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Green Bay woman dies after bike crash; fourth fatality since July 1

Posted by Tom Held of the Journal Sentinel on Aug. 2, 2011

cycling

A report in the Green Bay Press Gazette identifies a cyclist who died after a crash in the Town of Oneida on Monday as Kris Hanson.

The 56-year-old was riding on a tandem with her husband, Douglas Hanson, 59, who was injured and hospitalized.

News accounts differ on the circumstances of the deadly collision with a Corvette on County Highway EE. The Press Gazette reported the tandem collided with the car; a WTAQ radio report says the car hit the cyclists.

Both the tandem and the Corvette were reported to be heading in the same direction.

The Outagamie County Sheriff's Department did not provide details on the circumstances of the collision.

Hanson, who lived in Green Bay, was the third cyclist in the state to be killed in a crash with a motor vehicle since July 1.

The fourth died Tuesday morning, in a collision with a car at the intersection of S. 17th Ave. and Elm St. in Wausau.

The Wausau Daily Herald reported details on the fatality.

Easton Shryne, 22, of Wausau, was riding his bicycle at about 5:10 a.m. down a hill on Elm Street and rode into the intersection at South 17th Avenue. Witnesses told police that Shryne went through a red light at the intersection.

Lorraine Klatt, 74, of Wausau, was driving northbound on 17th Avenue when she hit Shryne and his bicycle.

“It sounds like there was not a lot of time for the driver on 17th Avenue to react,” the paper quoted a Wausau police spokesman.

Nine cyclists were killed on Wisconsin roads in 2010, one below the five-year average, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. At the same point in 2010, the number of cycling fatalities also stood at four.

John Schread, 66, of Cedarburg was hit and killed in Muskego on July 1, and Sam Ferrito, 56, of Oak Creek, was hit and killed on July 17, while riding a few miles from his home.

The Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin and the Department of Transportation have launched an education campaign to reduce the number of collisions and fatalities. The primary elements are reminders for both cyclists and motorists to share the road, watch for others and obey traffic laws.

In this post, the communications director for the Bike Fed, analyzes cycling fatalities in the state.

55 Comments for "Green Bay woman dies after bike crash; fourth fatality since July 1"

  1. It's only by the grace of God that we don't see scores of bicyclists in
    accidents in Madison alone. Just this morning on my way into the downtown
    area I counted five bicyclists driving through either stop signs or red lights.
    Folks ... you don't own the road. Your safety is dependent upon others
    watching out for you AND you obeying traffic laws!

    elections matter Aug 02, 2011 9:16 AM

  2. Yeah, I see bicyclists violating the law daily. I'm not saying automobiles don't, but it's more obvious when bicyclists run stop signs and red lights and i need to slam my brakes on to avoid hitting them.

    MKEJake Aug 02, 2011 9:27 AM

  3. Red lights? I don't dare go through unless it's a dead intersection and the
    light won't change for me.

    Stop Signs? At a less busy intersection and with traffic behind me (no one
    at the other signs) I treat it as a yield so I can maintain my momentum
    through the intersection and prevent traffic behind me from slowing down
    because of my speed. This way it works well for everyone and I've never
    had a problem. Everyone needs to be smart and share the road. Biker with
    Drivers and vice versa.

    AisoRed Aug 02, 2011 9:30 AM

  4. Just yesterday I stopped at a stop sign and a biker next to me just flew through it. Sharing the road is a great idea, but lets share the laws too! I'm not speaking for all bikers, just this guy.

    no brainer Aug 02, 2011 9:36 AM

  5. If a cyclist hits your car, you'll probably not die. If the cyclist runs red lights and gets hit, he/she more likely will get hit and hurt and maybe die. I always stop for red lights when I'm riding my bike. Some red lights do not detect bicycles, and even motorcycles. (This has nothing to do with weight. The sensors are metal detectors. Should be able to pick up a motorcycle. The motorcycle safety class I took last year told us that you could carefully ride through a non-responsive red light after waiting for a reasonable period and checking for no cross traffic. This provision in the law exists for cyclists too.) I don't like cyclists running red lights either.

    Ask the motorist. Never speed, always make a complete stop at a stop signs, never go through a red light? I think not. Pot, kettle?

    BikerRon70 Aug 02, 2011 9:40 AM

  6. Did I miss something in that article? I don't recall anything mentioning that
    the cyclist ran a red light/stopsign.

    okiefo Aug 02, 2011 9:44 AM

  7. okiefo

    You are correct, the article does not mention anything of the sort. I was
    just defending cyclists after the first two comments.

    AisoRed Aug 02, 2011 9:45 AM

  8. Most fatal accidents don't occur at controlled intersections.They are cyclist struck from behind for various reasons.Perhaps look at the possibility of having cyclist go against the flow of traffic in rural areas might be worth looking into.As a cyclist who logs a hundred or more miles a week in the summer,I am very uncomfortable on rural roads and people coming up from behind.I stick mostly to trails.

    LP Hillclimber Aug 02, 2011 9:57 AM

  9. Talked to a guy on a bike that ran a red light a couple weeks ago. His
    response was F U.

    roadamerica Aug 02, 2011 9:59 AM

  10. AisoRed - The laws don't say "unless"! Red means STOP. Stop means
    STOP! Period! "Maintaining momentum" with my car would cast me big
    bucks! The same should be true for you on your bike!

    What we need in Madison is cops on the streets actually citing people for
    breaking the law. The only problem is ... its Madison!

    elections matter Aug 02, 2011 10:12 AM

  11. roadamerica - I'd LOVE to have one say that to me!

    elections matter Aug 02, 2011 10:14 AM

  12. AisoRed. Sorry, that comment wasn't directed at you. It is ridiculous that
    people start with the "cyclists run red lights" right off when it isn't
    mentioned. Just for the record.... I don't condone poor riding habits. Its my
    belief that the irresponsible riders are totally ruining it for those of us who
    ride responsibly. And, yes...if someone runs a light and gets popped...its on
    them.

    okiefo Aug 02, 2011 10:15 AM

  13. One very good reason for bikes going with the traffic flow is closing speed.
    In rural areas, going against the flow, with 55mph (cough, cough) speed
    limit, the closing speed will approach or exceed 75 MPH. This works out to
    110 feet per second. Even if the two are more that a football field apart
    when they see each other they have less than 3 seconds to react. Going
    with the flow their closing speed is 35 MPH. If the same 100 yards apart
    they will have about 6 seconds to react. Also the kinetic energy at 75
    MPH closing speed on impact is more than 4 time that at 35 MPH closing
    speed.

    sssesq Aug 02, 2011 10:17 AM

  14. roadamerica -

    Don't let a few bad apples change your mind on biking. There are plenty of
    good guys out there. Same goes for drivers.

    AisoRed Aug 02, 2011 10:18 AM

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