Early Morning Bicycle Accident Kills Teacher on Way to School

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Rodney Van Dyke was a Well-loved and Respected Math Teacher at South Christian High School Who Leaves Behind a Wife and Three Daughters

A teacher riding his bicycle to school early this morning was struck from behind by a motorist who didn't see him through the glare of oncoming headlights.  He died shortly thereafter.  His bicycle had working lights on, he wore a helmet, and was known to be a responsible bicyclist who followed the rules of the road. 

Using the clues from the story below, he was struck in either of the two places pictured below.  The story indicates the crash on 36th Avenue happened between Port Sheldon and Baldwin which are 1.5 miles apart and often switches between two and three lane roadway between them on smaller side streets.  

This is the most likely place, up around the tree area where the vehicles would have been heading towards the horizon.  One of the weaknesses with roads that switch from two to three lanes at most intersections is that it is easier to lose your vision to oncoming headlights when going from three to two lanes.  Even with a lot of blinking red lights on the back of a bicycle it is tough to see them after dark when a vehicle is going fast and against other headlights. 

The road, as seen in the alternate spot on 36th Avenue below when you look at the car in the distance, has lanes that are only about 8-9 ft. wide; with no shoulder at most points along that route, there is not enough room for a car to pass a bicycle in the same lane.  It is unlikely that the police officer's report of Van Dyke being eight feet into the lane is true.  An experienced bicyclist even if he was trying to discourage someone passing him on this 55 mph speed limit area would not ride that far out into the roadway as he would be riding on the centerline almost.  It also would mean that the bicyclist should have been partially eclipsing the headlights.

The teaching moment from a tragic accident like this is two things. 

First, when you are riding a bicycle in the dark, even with proper lighting and reflective material, you won't be seen and recognized until it is too late by many of the drivers coming up from behind you, so never travel on a shoulderless roadway with traffic at your back.  If that is your only option, get off the roadway when you hear traffic behind you, especially if traffic is approaching which has a tendency to blind you.

Second, when you are driving a car after dark, make sure you avoid looking into oncoming headlights by averting your eyes away, but be able to keep your eyes on the roadway ahead of you. There could be a person in the road with or without a bicycle who may be depending on you to see them.  The story from WOOD TV follows, you may want to check the comments on that link to see the wide perspective of commentary such accidents bring out among different readers:

GEORGETOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A teacher and golf coach at South Christian High School was hit and killed while riding a bike Tuesday morning.

The crash happened at 6 a.m. on 36th Avenue between Port Sheldon and Baldwin Street in Georgetown Township. 36th Avenue is a 55 mph zone in that area, it narrows from three to two lanes and there is a dip in the roadway, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office said in a Tuesday afternoon release.

Police say 54-year-old Rodney VanDyke of Hudsonville was riding his bike southbound about eight feet into 36th Avenue when he was hit by a 1999 Acura that was headed in the same direction. The driver of the Acura, 40-year-old Jon Alferink, told deputies that the headlights of a northbound vehicle prevented him from seeing VanDyke before the crash. Alferink immediately stopped and called 911.

When emergency crews arrived, they found VanDyke unconscious. He was taken to Spectrum Butterworth Hospital, where he died a short time later.

VanDyke leaves behind a wife and three children.

Alferink was not hurt.

The roadway was dark and unlit at the time of the crash, the sheriff’s office said. VanDyke’s bicycle had working lights on the front and rear. VanDyke, who was wearing a helmet, was wearing black and gray clothing, authorities said. An MP3 player and ear buds were found near him after the crash.

VanDyke was riding his bike to work at South Christian High School at the time of the crash, the sheriff’s office said — something he occasionally did.

MORE THAN 20 YEARS AT SOUTH CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL

South Christian High School officials around 7 a.m. saying that VanDyke had been in an accident and would need a substitute to cover his classes.

“I just had a bad feeling because there was no information,” Principal George Guichelaar said.

Around 8:30 a.m. — just 15 minutes before students arrived — word came that VanDyke had died.

“My mouth went dry and my stomach went into a knot and I just felt myself shaking,” Guichelaar said. “And I saw Rod’s wife in my mind, I saw his three daughters in my mind and I saw all his friends.”

Students were notified about the death during an all-school assembly at 8:45 a.m., according to an email sent to parents from school officials.

“We just told the kids what happened and we let them cry a little bit,” Guichelaar said.

Regular classes were canceled for the day. Students were allowed to go home or grieve at the school with friends and teachers. Youth group leaders, pastors, and counselors were available to meet with students.

Some staff members, including Guichelaar, had worked more than 20 years with VanDyke, who started his teaching career at South Christian in 1992 and was also the Girls Varsity Golf coach.

“Several of them would consider Rod one of their best friends,” Guichelaar said.

VanDyke was not an average teacher.

“He was a person who took his work seriously. He took students seriously,  but he didn’t take himself seriously — that is, too seriously,” Guichelaar said. “I think we are going to miss seeing him with a big fat grin on his face.”

The math teacher was funny, outgoing and kooky — known for wearing costumes or outlandish golf pants — and was a favorite of many students, the principal said.

“If you are a kid who is struggling in math or doesn’t like math, you will be smiling in his class, and that was his gift to so many kids,” Guichelaar said.

VanDyke’s classroom, normally filled with loud laughter, was quiet and empty Tuesday. A white cross was placed above the door. Students left notes about times they had laughed with VanDyke or the way he impacted their lives.

“To be gone so suddenly is a tragedy,” Guichelaar said.

The Girls Varsity Golf Team, which VanDyke coached, made the decision to play in the regional tournament scheduled for Wednesday.

http://woodtv.com/2014/10/07/bicyclist-seriously-injured-after-coll...

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The story from FOX 17 about the accident: 

"According to authorities the driver who hit Van Dyke didn’t see him. He said the darkness coupled with an oncoming vehicle made it hard to see.

Officials also said that while Van Dyke was wearing a helmet and had lights on the front and back of his bike, he was also wearing dark clothing."

So are we to absolve the driver, Jon Alferink, of his legal responsibilities because the bicyclist wore dark/non-reflective clothes and that conditions at 6 AM in the morning sometimes make it hard to see what's in the lane ahead of you?  If the motorist didn't see the flashing red taillight, reflectors on the pedals and the rear reflector he will not see light colored clothes; if darkness and headlights make this driver unable to see the lane directly ahead of him, maybe he should bicycle or walk to his destination after the sun goes down.  He apparently has no business driving during darkness.

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Not that it matters too much now, but, it would be interesting to know how far a bike ride that school is. And if school doesn't start until 8:45am, why the teacher is out there so early before dawn. Either way, it's a sad loss. Sounds like Van Dyke was a special teacher and man that everyone loved.