[sanjuro]

I learned today a friend, Tom, was killed on Thursday. He was a customer at my shop, and after many visits, he and I became friends.

How he died was very troubling, a road-rage fight while Tom was riding. I have ridden where he died, and I know I have been in my share of confrontations. This could have been me.

He was a fiery Irishman, a retired cop as well, and I wish he could just passed on this fight.

He told me a riddle only Bay Area people would get:

What happens if you drop your keys on Castro Street?
Keep kicking them until you reach Van Ness.

Good bye Tom.

Cyclist involved in road rage fight dies

MARTINEZ - A bicyclist involved in a road rage fight died of his injuries Thursday morning.

Thomas Cooney, 65, of Martinez died shortly before 11 a.m. at John Muir Medical Center.

About 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, police received a report of an accident in the 2400 block of Alhambra Avenue involving a bicyclist and a black pickup truck, according to a news release.

When officers arrived at the scene they found Cooney, who had been riding his bike, lying in the roadway with serious head injuries.

Witnesses told police Cooney and the driver of the pickup had been fist fighting. Investigators were not clear what set off the fight. It also remained unclear Thursday whether Cooney got his injuries from a fall on his bike or from blows in the melee.

 

[Dartman]

Sad indeed.

 

[narlus]

I learned today a friend, Tom, was killed on Thursday. He was a customer at my shop, and after many visits, he and I became friends.

How he died was very troubling, a road-rage fight while Tom was riding. I have ridden where he died, and I know I have been in my share of confrontations. This could have been me.

He was a fiery Irishman, a retired cop as well, and I wish he could just passed on this fight.

bummer to hear. sorry for the sad news, sanjuro.

He told me a riddle only Bay Area people would get:

What happens if you drop your keys on Castro Street?
Keep kicking them until you reach Van Ness.

the local variant told here replaces 'castro' and 'van ness' with 'ogonquit' and 'wells beach'

 

[Skookum]

Saddened to hear about the loss of your freind.

 

[Dirtjumper999]

Thats terrible. I hate fighting, sorry to hear of your loss sanjuro.

 

[Heidi]

Wow, that's awful.

 

[mud'n'sweat]

That's awful. The drivers around here are getting out of control too. I was hit on my bike recently and the lady who hit me proceeded to chew me out saying it was my fault. She side swiped me when i was riding only 1 foot off the curb. She tried to drive off until she realized a witness was already walking over and on the phone with 911. The witness said it almost looked like she intentionally swerved at me. We were in a residential section with a hugely wide street and no parked cars. I have yet to decide if I'll press charges but she has not bothered to own up and apologize. She was cited in the accident report as being at fault, but she refuses to admit it.

My condolences for your friend.

Oh, and I usually wear my steel chastity belt when walking down Castro.

 

[jimmydean]

That sucks dude.

Did they bust the driver? I will never understand the concept of road rage. I can get pissed off driving or otherwise, but not to the point of violence.

 

[sanjuro]

This is still pretty recent. He only died on Thursday. I try to pay attention to the local morning news, and I didn't hear anything.

I guess my friend's death only rated page 14 coverage.

Unfortunately I believe Tom could have said something, even done something to get into a fight. But he was 65 year old man on a bicycle. Whoever did this to him should go to jail forever.

 

[punkassean]

A fist fight to the death sounds pretty damned extreme. Definitely makes you think twice about vocalizing your emotions to asshole motorists. You never know what kind of kook you might run into. This could have happened to me PLENTY of times and I'm sure the same goes for most of us. Scary, sad, pointless......

 

[sunny]

That's so wrong.

May he be remembered fondly.

 

[dhbuilder]

This is still pretty recent. He only died on Thursday. I try to pay attention to the local morning news, and I didn't hear anything.

I guess my friend's death only rated page 14 coverage.

Unfortunately I believe Tom could have said something, even done something to get into a fight. But he was 65 year old man on a bicycle. Whoever did this to him should go to jail forever.

i'm sorry about your friend. and whether any of us knew him or not, he was a fellow cyclist just the same.
back in my road bike days, we were as hard core as the next group. but most of the guys i rode with tried very hard to obey traffiic laws and even stop at all lights and signs.(unless nobody else was around.)
we always figured the whoever we might p...off wouldn't be able to take it out on us. but you never know how they might treat the next rider(s) they come up on.
this may or may not have been the case with this murderer.

and if this case ever comes up before a judge, i hope it's not one of theses judges we've been hearing about in the media lately who are more worried about the rights of the accused than the victim.

i lost someone very dear to me at the hands of a drunk driver who had multiple convictions.
as her parents and i were in the courtroom every day, we were disgusted as that was the main mindset of the judge. his rights over the one he killed.

 

[habitatxskate]

that sucks..the world is so ****ed up now man..sry

 

[Angus]

San,

I will break my Self Imposed RM Ban to tip a beer in your good friends memory, I hope they catch the asshat responsible and as for your friend (an Old irish toast)

 

[jdcamb]

I lifted a pint in his honor. Thanks for sharing....

 

[dump]

jesus ... sad news. if riding a bike in this area wasn't dangerous enough