Note: This post includes images from the aftermath of a fatal bike crash that may be disturbing.
The article is based on documents obtained by Sharon Hoyer. It was written by John Greenfield.
Tragically, on Monday, April 22, 2024, Chicagoland lost one of its most adventurous bicycle travelers and writers, when a truck driver fatally struck George Christensen, 73, as he was touring in South Carolina. Christensen, a longtime Chicago bike messenger who wrote the travel blog George the Cyclist, was renowned for his extensive two-wheeled trips all over the world, on every continent except Antarctica.
Christensen, a former courier colleague of mine, was a man of many interests, which also included cycling the Tour de France route for almost 20 years, reading great books, and volunteering at film festivals. One of his greatest passions was biking to and documenting historic Carnegie libraries across the U.S., which is what he was doing when he was killed. You can learn more about his inspiring life via the websites and articles and linked at the end of this article.
As Streetsblog Chicago reported in April, the semi operator fatally struck Christensen around 7:30 p.m. on Highway 34 near Autumn Drive, about three miles southeast of Ridgeway, a town roughly 25 miles north of the state capital, Columbia. The sun set shortly after 8 p.m. that evening.
Recently, Streetsblog obtained documents from the local authorities via a Freedom of Information Act request, which shed more light on what reportedly happened. According to the South Carolina Traffic Collision Report, completed by responding South Carolina Highway Patrol officers, the trucker is a 71-year-old man from Winnsboro, a town about 13 miles northwest of the crash site. He was driving a truck owned by Bellwether Forest Products, based in Camden. SC, which is roughly 27 miles southeast of the collision site.
The crash report states that Christensen and the semi operator were heading west on Highway 34. "The driver... failed to use due care while driving, and struck [Christensen's] (pedicycle) in the rear, causing [the victim] to be ejected from the pedicycle," it says.
A 20-page report from the highway patrol's Multi-disciplinary Accident Investigation Team provides more details about the case. It states that the truck was a "green 2022 Mack Pinnacle tractor pulling a logging trailer." The operator had a valid driver's license and reportedly wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash, and was uninjured.
The document says Christensen, who was wearing a helmet, was riding a green Surly bicycle. After the trucker knocked him off the bike, he was thrown "onto the westbound shoulder" of the road. By this they mean the grassy area to the side of the road, because there is no paved shoulder.
The report states that MAIT closely examined the roadway, documenting it with "aerial digital photography, digital photography, digital video, forensic mapping, and a field sketch." The speed limit in the area of the crash is 55 mph, the surface of the two-lane road is asphalt, and the pavement was dry at the time.
The MAIT report also includes a screenshot of video from the truck's dash camera that shows a view from over the vehicle's hood of Christensen riding his bike, just before the driver struck him. It's a haunting image, which Streetsblog has chosen not to include here. Text on the screenshot indicates that the motorist was doing 54 mph, under the 55 limit. It also shows the cyclist was riding as far to the right of the road as possible, in keeping with the law.
Streetsblog also obtained a 51-page document containing MAIT notes on the case. It includes material about "interviews of drivers, occupants, and witnesses."
One statement in that report discusses an interview with a female driver who said she was on her way home when the crash occurred. "She said she saw the bicycle and the truck coming towards her about a quarter mile away," the document states. "She kept saying to herself for the bicycle to get off the road. The bicycle was right on the white line. She saw the truck hit the bicycle and the man. She stopped and went to check on the man and he didn’t have a pulse. The driver got out of the truck and said that he didn’t see him. [There weren't] any other cars around for about 5 minutes. It was just her, the truck and the man that passed on the bicycle."
Another note in the 51-page report says that "[The trucker] stated that he gave his statement to the trooper on-scene, and that he was advised to not speak to anyone about the collision by the attorney for his company."
A passage in that document discusses the semi operator's phone log. "Records from [the trucker's] Verizon Phone account showed a call at 07:18:52 PM EDT," it states. "The collision time was documented on video as 07:31:06 PM EDT. The phone call lasted a total of 4:24 minutes, which would have ended prior to collision. The next phone call made was at 07:35:29 PM EDT, which is immediately after the collision. This call was to... a coworker that he asked to contact a supervisor that he was in a collision. [The trucker who struck Christensen] then called 911 in his next call at 07:37:02. [He] had a text on his phone but it was received at 07:38:37 PM EDT, which is also outside of the time of the collision." There were no outgoing texts recorded on his phone during the requested time. There was a Data Session shown that began at 08:46:00 PM EDT, which was also beyond the collision time."
Another note discusses an interview with the coworker mentioned above. "[The coworker] was interviewed due to his number being called by [the trucker who struck Christensen] around the time of the collision. The colleague confirmed that the semi operator called him after the crash and asked him to call their supervisor to tell him about the collision. "[The coworker] said that [the semi operator] did not give him any details about the collision and just needed him to call the supervisor since [the trucker] could not remember his number at the time," the report states.
Later in the MAIT notes, there is a search warrant and other documents related to investigators examining the crash scene and the truck.
After the crash, George Chistensen's estate retained bicycle and pedestrian injury attorney Michael Keating (a Streetsblog Chicago sponsor) to represent them. "The extensive investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol and their Major Accident Investigation Team demonstrates that the loss of George Christensen while bicycling was a tragic and preventable collision," Keating said. "I am grateful to the men and women of the South Carolina Highway Patrol for their exhaustive and intensive work documenting the evidence and investigating the crash. The South Carolina Highway Patrol’s investigation determined that the driver of the logging truck that struck George did not operate with due care when the driver rear-ended the bicyclist and ejected him from his bicycle."
"A witness who saw the crash observed George appropriately riding all the way to the right on the white line at the time of the impact," Keating added. "The Video Screen Capture from the truck also shows the bicyclist correctly riding to the right of the roadway."
"George Christensen did nothing wrong and died doing what he loved most," Keating concluded. "His death is truly a loss for everyone who knew him or was inspired by his riding and work. We will continue to cooperate with authorities and pursue this matter on behalf of George’s family and loved ones."
Update 11/26/24, 1:00 PM: I asked Keating whether citations or charges had been filed against the truck driver. "To my knowledge, none were filed," he replied. "However, the report clearly concludes that the driver violated due care in striking George."
Learn more about George Christensen's life from these websites and articles:
George Christensen's blog George the Cyclist
Streetsblog Chicago's April 2024 article about Christensen's passing
An obituary for Christensen on the Active Transportation Alliance website
A tribute to Christensen, "Riding Into the Wind," in Downers Grove Magazine
Remembrances of Christensen on his Facebook page
A 2006 profile of Christensen in the Chicago Reader
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