I agree with Cyrus here.....
And if Tia Bailey(the driver of the car) was somebody here's daughter, I wonder if "somebody here" would feel the same way?
Nope?! From what I gather reading this news item, Mr.Banaszak(the M/C operator) failed to realize that Ms.Bailey wasn't going to stop at that intersection as her light changed to red, and probably "thinking" that she was, he started making his left turn. There are almost always telltale indications that a motorist is going to do something illegal or just plain stupid around you out there.
While Ms.Bailey CERTAINLY should have stopped, and because she apparently failed to do so, she should be cited, BUT even though what I'm about to say doesn't "sound fair", riding a motorcycle ALMOST ALWAYS places YOU as the "responsible party", maybe not "de jure"...but definately "de facto"!
I'm sure, from all the evidence I see every day(remnants of broken glass sitting in areas of intersections were passing tires fail to sweep away this "evidence") that accidents of this type happen with regularity. And, I'm sure most people don't die in most of these incidences when they're somewhat safely tucked inside an automobile.
For many reasons we riders choose NOT to be "safely tucked inside an automobile", and thus once we forget that our choice to ride ALSO greatly increases OUR responibility to stay alive out there, then bad(or maybe I should say WORSE) things can and usually do happen.
It isn't "fair", never has been, but that's the way it is out there, and the more motorcyclist never forget this, the better chance they have to live to be one of those 80 year old three-wheeler riding die-hards you see traveling down the road now and then.
