Sylvia Bingham
Sylvia Bingham
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Age: 22
Location:
21st and Prospect Avenue
Cleveland , OH
United States
According to an article in the Cleveland Metro
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Sylvia Bingham...was killed Tuesday as
she rode her bicycle ... to work at the Hard Hatted Women office, where she helped
tradeswomen become mentors.
She was run over by a 2005 Peterbilt shortly before 9 a.m. at East 21st Street and Prospect Avenue.
The
truck driver did not stop, but police found him a short time later on
East 40th Street, thanks to information provided by witnesses. Police
questioned the driver to determine if he was aware that he had hit the
woman and to find out how the accident happened.
No charges had been filed Tuesday afternoon.
Bingham came to Cleveland after studying French and sociology at
Yale. The 2009 graduate was passionate about people and the
environment. Her father, Stephen Bingham, said his daughter planned to
make America a greener place by working to repair the environment.
She worked at Hard Hatted Women through the AmeriCorps Vista program.
"She rode her bike to work from Ohio City to promote being green
and encouraged others to do the same," said Terri Burgess Sandu,
executive director of Hard Hatted Women in Cleveland. "I only knew her
for a short time, but she was everything -- the shining example of what
is best in American adults."
Her friends and co-workers talked about the young woman's energy and self-sacrifice, which she expressed most of her life.
"I am passionate about eliminating urban poverty, particularly by
creating job opportunities in the skilled trades," Bingham described
herself, on her LinkedIn Web page. "Eventually I'd like to see urban,
sustainable agriculture generate high-wage, high-skilled green jobs in
our cities. It's exciting to see the proliferation of farms [and] in
Cleveland's abandoned lots.
She worked or volunteered in similar jobs in other cities while in
high school and college. Stephen Bingham said his daughter was excited
about living in Cleveland. She had recently moved in with her best
friend from high school.
"She was not sure of her career path," he said. "She was so happy.
She had this wonderful job, her best friend was there. She was doing
what she always did; she was helping people."
Bingham said he hoped that, even in death, his daughter can teach people one final lesson.
"I hope people put the accent on safety," he said. "It's very
dangerous out there for people on bicycles and people need to be
careful. I don't know if she was wearing a bicycle helmet, but the
doctor said it would not have made a difference anyway."
Her death affected a lot of people in Cleveland, New Haven and the Bay Area-- friends there set up a memorial page for her and installed a ghost bike for her also in her hometown of Marin, California
The Yehuda Moon comic strip criticized the media reporting of her death here.
The
Sylvia Bingham Foundation will help Americans demand the ability to
walk or cycle safely to work, school, church or shops. The Foundation
will promote safety for cyclists and pedestrians by educating drivers
about sharing the road with cyclists and pedestrians and educating
cyclists on defensive personal safety techniques. The Foundation will
also work with others to encourage state and federal transportation
agencies, city and county planners, legislators and policy makers to
provide for cyclist safe zones and other engineering controls in areas
of high traffic to reduce the risk of injury.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Age: 22
Location:
21st and Prospect Avenue
Cleveland , OH
United States
According to an article in the Cleveland Metro
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Sylvia Bingham...was killed Tuesday as
she rode her bicycle ... to work at the Hard Hatted Women office, where she helped
tradeswomen become mentors.
She was run over by a 2005 Peterbilt shortly before 9 a.m. at East 21st Street and Prospect Avenue.
The
truck driver did not stop, but police found him a short time later on
East 40th Street, thanks to information provided by witnesses. Police
questioned the driver to determine if he was aware that he had hit the
woman and to find out how the accident happened.
No charges had been filed Tuesday afternoon.
Bingham came to Cleveland after studying French and sociology at
Yale. The 2009 graduate was passionate about people and the
environment. Her father, Stephen Bingham, said his daughter planned to
make America a greener place by working to repair the environment.
She worked at Hard Hatted Women through the AmeriCorps Vista program.
"She rode her bike to work from Ohio City to promote being green
and encouraged others to do the same," said Terri Burgess Sandu,
executive director of Hard Hatted Women in Cleveland. "I only knew her
for a short time, but she was everything -- the shining example of what
is best in American adults."
Her friends and co-workers talked about the young woman's energy and self-sacrifice, which she expressed most of her life.
"I am passionate about eliminating urban poverty, particularly by
creating job opportunities in the skilled trades," Bingham described
herself, on her LinkedIn Web page. "Eventually I'd like to see urban,
sustainable agriculture generate high-wage, high-skilled green jobs in
our cities. It's exciting to see the proliferation of farms [and] in
Cleveland's abandoned lots.
She worked or volunteered in similar jobs in other cities while in
high school and college. Stephen Bingham said his daughter was excited
about living in Cleveland. She had recently moved in with her best
friend from high school.
"She was not sure of her career path," he said. "She was so happy.
She had this wonderful job, her best friend was there. She was doing
what she always did; she was helping people."
Bingham said he hoped that, even in death, his daughter can teach people one final lesson.
"I hope people put the accent on safety," he said. "It's very
dangerous out there for people on bicycles and people need to be
careful. I don't know if she was wearing a bicycle helmet, but the
doctor said it would not have made a difference anyway."
Her death affected a lot of people in Cleveland, New Haven and the Bay Area-- friends there set up a memorial page for her and installed a ghost bike for her also in her hometown of Marin, California
The Yehuda Moon comic strip criticized the media reporting of her death here.
The
Sylvia Bingham Foundation will help Americans demand the ability to
walk or cycle safely to work, school, church or shops. The Foundation
will promote safety for cyclists and pedestrians by educating drivers
about sharing the road with cyclists and pedestrians and educating
cyclists on defensive personal safety techniques. The Foundation will
also work with others to encourage state and federal transportation
agencies, city and county planners, legislators and policy makers to
provide for cyclist safe zones and other engineering controls in areas
of high traffic to reduce the risk of injury.