BIKE: Re: Angry cyclists; deceased driver

[Robert Farr]

David Foster writes:
> But it's impossible for me not to conclude that the
> Statesman's coverage was calculated to make cyclists look bad.

I understand how popular it is here to make the case that the Statesman
doesn't put cyclists in the best light. I've done it too.

However, I believe that in this case the Statesman included plenty of
exculpatory information derived from interviews with the family that
probably have left Coffee's surviving family very unhappy and wishing they
hadn't spoken with the Statesman.

For instance, the quote from his sister:
> "He said there was a real problem with all the
> bicyclists in the road," Zachary said.

Then there's this nugget :
> He had broken his neck in an all-terrain-vehicle wreck when
> he was in his 20s, his sister said. This time, Coffee hit his head
> against the side of his truck as he fell, Zachary said.

And the notion that he was "paralyzed from the chest down" is somewhat
weakened by the family stating that prior to dying of pneumonia in hospice
care 4 months later:
>His only goal, she said, was learning how to get out of bed by himself
>and feed himself.

With this report, the Statesman didn't do the Coffee estate any favors.
-- 
Robert Farr
bobfarr
Austin, Texas

"Regime change begins at home."