nothing to contribute to society, but instead skim millions in car-crash settlements? Why do we have auto-body shops?
Everyone knows someone who has been killed or maimed by a negligent driver. I know several such people.
Anyone who thinks drivers obey laws has no observational skills.
Cars driving wildly and carelessly is worth millions of dollars of business. If cyclists are so awful, how come there is no industry related to all the damage they cause, and cars have mutiple industries?
Walktime Jul 27, 2011 1:52 PM
Bicyclists also need to know that riding on the sidewalk is illegal (unless you're a little kid) and riding on the sidewalks downtown is specifically prohibited. My pet peeve is the guy riding to work across the 6th St. bridge who goes onto the sidewalk at Clybourne because it is one-way the wrong way (for him) and he doesn't want to ride around the block. Of course, the Police also violate this law...
"On your left" is not so hard a thing to say, you know. We all pay for the off-road trails and should be able to use them safely.
Runner Girl Jul 27, 2011 1:58 PM