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May 1, 2008 11:11 pm US/Central
Teacher Fatally Struck By Car While Riding Bike
Accident Second To Kill Biker In Logan Square In 10 Days
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
For the second time in two weeks a cyclist is dead after a collision with car in Chicago. The latest accident claimed the life of vivacious young school teacher.
Both tragedies happened in the Logan Square neighborhood.
CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports friends say 24-year-old Mandy Annis was an avid, safe cyclist who rode to and from school almost every day.
That ride killed her Wednesday.
Annis' fifth grade classroom at Humboldt Community Christian School was on Thursday just as she left it last. None of her grief-stricken students or co-workers wants to move anything. It's one way they're coping with her sudden death.
"She was very excited about things that were going to happen, the future," said Annis' coworker Jose Sababria. "She was excited about her fiancée… she was going to be engaged."
Annis was on her bike and on her way home from school Wednesday afternoon when she was struck and killed by a car just a few blocks away. It's not clear who, if anyone, disobeyed the traffic light but the driver was cited for reckless driving and failure to reduce speed.
Chicagoland Bicycle Federation's Rob Sadowsky says it's a reminder for cyclists and drivers alike to be cautious.
"The way I approach the road is I might be the safest driver out there, I might be the safest bicyclist out there, but I don't trust anyone else and I'm going to behave that way," Sadowsky said.
Mayor Richard M. Daley's long been a proponent of biking, and cyclists can be seen all over the city.
Some drivers say they're frustrated because many fail to follow rules of the road.
"A lot of times they don't follow rules," one motorist said. "They run stop signs and then they get mad at you for honkin' at em."
But cyclists say blame goes both ways.
"I think there are a lot of cyclists with bad attitudes, but I think there are plenty of drivers who do their part, too," a cyclist told CBS 2.
The accident is the second bicycle-related death in the Logan Square neighborhood in the last 10 days. On April 20, Tyler Fabeck, 22, was fatally struck by a car in the 2300 block of West Logan Boulevard when he attempted to make a left turn in front of a car.
Just a few weeks ago the Chicago City Council passed a bike safety ordinance, which, among other things, prohibits drivers from turning right in front of bicyclists. Drivers who break the new rules could be fined up to $500.
The STNG Wire contributed to this report.
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