James Fogelberg

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James Fogelberg
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Age: 64

Location:
Harmony Road and Kinsdale Drive
Boulder , CO
United States
from: https://www.facebook.com/JimCFogelbergContributions

from a memorial facebook page set up for James:

James Fogelberg was a much-loved, active member of many communities,
whose love and wisdom touched everyone around him. He was killed in a
cycling accident on October 8th 2013.

From the Reporter Herald

On Oct. 8, 2013, Jim
Fogelberg, 64, of Boulder was riding in the bike lane along Harmony Road
in Fort Collins, when a pickup truck driven by Bradley Hansen turned in
front of him, causing him to crash into the truck. He died later that
evening.

In memory of the man known for his passion for biking, a
brief ceremony for Fogelberg was held Sunday on the corner where the
accident took place at Harmony Road and Kinsdale Drive.

At this
spot a Ghost Bike, a commemorative bicycle that has been painted white
with a painted plaque, has been placed. These memorials have been
erected across the world for more than a decade in memory of cyclists
killed on city streets.

Dr. Terri Marty, a trauma surgeon at the
University of Colorado Health in Fort Collins, who has been working on a
study of bicycle-related traumatic injuries, and had the idea to
commemorate Fogelberg's death, painted the plaque in Fogelberg's honor.

"I
wanted to help place this memorial as a reminder to all motorists that
cyclists are vulnerable road-users and that we all need to be extra
careful and vigilant when driving around cyclists," she said.

Fogelberg's
plaque displayed the message, "I will not be afraid to live my life,"
something he told his brother when asked if he was worried riding
alongside reckless motorists.

 

Fogelberg is survived by
his wife, Geni Klagstad, who spoke to those gathered at the
commemorative event. She said she hopes her loss can be a reminder to
cyclists and motorists of the dangers involved.

Dr. Terri Marty painted the plaque for the ghost bike placed at Harmony
Road and Kinsdale Drive in Fort Collins in memory of bicyclist Jim
Fogelberg, killed after a pickup truck struck him there while riding his
bike Oct. 8.
(Special to the Reporter-Herald)

"(Ghost Bikes) are
a way of commemorating cyclists, the death of cyclists, but above all
it's an opportunity to educate driver and bicyclists to be careful.
That's why we did this," said Rick Price who teaches bike safety courses
at the Fort Collins Bike Co-op. "As an educator, I'm always looking for
a teaching moment."

He pointed out that the main reason for the
accident was most likely the blinding brightness of the sun blocking
Fogelberg from Hansen's vision. At this time of year, near the equinox,
this becomes a serious concern for anyone on the road.

"If you
know you're going to be out, even an hour before sunset, near the
equinox, I suggest avoiding east-west streets altogether," Price said.

 

He suggested that when the
sun is in a cyclist's eyes, they should seriously consider pulling off
the road and waiting or change their route to avoid roads where they or
motorists may be affected.

"Very often the bike coordinators in
cities like ours will encourage people to ride bicycles as a policy, to
get them out of their cars. Unfortunately we forget about the
educational component of this."

Uneducated cyclists create a
danger for themselves, he said, adding motorists become nervous around
those who ride unpredictably on the streets. He said through a process
of educating bikers how to ride, motorists will come to respect them
more and there will be fewer cyclist accidents.

According to the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 677 bicyclists died in
traffic accidents in 2011 in the United States.

Those interested in learning more tips about bicycle safety can visit Price's online blog at BicycleSafetyInstitute.org.

James Garcia can be reached at 970-635-3630 or garciaj@reporter-herald.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JamesGarciaRH.