One side of the story was presented very well while omitting readily available facts about the accident. The Sheriff’s Department may not have replied to confirm details of the accident to the Lanthorn but they did release a statement on Oct. 14 which included the fact that the bicyclist “…pulled out from a private drive onto Pierce Street into the path of the 1994 ford Taurus…” The injuries are unfortunate and my condolences go out to those injured both mentally and physically. However this does not suffice as an excuse to provide partial information in the article as well as misleading the reader. Things like including reports from individuals who were not at the accident neglects the goal of producing a balanced article free of bias. So to exclude available information about the accident is pure disregard (possibly intentionally) of the truth.

Society tends to ignore the possibility of injured ‘victims’ playing a role or even causing the accident that caused the injuries. This unfortunate event seems to have spurred blame on the obvious lack of sidewalks. Do we need sidewalks? Sure! Sidewalks would be a healthy addition to our roadways near GVSU. I am not sure rallying behind an incident where sidewalks ‘might’ have prevented the accident while ignoring any negligence performed by either party is the best approach. As someone who bikes on and around campus quite often, I find the shoulder size sufficient to support a harmonious bike, pedestrian, and vehicle relationship. That is only if all road users abide by the law. Meaning cars give the bicycles space and don’t treat them as an inconvenience but instead another worthy road vehicle. And bicyclists are obligated by law to stop at stop signs as well as signal turns. To share the road you must do your part in following the rules as well as informing those around you of your intended actions. I must disclaim (as the original article did not) that I was not present at the accident and my vested interest is in fair representation of facts.

Colten O.

GVSU student