Magna Teenager Hits and Kills Cyclist

A Magna teenage girl was celebrating her birthday on Tuesday October 19, 2010 the same way that many teenage girls celebrate their birthday. All her friends gathered and decorated the birthday girl's car. I have seen this many times before and have always thought of the obstruction of vision that these decorations can have on a driver's vision. Seemingly, these safety precautions must have either been ignored or dismissed yesterday, resulting in the lost life of an innocent cyclist.

The birthday girl and a male high school student left Cyprus High School and were driving south about noon down Katherine Drive (8740 West) near 3300 South when the girl began to veer into oncoming traffic for unknown reasons. The victim, Karen Johnson, 48, of Salt Lake City, was riding northbound on Katherine Drive during her lunch break with a male colleague. When the cyclists saw the truck veering toward them, the male bicyclist was able to move to the right and ended up safely off the road. Karen Johnson, however was not as fortunate and was struck by the truck. She dies in route to the hospital.

Karen Johnson was wearing a helmet and was obeying the law as she should have been. Perhaps one of the most shocking points of all is the fact that this incident was not the first time Karen had been struck by a vehicle. This begs the question "What chance does the average cyclist stand to get hit by a car?" It has been said in previous blogs and must be said again, drivers and cyclists alike must always be on their guard and make safety a top priority. Obstructions to the drivers sight must not be allowed or ignored, even if it is in a celebratory fashion such as birthday decorations. Perhaps if the driver had not been distracted, Karen Johnson would still be alive.