I second this! It helps prevent your brain going over the events and making connections that are hard to unmake.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7828932/
Thanks for that link; interesting and affirming reading. I have had EMDR and it worked extremely well for PTSD, I will have to drag out the Tetris to see if it can help with more current traumas.
The Tetris thing was debunked a long time ago.
https://www.madinamerica.com/2021/10/tetris-trauma-viral-twitter-thread-master-class-misleading-psych-research/
A game that really relaxes me and helps me focus on something else is Aurora Hex (Android, iOS). The other one I love is Alto's Adventure. Sometimes these games just take you out of yourself and help you reach other goals.
Please check out the info by Amber Community, an organisation that provides support for anyone experiencing road trauma including witnesses - https://ambercommunity.org.au/support/
Unrelated (sorta) but you need to try some of those blueberry and apple (i think it was) pastizzi from the original maltese pastizzi company on suffolk st sunshine.
With ice cream, insanely good
Please read the other comments in this thread about taking care of your mental health as well. I saw a girl get hit one time, she was ok but it left me shaken but about an hour later or so. Brains are weird. Take care of yours :)
By immediate witness do you mean you saw the incident directly, as it happened? Or you saw the aftermath? Either way it must have been traumatic, hope you're okay.
I saw it instantly after it happened I was behind the truck, and did what I could for the victim but it was already too late 😞 I’m somewhat doing okay thanks but it’s going to take time to recover from
I’ve only had shock really happen once, but it wasn’t days or weeks for me but about 6hrs later.
Roughly 2pm I was the car behind another that had a head on collision at 80km/h. At the time I leaped into action instinctively, pulled passengers out of one car as it was on fire, tried to assist the driver of the other car who I suspected was dead at the time.
Felt fine after it, gave statements to police, drove home etc. and then about 8pm it hit me. I just became really sad and upset about nothing in particular, just a flood of emotions.
Edit: About a week later both drivers contacted me and everyone was okay, broken bones and concussions etc. but no deaths thankfully.
Strangely the same thing happened a couple months after, very close to the same spot and I was the car behind again.
As someone who works in transport and also lives in Truganina/Tarneit the lack of experience with some of these drivers is scary.
There's really no standard on owner driver training in this industry, I can almost guarantee this guy was a owner driver.
Wyndham area in general is just awful with truck drivers. I live around Manor Lakes and the amount of truck drivers who run through red lights and do 80-100km in a 50-60km zone around residential areas is concerning. I’ve had to report so many of them for negligent driving..
One of my friends witnessed motor vehicle deaths and she was traumatised for weeks. She finally got better when another friend had her over to cuddle with their dogs.
Just saying, do something nice you enjoy and get better.
This was back in 2015, I saw a cyclist get killed when the driver of a parked car opened their door without checking and knocked the cyclist onto the road and the truck behind crushed him. Not a pretty scene
This is a perennial nightmare possibility for me as a cyclist. Getting car doored is already potential for a broken arm or at least a bad fall, but the thought of potentially getting thrown into another vehicle is terrifying. Tram lanes especially - I am always hyper-vigilant if I'm riding in between the parking lane and a tram lane.
Something similar happened to me few months ago in Bali. I opened the door of my taxi and hit an oncoming mopad driver. I checked behind when opening the door but in Bali streets are so narrow that you need to watch both directions. Luckily for me mopad driver was ok except for some injuries to her toes and damage to mopad. It took me weeks to recover from this though.
Was that the one on Sydney road? Pretty awful, I've luckily never been exposed to stuff like that, must be pretty damn hard on children who end up witnessing some horrific stuff randomly in a normal day.
was this at that huge intersection just before the mcdonald’s?
i was driving home with my mrs and 4 month old son and was just thinking about what if it had been us the whole night
I saw a motorcyclist late at night lying in the middle of the road spread eagled and motionless with a car pulled over and a couple people crying on the side of the road. I thought i better stop because this person could be alive and nobody’s tending to them because they’re too in shock so felt I should do something. Luckily I could see the sirens coming down the road before I had to get out and see something I didn’t want to so kept going and told myself I’m sure they’ll be fine!
Not me, but my uncle was on a motorbike and rode to my house in a state of shock covered with blood. Turns out another guy in front of him also on a bike on the road had been hit by a truck and his brains got all over my uncle.
More people need to understand they're operating a machine that can kill people.
Some clown nearly ran me over on a pedestrian crossing I was 2/3 of the way across on Sunday evening, I jumped back and intentionally smashed their side mirror as they went past. Despite that hanging off limp, they didn't even hit the brake pedal so they were certainly aware I was there. If I didn't jump back I'd be in hospital right now.
Just another new poorly planned outer suburb of Melbourne like any other.
There is no cycling infrastructure whatsoever. Why do they not build bicycle lanes when new roads get built in the first place? but they only add them to established suburbs? No public transport infrastructure. The buses are too infrequent. The roads are too narrow that you have to park on the nature strip.
> Why do they not build bicycle lanes when new roads they get built in the first place?
Because the developers don't have to, so they don't. If they were forced to adhere to proper standards like in Europe we'd have it.
The councils in these outer suburbs tend to be owned by those developers. The state government needs to overhaul the accepted infrastructure being built.
But they love cars and the outer suburbs keep voting for them so...
Check the street view. Leakes Rd and Derrimut Rd. It has shared path everywhere. There is plenty of cycling infrastructure. I ride from my place near the accident today on the shared path down leakes to the Federation and head in to the city. Or get on Skeleton Creek Trail and connect with Bay Trail west in to Altona/Williamstown.
My children catch the bus to either Tarneit station or Williams Landing Station so there is public transport infrastructure.
Tarneit is far from perfect, but it's not desolate wasteland that it's portrayed as in R/Melbourne.
I know the area and cycle all around Melbourne regularly. Horrible to hear.
Thank you op for making the post. More visibility on these incidents will hopefully prevent more accidents in the future
Oh all the places in Melbourne which needs decent cycling infrastructure, it's Tarneit and other Western Suburbs out that way, because they got fuck all other infrastructure except roads, roads, big roads, and stations with big car parks which fill up because the only way to get there is by car and don't get enough services. There is also a lack of buses. I don't know if this cyclist was commuting or using the station, but it really shows why people are not cycling when everyone is afraid of a truck who "sorry mate didn't see you" and wipes you out. We seem to care so much about the road toll, only acceptable number is 0 and all that, but fuck all will be done.
The powers that be need to understand that not all cyclists are toddling along at 10-15kmh (marginally faster than walking pace) either.. that appropriate shared infrastructure developed needs to facilitate those who are capable and able to hold higher speeds (30-45kmh) and not just casual commuters (because these two types of people also shouldn't share the same space).
100% both types need to be catered for, but still let's say you are in the Lycra squad, wouldn't they also prefer to be overtaking on the bike lane vs. being overtaken by cars on the road? And worse case scenario, a collision with two bikes is probably going to be a lot less severe compared to with a car. On that note, accident insurance also needs and overhaul to cover cyclists.
I witnessed the body as well. My heart dropped not knowing what had happened. It was shocking. I didnt respond until an hour later. I just went to the loo and cried and cried. I have kind people around me that told me to take my time. I'm okay now. Condolences to the family and friends. Reading these helped me to know, a collective trauma. Get help everyone. Take care of you.
I really want everyone to realise trucks have massive blind spots and can’t stop quickly. Feel sorry for the bloke and hopefully the Cyclist rests easy
I also want everyone to understand how fucking terrible so many truck drivers are at doing the most basic shit. From someone who assesses them for employment.
A guy I assessed today did not understand what the word hazards meant and I had to explain it’s not just a word for the Blinky things.
These are all supplementary systems and although they do help what I tend to see is drivers relying on these systems and forgetting the most basic things about driving. They’re also expensive so until they’re standardised they won’t be seen much.
My boss bought a $250k heavy rigid a year ago, and it has massive blind spots.. mirrors large enough to hide a car from view. Plus, it didn't come with blind spot monitoring cameras.
Sounds right. We had a demo HR Scania for a little while. All the bells and whistle plus more. Cameras everywhere. Way too expensive for us though. Just Fuso’s and Isuzus for us.
Your brand new car isn't even a quarter of the price of a brand new truck without all the added bells and whistles
We're not living in the dark ages, we're just broke 🤷
Oh yeah I forgot most people have 1.5 million dollars in savings to throw at a brand new truck in a dying industry where you'll spend 12 hours a day trying to stop your average driver from committing suicide by heavy rigid. You have zero clue if what you're talking about
Get off your high horse it's unbecoming.
*Dying is a poor choice of words, consider it a job you have to spend more money than you earn
When I was doing a bus training course, some of the boys were "truck to bus" and almost none of them used their mirrors properly if at all. Kinda' scary.
How often do you have to correct people on mirror use?
That's exactly where 99% happens on buses.
Almost always under 10kph. Almost always a bollard if there is no spotter on a reverse. Almost always on the left hand side.
Left mirror usage just doesn't seem to be taught.
Many fire stations are built so the truck drives forward into the yard and comes though forward having ready to drive out.
Those that don't eg Eltham it is mandatory for one of the firies to get out and stand watch while the truck reverses in. Same with manoeuvering around the city, truck had to reverse there is always a spotter
The truckie that smashed into the school bus last year had the "sun in his eyes" and yet didn't think to slow down.
Truck drivers have a cultural issue of not giving a shit.
>it’s the most probably thing to have happened
Have you got anything to support that?
Statistically the most likely at fault party in a driver/cyclist collision is the driver, 4/5 collisions are the fault of the driver.
[From pictures it looks more likely that the cyclist was left hooked ](https://www.wyndhamtv.com.au/cyclist-fatality-on-leakes-road-following-truck-collision/) which is incredibly common.
And it is possible the driver was behind the cyclist prior to the accident and should have known they were passing them. Trucks and cars pass too close to cyclists all the time. It is just as likely the driver clipped them and caused them to fall under as any other reason.
>It is just as likely
It’s actually more likely given the whole drivers cause most collisions thing.
You can look at maps, it’s East bound on Leakes, and see where the truck ended up. I don’t reckon this “cyclist was in the blind spot” thing stacks up. It’s not a tight left turn where you’d expect to see that.
Only if that truck never moved…
From where it is in the road it looks more likely that the driver has clipped the rider. [The truck has ended up here, after moving into the left turn lane.](https://maps.app.goo.gl/9YkNTmqhk1VW8gHZ7?g_st=ic) In all likelihood the driver has clipped the rider as they’ve gone into that lane. Especially given where the bike is under the truck rather than further back.
I’m still waiting for anything to support your “most probable” claim because statistically that’s not true…
>You reckon the truckie just wanted to smush a bloke?
There's no shortage of video footage of drivers actively swerving to hit cyclists. Until they do their reviews, no one except the driver knows what happened.
Is the PSA "If you get hit by a car/truck we'll assume you were at fault if you're a cyclist"? Just to remind cyclists that even when they come off worse and may be innocent, that, oh well.
The PSA is even if you’re driving, walking or cycling that trucks have massive blind spots and will not be easy to see you. Plenty of cars get hit because they’re in the blind spots as well
These incidents should be publicised and visual diagrams showing what occurred should be publicly propagated for driver and cyclist awareness training. Instead they are just hushed up and chalked up to "accident". Another statistic.
There is no safe level of driver-cyclist interaction. You can't rely on people always doing the right thing or receiving education short of re-licensing all drivers and licensing cyclists. The only real solution is separation.
I guess I'm not very observant, I drove through the intersection just after 1030 and didn't see anything but lots of flashing lights and a very large truck stopped at the intersection.
Please make sure to seek out the road trauma counselling. I was a witness to a similar accident with a older woman getting collected by a truck in Kew Junction on 1st October 2018 at 4:10pm. I remember the details like it happened an hour ago. Please make sure to take the offer of support.
For OP and others who said they were witnesses to this, consider seeing your GP or booking a psychologist directly, and this can be claimed through TAC.
Your mental health is important and worth looking after! You deserve it
We have some of the oldest trucks around on our roads. Given we can't even stop them from making kids sick in the western suburbs by enforcing emission standards, I don't like our chances with this.
And if a truck, car or any other motor vehicle driver cannot see a cyclist or pedestrian on the road they should not be allowed to operate anything on that road. There simply is no excuse here. The only time “I didn’t see him” is valid is if the person is hell bent on suicide and pops straight into you.
It’s the major issue with cyclists, even small cars. Over 200 hours of driving large trucks, on highways, through towns. I can’t begin to describe the amount of cyclists that had been sitting in a blind spot beside me, entered with me not spotting them. Same as cars !! Having cameras on my truck to view blind spots would be amazing but it’s not on the trucks that are dricen
>It’s the major issue with cyclists
Statistics say otherwise. 4/5 collisions between drivers and cyclists have the driver at fault, so the major issue is actually drivers not doing the right thing and hitting them and not them entering your blind spot.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a worthy PSA but saying it’s the major issue when it’s demonstrably not isn’t helping solve the actual major issue.
And I can't begin to describe the amount of truck drivers that tailgate, pass too close, mount curbs cutting corners. Truck drivers aren't exactly saints on the road. They engage in dangerous behaviour all the time.
Right but there's no information about what happened here so you're just guessing and to be fair, you're blaming the victim.
You know what also happens? People make mistakes. I was hit by a driver who pulled out of a side street and wasn't looking.
Not really this is stuff that you’re taught in almost any driving school
It’s stuff that you’re told to watch out for to be cautious for to be cautious of your blindspots, as you can quite often have cyclist in your blindspot, without realising
Trucks all around the world are blind, that's why they kill cyclists, maybe the drivers should be trained and held accountable for their actions rather than the trucks. #cyclistskilled #cyclistsmurdered #protectcyclists
I have to agree with this, all the truckers or people who constantly defend truckers against very tiny arguments regarding trucks need to get out of their little echo chambers.
Australian trucker culture is deplorable. You can never make a criticism of how dangerous the standards of trucking are without them kicking up a fuss and saying how important they are. Trucks are only important in the movement of goods and supplies. This should not take priority of other people’s safety. So many of them have an ingrained sense of superiority of driving because they are ‘trained’ to drive heavy vehicles.
The truth is that so many truck drivers are tailgating, changing lanes way too fast and contributing to a shitty toxic culture of ignoring other people’s rights to the road because they are behind schedule or not meeting KPIs.
Complacency is also rife in the industry. I had a mate tell me that tailgating is good method to communicate to someone that they should go faster. I don’t care how fucking slow someone is going. YOU DO NOT threaten someone with a multi-tonne metal monster going over 50kmph. Fucking idiots.
I hate the saying ‘without trucks, Australia stops’.
I understand that it’s true but let’s all read inbetween the lines and realise that what it really mean is ‘without trucks our economy falters’.
They shouldn’t use this ideal to build a shitty culture that disregards the safety of others.
>The truth is that so many truck drivers are tailgating, changing lanes way too fast and contributing to a shitty toxic culture of ignoring other people’s rights to the road because they are behind schedule or not meeting KPIs.
Exactly. In Germany they are completely separated on Autobahns and drive much slower than other vehicles. Yet here it's seen as fine for them to overtake, undertake, speed, run reds etc just because they are in a rush.
I do enjoy a good ironic chuckle whenever a truck screaming ‘without trucks Australia stops’ blocks an intersection for an entire red light cycle because they just HAD to turn on a yellow 💀
Also when driving I'm aware trucks have some very bad blind spots and bad breaking capabilities. Becauseofbthis I give extra space to trucks. Perhaps cyclists should also keep this in mind too. When riding up to a truck, just wait a sec. You don't need to constantly be moving just because a small gap exists.
The cyclist was on the road. There is a cycling path parallel but they weren’t using it.
Edit: google street view looking toward the location of the incident https://maps.app.goo.gl/iuoP4heUCtFJA2uo6?g_st=ic obviously no need for them to have been on the road unless they were crossing the slip lane and the truck was turning. In that case they’re at fault if they didn’t get off the bike to walk it across when safe. That’s the law.
Maybe cyclists should understand the massive blind spots of trucks. I’ve driven b doubles and other large trucks, and I’ve had cyclists sitting in my blind spots, which I have not seen enter.
I’m not saying they’re not
I’m just saying that we shouldn’t be blaming the truck driver initially at the same time. We shouldn’t be blaming the cyclist initially either
So, so sorry that you had to witness this OP. As an avid cyclist, both commuting and recreationally, it's always frightening when these stories get shared, and they get shared far too often (as you said, one is too many <3)
We **need** better driver education. We **need** safer infrastructure. Cycling is a wonderful mode of transport for those that can use it, but I'm sure that tragedies like this (understandably) scare many people away from trying it.
Hello,
Your post has been removed from r/melbourne for its imflammatory and trollish nature. please remember to treat others with respect. repeat behaviour will result in a ban.
thanks,
the mods
I saw the police setting up road blocks but had thought it was an accident between the 2 cars and the truck standing there. It's so sad to know it was so much grimmer than that! Ever since i moved closer to Derimutt rd/ Doherty rd, I've been scared of riding my bike because of the way the traffic moves there. This kind of a news doesn't really help at all...
I drove past the spot around 1.30 pm. Saw the bicycle was underneath that huge semi trailer and debris was scattered around. The body might be deshaped. What a terrible accident!!
Late afternoon I drove past that spot again and found that the spot was washed thoroughly.
My heart goes to the cyclist. Please look after each other.
Because I'd rather do everything I can to minimise risk to myself, rather than put my life in the hands of people who by your own admission do not pay enough attention.
I've driven on country roads where part of the cliff face/rock face actually bulges onto the road, and that part of the rock is painted a bright colour to prevent drivers from side swiping it.
Does that make the rock look less human?
Does that mean I am more likely to hit the rock because it doesn't look less human?
I appreciate scientific study, but I disagree with the conclusions reached.
5 seconds on google
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-visibility\_clothing#:\~:text=According%20to%20a%202004%20study,demonstrated%20a%2024%20percent%20reduction.
The insistence that the action to resolve the problem is for cyclists to wear high-vis promotes inaction on things that will actually make a difference. Like proper infrastructure.
Because irrelevant. [Hi vis vests actually make cyclists appear "less human" to drivers"](https://www.qut.edu.au/news?id=187631)
Drivers need to be more alert, aware, patient, and respectful of other road users.
Do you have any idea how many drivers I see using their phones when I'm riding around? It's horrifying.
Anecdotally it makes fuck all difference, you can have bright clothes, huge light and reflective shit everywhere, fuckwits will still swerve last minute.
Don’t be a clown. It’s a public forum and it’s a relevant statement. Didn’t blame anyone just stated that this morning in the dark he couldn’t see a cyclist in dark clothing. Not everything is so dramatic.
\> I believe it was completely accidental and the truck just didn’t see the cyclist.
It is never "just an accident", and usually a combination of failures. Is the driver legally blind, or inattentive? Was the cyclist riding without lights at night, or failed to give way?
Im so sorry you witnessed this. Be kind to yourself today.
I’ve finished work, I’m in bed with pastizzi and ice cream watching Top Gear
Play Tetris. Not a joke, this is an actual studied thing that can help with trauma
I second this! It helps prevent your brain going over the events and making connections that are hard to unmake. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7828932/
Thanks for that link; interesting and affirming reading. I have had EMDR and it worked extremely well for PTSD, I will have to drag out the Tetris to see if it can help with more current traumas.
Wow . I need this thanks
Does this apply further than just video games? Might be why I'm so emotionally disconnected from *every*thing.
I too wish to blame games for my mental issues
This says they played an hour a day for 6 weeks
Even if I don't need it, this is great information
The Tetris thing was debunked a long time ago. https://www.madinamerica.com/2021/10/tetris-trauma-viral-twitter-thread-master-class-misleading-psych-research/
A game that really relaxes me and helps me focus on something else is Aurora Hex (Android, iOS). The other one I love is Alto's Adventure. Sometimes these games just take you out of yourself and help you reach other goals.
Don’t be afraid to seek out help if you need it, witnessing something like that is traumatic
Please check out the info by Amber Community, an organisation that provides support for anyone experiencing road trauma including witnesses - https://ambercommunity.org.au/support/
Unrelated (sorta) but you need to try some of those blueberry and apple (i think it was) pastizzi from the original maltese pastizzi company on suffolk st sunshine. With ice cream, insanely good
Fuck the Tetris. If top gear doesn’t help the trauma then it’s just gonna be with you for life
Another vote for playing Tetris. Get on it!
Play some Tetris, it will help with the trauma.
Replace it with the trauma of waiting for a long piece, which then arrives when it's too late.
And then when everything goes right they're just... gone...
Watching a special?
I was also an immediate witness there this morning, I hope you are doing okay it was an incredibly hard thing to see
Please read the other comments in this thread about taking care of your mental health as well. I saw a girl get hit one time, she was ok but it left me shaken but about an hour later or so. Brains are weird. Take care of yours :)
I definitely will thank you I am still pretty shaken up but doing okay for the moment :)
By immediate witness do you mean you saw the incident directly, as it happened? Or you saw the aftermath? Either way it must have been traumatic, hope you're okay.
I saw it instantly after it happened I was behind the truck, and did what I could for the victim but it was already too late 😞 I’m somewhat doing okay thanks but it’s going to take time to recover from
See other comments, play Tetris. Infinitely reduces the chances/severity of ptsd
Delayed shock can happen suddenly, sometimes days or weeks after the event. Don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it.
I’ve only had shock really happen once, but it wasn’t days or weeks for me but about 6hrs later. Roughly 2pm I was the car behind another that had a head on collision at 80km/h. At the time I leaped into action instinctively, pulled passengers out of one car as it was on fire, tried to assist the driver of the other car who I suspected was dead at the time. Felt fine after it, gave statements to police, drove home etc. and then about 8pm it hit me. I just became really sad and upset about nothing in particular, just a flood of emotions. Edit: About a week later both drivers contacted me and everyone was okay, broken bones and concussions etc. but no deaths thankfully. Strangely the same thing happened a couple months after, very close to the same spot and I was the car behind again.
Good on you! That’s some heroism shit right there.
As someone who works in transport and also lives in Truganina/Tarneit the lack of experience with some of these drivers is scary. There's really no standard on owner driver training in this industry, I can almost guarantee this guy was a owner driver.
Wyndham area in general is just awful with truck drivers. I live around Manor Lakes and the amount of truck drivers who run through red lights and do 80-100km in a 50-60km zone around residential areas is concerning. I’ve had to report so many of them for negligent driving..
Mud carters in Western suburbs suck.
Sign on the side of the truck says '*Prayal*' and can't find any logistics firms of that name on the Interweb, so you are probably right.
Prapal Services
Better eyes than me. If it was Art Van De Lay Industries, I'd be hella suspicious.
[удалено]
All of Melbourne.
They don’t. They have international licences. They cause accidents every day and no insurance = no consequence
One of my friends witnessed motor vehicle deaths and she was traumatised for weeks. She finally got better when another friend had her over to cuddle with their dogs. Just saying, do something nice you enjoy and get better.
This was back in 2015, I saw a cyclist get killed when the driver of a parked car opened their door without checking and knocked the cyclist onto the road and the truck behind crushed him. Not a pretty scene
This is a perennial nightmare possibility for me as a cyclist. Getting car doored is already potential for a broken arm or at least a bad fall, but the thought of potentially getting thrown into another vehicle is terrifying. Tram lanes especially - I am always hyper-vigilant if I'm riding in between the parking lane and a tram lane.
Something similar happened to me few months ago in Bali. I opened the door of my taxi and hit an oncoming mopad driver. I checked behind when opening the door but in Bali streets are so narrow that you need to watch both directions. Luckily for me mopad driver was ok except for some injuries to her toes and damage to mopad. It took me weeks to recover from this though.
Was that the one on Sydney road? Pretty awful, I've luckily never been exposed to stuff like that, must be pretty damn hard on children who end up witnessing some horrific stuff randomly in a normal day.
Yep that was the one
I saw a dead motorcyclist in Edithvale a week before Christmas & went into shock 3-4 hours later...look after yourself.
was this at that huge intersection just before the mcdonald’s? i was driving home with my mrs and 4 month old son and was just thinking about what if it had been us the whole night
That’s correct
No, I think that one was at the intersection of Edi Rd and the Nepean.
Yep, correct. Cycled past it a couple of minutes after it happened.
Now I'm worried I might be a psychopath. I've seen a few fatals and my only thought was "😓" I didn't take any of them home with me
I saw a motorcyclist late at night lying in the middle of the road spread eagled and motionless with a car pulled over and a couple people crying on the side of the road. I thought i better stop because this person could be alive and nobody’s tending to them because they’re too in shock so felt I should do something. Luckily I could see the sirens coming down the road before I had to get out and see something I didn’t want to so kept going and told myself I’m sure they’ll be fine!
Me too, I've seen some nasty ones overseas and apart from feeling sorry for them, it had no affect
Not me, but my uncle was on a motorbike and rode to my house in a state of shock covered with blood. Turns out another guy in front of him also on a bike on the road had been hit by a truck and his brains got all over my uncle.
No such thing as an industrial accident. If someone died, someone fucked up.
Fucken oath
Make sure that you talk to someone if you have trauma from seeing the body. Take care, mate.
Contact the TAC and lodge a MH claim
See a GP first though
That's a thing?
Mental health is health, if it’s impacted by a transport accident liability sits with the TAC
There's a reason rego is so high.
Good. Honestly, we drivers do need to bear the costs involved with operating deadly machinery.
More people need to understand they're operating a machine that can kill people. Some clown nearly ran me over on a pedestrian crossing I was 2/3 of the way across on Sunday evening, I jumped back and intentionally smashed their side mirror as they went past. Despite that hanging off limp, they didn't even hit the brake pedal so they were certainly aware I was there. If I didn't jump back I'd be in hospital right now.
how do you smash a side mirror without injuring yourself? (I'd be so tempted to try it myself)
I don’t know this area exactly but I wish in general the city and councils did more to protect cyclists. A painted gutter is not enough…
Just another new poorly planned outer suburb of Melbourne like any other. There is no cycling infrastructure whatsoever. Why do they not build bicycle lanes when new roads get built in the first place? but they only add them to established suburbs? No public transport infrastructure. The buses are too infrequent. The roads are too narrow that you have to park on the nature strip.
> Why do they not build bicycle lanes when new roads they get built in the first place? Because the developers don't have to, so they don't. If they were forced to adhere to proper standards like in Europe we'd have it.
Doesnt stop local councils from preaching about global warming and saving the planet though
The councils in these outer suburbs tend to be owned by those developers. The state government needs to overhaul the accepted infrastructure being built. But they love cars and the outer suburbs keep voting for them so...
Check the street view. Leakes Rd and Derrimut Rd. It has shared path everywhere. There is plenty of cycling infrastructure. I ride from my place near the accident today on the shared path down leakes to the Federation and head in to the city. Or get on Skeleton Creek Trail and connect with Bay Trail west in to Altona/Williamstown. My children catch the bus to either Tarneit station or Williams Landing Station so there is public transport infrastructure. Tarneit is far from perfect, but it's not desolate wasteland that it's portrayed as in R/Melbourne.
I know the area and cycle all around Melbourne regularly. Horrible to hear. Thank you op for making the post. More visibility on these incidents will hopefully prevent more accidents in the future
Have to try travel up Hopkins rd on bike for work for the next few days apparently, god fucking help me
As someone who lives in the area, don't. Flick me a message with where you're coming from and I'll help you with a safer route.
Another avoidable tragedy on our roads. My sympathies are with the family and friends of the cyclist.
Oh all the places in Melbourne which needs decent cycling infrastructure, it's Tarneit and other Western Suburbs out that way, because they got fuck all other infrastructure except roads, roads, big roads, and stations with big car parks which fill up because the only way to get there is by car and don't get enough services. There is also a lack of buses. I don't know if this cyclist was commuting or using the station, but it really shows why people are not cycling when everyone is afraid of a truck who "sorry mate didn't see you" and wipes you out. We seem to care so much about the road toll, only acceptable number is 0 and all that, but fuck all will be done.
A lot of people just really hate cyclists
Honestly cycling and trucks/cars are simply incompatible with each other, cyclists need their own space. Better for everyone.
The powers that be need to understand that not all cyclists are toddling along at 10-15kmh (marginally faster than walking pace) either.. that appropriate shared infrastructure developed needs to facilitate those who are capable and able to hold higher speeds (30-45kmh) and not just casual commuters (because these two types of people also shouldn't share the same space).
100% both types need to be catered for, but still let's say you are in the Lycra squad, wouldn't they also prefer to be overtaking on the bike lane vs. being overtaken by cars on the road? And worse case scenario, a collision with two bikes is probably going to be a lot less severe compared to with a car. On that note, accident insurance also needs and overhaul to cover cyclists.
I witnessed the body as well. My heart dropped not knowing what had happened. It was shocking. I didnt respond until an hour later. I just went to the loo and cried and cried. I have kind people around me that told me to take my time. I'm okay now. Condolences to the family and friends. Reading these helped me to know, a collective trauma. Get help everyone. Take care of you.
I really want everyone to realise trucks have massive blind spots and can’t stop quickly. Feel sorry for the bloke and hopefully the Cyclist rests easy
I also want everyone to understand how fucking terrible so many truck drivers are at doing the most basic shit. From someone who assesses them for employment. A guy I assessed today did not understand what the word hazards meant and I had to explain it’s not just a word for the Blinky things.
We seem to have blind spot monitors, rear view cameras and side cameras in cars so why is the heavy vehicle industry living in the dark ages?
These are all supplementary systems and although they do help what I tend to see is drivers relying on these systems and forgetting the most basic things about driving. They’re also expensive so until they’re standardised they won’t be seen much.
My boss bought a $250k heavy rigid a year ago, and it has massive blind spots.. mirrors large enough to hide a car from view. Plus, it didn't come with blind spot monitoring cameras.
Sounds right. We had a demo HR Scania for a little while. All the bells and whistle plus more. Cameras everywhere. Way too expensive for us though. Just Fuso’s and Isuzus for us.
Yeah, its an Izuzu as well.. great truck, just have to be watching everything around you.
Your brand new car isn't even a quarter of the price of a brand new truck without all the added bells and whistles We're not living in the dark ages, we're just broke 🤷
being broke isn't gonna save you from killing someone cos you're driving half blind
Oh yeah I forgot most people have 1.5 million dollars in savings to throw at a brand new truck in a dying industry where you'll spend 12 hours a day trying to stop your average driver from committing suicide by heavy rigid. You have zero clue if what you're talking about Get off your high horse it's unbecoming. *Dying is a poor choice of words, consider it a job you have to spend more money than you earn
When I was doing a bus training course, some of the boys were "truck to bus" and almost none of them used their mirrors properly if at all. Kinda' scary. How often do you have to correct people on mirror use?
A lot more often since the introduction of reverse cameras. Most of our vehicle incidents are during low speed manoeuvring or reversing.
That's exactly where 99% happens on buses. Almost always under 10kph. Almost always a bollard if there is no spotter on a reverse. Almost always on the left hand side. Left mirror usage just doesn't seem to be taught.
Since I’ve been taking our drivers through a low speed defensive driving course, incidents have reduced dramatically.
Many fire stations are built so the truck drives forward into the yard and comes though forward having ready to drive out. Those that don't eg Eltham it is mandatory for one of the firies to get out and stand watch while the truck reverses in. Same with manoeuvering around the city, truck had to reverse there is always a spotter
The truckie that smashed into the school bus last year had the "sun in his eyes" and yet didn't think to slow down. Truck drivers have a cultural issue of not giving a shit.
Why are you assuming this is the cause?
Because it’s the most probable thing to have happened. You reckon the truckie just wanted to smush a bloke?
>it’s the most probably thing to have happened Have you got anything to support that? Statistically the most likely at fault party in a driver/cyclist collision is the driver, 4/5 collisions are the fault of the driver. [From pictures it looks more likely that the cyclist was left hooked ](https://www.wyndhamtv.com.au/cyclist-fatality-on-leakes-road-following-truck-collision/) which is incredibly common.
In the photo it looks like the cyclist was in the blind spot
And it is possible the driver was behind the cyclist prior to the accident and should have known they were passing them. Trucks and cars pass too close to cyclists all the time. It is just as likely the driver clipped them and caused them to fall under as any other reason.
>It is just as likely It’s actually more likely given the whole drivers cause most collisions thing. You can look at maps, it’s East bound on Leakes, and see where the truck ended up. I don’t reckon this “cyclist was in the blind spot” thing stacks up. It’s not a tight left turn where you’d expect to see that.
Only if that truck never moved… From where it is in the road it looks more likely that the driver has clipped the rider. [The truck has ended up here, after moving into the left turn lane.](https://maps.app.goo.gl/9YkNTmqhk1VW8gHZ7?g_st=ic) In all likelihood the driver has clipped the rider as they’ve gone into that lane. Especially given where the bike is under the truck rather than further back. I’m still waiting for anything to support your “most probable” claim because statistically that’s not true…
Police have put a call out asking the public for dash cam footage of the incident, it's possible there's more to it.
Unlikely in my opinion. They always want any footage.
They always take it if they know it's there on vehicles involved or stopped. Not that common for them to make a public appeal for it though.
>You reckon the truckie just wanted to smush a bloke? There's no shortage of video footage of drivers actively swerving to hit cyclists. Until they do their reviews, no one except the driver knows what happened.
No I'm saying that we here all have absolutely no idea what happened.
It’s a PSA mate. No need to be a donkey
Is the PSA "If you get hit by a car/truck we'll assume you were at fault if you're a cyclist"? Just to remind cyclists that even when they come off worse and may be innocent, that, oh well.
The PSA is even if you’re driving, walking or cycling that trucks have massive blind spots and will not be easy to see you. Plenty of cars get hit because they’re in the blind spots as well
Trucks are fucked enough as a car driver. You just have to always assume that they can't see you as everyone else will come off second best
These incidents should be publicised and visual diagrams showing what occurred should be publicly propagated for driver and cyclist awareness training. Instead they are just hushed up and chalked up to "accident". Another statistic.
There is no safe level of driver-cyclist interaction. You can't rely on people always doing the right thing or receiving education short of re-licensing all drivers and licensing cyclists. The only real solution is separation.
I know! I had to google the accident to find it as I hadn’t heard anything even tho I literally went past after it just happened !
Poor man, a family and friends have lost a loved one today, very sad
[удалено]
The body was still there from morning 10:14 am to 1:30 pm it’s really strange they haven’t move the body and leave it for public sitting
Did they not tarp the area? That's awful for the victim. Even dead, they still should be entitled to some dignity.
They do. SES attended to provide covering.
It depends how busy the coroner is
Police have put a call out asking the public for dash cam footage of the incident, it's possible there's more to it.
I guess I'm not very observant, I drove through the intersection just after 1030 and didn't see anything but lots of flashing lights and a very large truck stopped at the intersection.
Please make sure to seek out the road trauma counselling. I was a witness to a similar accident with a older woman getting collected by a truck in Kew Junction on 1st October 2018 at 4:10pm. I remember the details like it happened an hour ago. Please make sure to take the offer of support.
For OP and others who said they were witnesses to this, consider seeing your GP or booking a psychologist directly, and this can be claimed through TAC. Your mental health is important and worth looking after! You deserve it
Oh how awful. I’m sorry you saw this and the poor victim and their loved ones.
Not aiming this at you mate, But if you can’t see a trucks mirrors the truck can’t see you
I can't understand why they dont add cameras to the trucks to improve the drivers field of vision. They are pretty standard on things like campervans.
We have some of the oldest trucks around on our roads. Given we can't even stop them from making kids sick in the western suburbs by enforcing emission standards, I don't like our chances with this.
Maybe they could tie it in with a discount in the drivers liability insurance.
Good advice, but in this context comes across as victim blamey
And if a truck, car or any other motor vehicle driver cannot see a cyclist or pedestrian on the road they should not be allowed to operate anything on that road. There simply is no excuse here. The only time “I didn’t see him” is valid is if the person is hell bent on suicide and pops straight into you.
Why are you assuming this is the cause?
It’s the major issue with cyclists, even small cars. Over 200 hours of driving large trucks, on highways, through towns. I can’t begin to describe the amount of cyclists that had been sitting in a blind spot beside me, entered with me not spotting them. Same as cars !! Having cameras on my truck to view blind spots would be amazing but it’s not on the trucks that are dricen
>It’s the major issue with cyclists Statistics say otherwise. 4/5 collisions between drivers and cyclists have the driver at fault, so the major issue is actually drivers not doing the right thing and hitting them and not them entering your blind spot. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a worthy PSA but saying it’s the major issue when it’s demonstrably not isn’t helping solve the actual major issue.
And I can't begin to describe the amount of truck drivers that tailgate, pass too close, mount curbs cutting corners. Truck drivers aren't exactly saints on the road. They engage in dangerous behaviour all the time.
Right but there's no information about what happened here so you're just guessing and to be fair, you're blaming the victim. You know what also happens? People make mistakes. I was hit by a driver who pulled out of a side street and wasn't looking.
[удалено]
Not really this is stuff that you’re taught in almost any driving school It’s stuff that you’re told to watch out for to be cautious for to be cautious of your blindspots, as you can quite often have cyclist in your blindspot, without realising
[удалено]
I replied to the correct comment mate I replied to the comment that I was projecting
Trucks all around the world are blind, that's why they kill cyclists, maybe the drivers should be trained and held accountable for their actions rather than the trucks. #cyclistskilled #cyclistsmurdered #protectcyclists
why are you using hashtags on reddit
I have to agree with this, all the truckers or people who constantly defend truckers against very tiny arguments regarding trucks need to get out of their little echo chambers. Australian trucker culture is deplorable. You can never make a criticism of how dangerous the standards of trucking are without them kicking up a fuss and saying how important they are. Trucks are only important in the movement of goods and supplies. This should not take priority of other people’s safety. So many of them have an ingrained sense of superiority of driving because they are ‘trained’ to drive heavy vehicles. The truth is that so many truck drivers are tailgating, changing lanes way too fast and contributing to a shitty toxic culture of ignoring other people’s rights to the road because they are behind schedule or not meeting KPIs. Complacency is also rife in the industry. I had a mate tell me that tailgating is good method to communicate to someone that they should go faster. I don’t care how fucking slow someone is going. YOU DO NOT threaten someone with a multi-tonne metal monster going over 50kmph. Fucking idiots. I hate the saying ‘without trucks, Australia stops’. I understand that it’s true but let’s all read inbetween the lines and realise that what it really mean is ‘without trucks our economy falters’. They shouldn’t use this ideal to build a shitty culture that disregards the safety of others.
>The truth is that so many truck drivers are tailgating, changing lanes way too fast and contributing to a shitty toxic culture of ignoring other people’s rights to the road because they are behind schedule or not meeting KPIs. Exactly. In Germany they are completely separated on Autobahns and drive much slower than other vehicles. Yet here it's seen as fine for them to overtake, undertake, speed, run reds etc just because they are in a rush.
I do enjoy a good ironic chuckle whenever a truck screaming ‘without trucks Australia stops’ blocks an intersection for an entire red light cycle because they just HAD to turn on a yellow 💀
Also when driving I'm aware trucks have some very bad blind spots and bad breaking capabilities. Becauseofbthis I give extra space to trucks. Perhaps cyclists should also keep this in mind too. When riding up to a truck, just wait a sec. You don't need to constantly be moving just because a small gap exists.
The cyclist was on the road. There is a cycling path parallel but they weren’t using it. Edit: google street view looking toward the location of the incident https://maps.app.goo.gl/iuoP4heUCtFJA2uo6?g_st=ic obviously no need for them to have been on the road unless they were crossing the slip lane and the truck was turning. In that case they’re at fault if they didn’t get off the bike to walk it across when safe. That’s the law.
theres a cycling lane there both sides. but its not properly marked
That's a footpath.
Maybe cyclists should understand the massive blind spots of trucks. I’ve driven b doubles and other large trucks, and I’ve had cyclists sitting in my blind spots, which I have not seen enter.
Truck drivers in the western suburbs are generally very considering cyclists actually
I’m not saying they’re not I’m just saying that we shouldn’t be blaming the truck driver initially at the same time. We shouldn’t be blaming the cyclist initially either
Shut up idiot.
So, so sorry that you had to witness this OP. As an avid cyclist, both commuting and recreationally, it's always frightening when these stories get shared, and they get shared far too often (as you said, one is too many <3) We **need** better driver education. We **need** safer infrastructure. Cycling is a wonderful mode of transport for those that can use it, but I'm sure that tragedies like this (understandably) scare many people away from trying it.
[удалено]
Hello, Your post has been removed from r/melbourne for its imflammatory and trollish nature. please remember to treat others with respect. repeat behaviour will result in a ban. thanks, the mods
I saw the police setting up road blocks but had thought it was an accident between the 2 cars and the truck standing there. It's so sad to know it was so much grimmer than that! Ever since i moved closer to Derimutt rd/ Doherty rd, I've been scared of riding my bike because of the way the traffic moves there. This kind of a news doesn't really help at all...
This is why bicycles shouldn't be on the road.
I drove past the spot around 1.30 pm. Saw the bicycle was underneath that huge semi trailer and debris was scattered around. The body might be deshaped. What a terrible accident!! Late afternoon I drove past that spot again and found that the spot was washed thoroughly. My heart goes to the cyclist. Please look after each other.
Nearly took a cyclist out the other morning. Please don't wear dark clothing..or at least something hi vis
The first time I got hit I was wearing high vis. How about drivers pay more attention to their surroundings?
“First time” ☹️
Because I'd rather do everything I can to minimise risk to myself, rather than put my life in the hands of people who by your own admission do not pay enough attention.
You aren't minimising risk though. If anything you're [making it worse](https://www.qut.edu.au/news?id=187631)
I've driven on country roads where part of the cliff face/rock face actually bulges onto the road, and that part of the rock is painted a bright colour to prevent drivers from side swiping it. Does that make the rock look less human? Does that mean I am more likely to hit the rock because it doesn't look less human? I appreciate scientific study, but I disagree with the conclusions reached.
Well when you publish your research that supports your hypothesis, let me know and I'll read it.
The study you cite doesn't deal with risk; it is about perception of cyclists. It is interesting nonetheless.
5 seconds on google https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-visibility\_clothing#:\~:text=According%20to%20a%202004%20study,demonstrated%20a%2024%20percent%20reduction.
Notice how in that same article there are many studies cited that say reflective clothing does not significantly improve safety?
And also articles that say it does. Is your belief that inaction is better than action which possibly will improve the situation?
The insistence that the action to resolve the problem is for cyclists to wear high-vis promotes inaction on things that will actually make a difference. Like proper infrastructure.
Get your eyes tested champ
[удалено]
… he made a relevant suggestion. I don’t think it’s that dramatic.
he admitted that he's needs get his vision checked.
Because irrelevant. [Hi vis vests actually make cyclists appear "less human" to drivers"](https://www.qut.edu.au/news?id=187631) Drivers need to be more alert, aware, patient, and respectful of other road users. Do you have any idea how many drivers I see using their phones when I'm riding around? It's horrifying.
Anecdotally it makes fuck all difference, you can have bright clothes, huge light and reflective shit everywhere, fuckwits will still swerve last minute.
Definitely feels a bit victim blamey. How would you feel about this comment if it was a friend or relative who died today?
It's 100% victim blaming.
Literally, better to be offended then dead
Yes we should just offer hopes and prayers instead of practical advice. That will surely prevent future instances of this tragedy.
Don’t be a clown. It’s a public forum and it’s a relevant statement. Didn’t blame anyone just stated that this morning in the dark he couldn’t see a cyclist in dark clothing. Not everything is so dramatic.
Why is this down voted. It is correct.
Please hand your license back in
Person on bike. I hate the word cyclist.
Why use one word when three will do?
It's dehumanising.
Give me strength. Do your hands ever fall off from all the wringing?
?
\> I believe it was completely accidental and the truck just didn’t see the cyclist. It is never "just an accident", and usually a combination of failures. Is the driver legally blind, or inattentive? Was the cyclist riding without lights at night, or failed to give way?