What's So Difficult About Printing the Truth About Motorcycle Crashes?

[XLFD]

I am always perplexed about media coverage of motorcycle crashes, and why they seem to go out of their way to vindicate bad drivers breaking the law while at the same time excoriating the often-dead or seriously injured motorcyclist driving lawfully down the road.  Case in point, a weekend collision between a car and motorcyclist in Ottawa County that left the motorcyclist dead.

The first account I read was FOX 17's Motorcyclist dies after crash in Jamestown Township, where you may think a biker failed to negotiate a turn or something by just reading the headline.  But once you read you find out:  "According to the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, an 85-year-old driver from Byron Center, started to pullout [sic] into the intersection (of 8th and Adams in Georgetown Township) when his vehicle was struck by the motorcyclist traveling eastbound on Adams." at around 5:15 PM. 

Next was the Holland Sentinel offering 23 Year Old Motorcyclist Dies in Collision:  "The car, driven by William Van Setten, 85, entered the intersection going northbound when the motorcycle, driven by 23-year-old Devon Kurzhalf, struck the vehicle. Kurzhalf suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene."

The next account was from WWMT: One dead following crash in Jamestown Township:  "We're told that a vehicle driven by an 85-year-old Byron Center man was stopped on 8th Avenue, heading northbound.

The man began to pull through the intersection, when a motorcycle, driven by 23-year-old Devon Kurzhals, of Saranac [sic]. 

The Byron Center man suffered only minor injuries in the crash, but Kurzhals was declared dead at the scene."

Three articles where the headlines seem to point at this incident being the biker's fault, and where the stories say the motorcyclist struck the car without any other qualifiers, noting the last article even leaves that part out due to bad editing.  The casual reader is to believe another dumb biker caused an accident that led to his death and the disfigurement of a poor octogenarian's car.

But even if you have never been to this intersection, or can't make it, due to the magic of the internet you can actually see what went on here.  These so-called journalists who wrote these articles surely had this resource too.  You will find that the car driver saw this just before he entered the intersection:

Do you see a stop sign on the far right?  You do?  Do you notice any stop signs on Adams, the cross road?   You don't?  Doesn't that mean any road user going north must look both ways up Adams to gauge whether their proceeding further will create a conflict with traffic going at normal speed, who aren't required to stop?  It does?  When you look at the picture below looking west up Adams, wouldn't a capable and responsible driver note a motorcyclist approaching from quite a distance, and not cross?

Then why are these 'journalists' bringing shame onto Devon's family, friends, and co-workers at Holland Hospital by not relating that obvious fact, and absolving the memory of him by noting he was a victim of somebody who couldn't operate a motor vehicle properly?

Fortunately for that victim, Devon Kurzhals (pictured above), there was one local journalist from Mlive named John Tunison that printed the truth about this incident in relating the story of Devon's untimely demise, and even did so in his headline Motorcyclist dies after driver, 85, pulls into his path.  He writes:

JAMESTOWN TOWNSHIP, MI -- A 23-year-old Saranac man died after a vehicle pulled into his path at Adams Street and Eighth Avenue.

Police identified Devon Kurzhals as the motorcyclist.

Ottawa County sheriff's deputies said the vehicle driver, 85-year-old William VanSetten of Byron Center, was headed north on Eighth Avenue about 5:15 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15.

Police said he stopped for a stop sign at the intersection, then proceeded north again.

The motorcyclist then struck the vehicle, causing fatal injuries.

VanSetten had minor injuries and was treated at the scene.

Adams Street traffic has the right-of-way.

I repeat:  What's So Difficult About Printing the Truth About Motorcycle Crashes?