This afternoon, before the sloppy snow began to fall, a 22 year old man was struck by a Taxi on Huntington Ave near Forsyth St. The taxi clipped the rear wheel of the cyclist and sent him under the rear wheels of a nearby dump truck carrying a full load of scrap concrete. Northeastern News reports that police recovered a fixed-gear bike (with mangled front wheel), a cell phone, a right shoe, a messenger bag, and a broken helmet. Boston Police are investigating the incident and have located both the truck driver and the cabbie – no charges have yet been filed. The cyclist is identified as a recent Mass Art grad and is reportedly not affiliated with any messenger companies or Northeastern. Following the accident the cyclist was transported to Brigham and Women's Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Bostonist is a proponent for both cyclist rights as well as cycling safety. It appears that the rider in this incident was wearing a helmet, unclear is if he was obeying the rules of the road. We're hesitant to place any blame on the rider in this case as we've been victim to incidents ourselves that were no fault of our own, but rather the drivers on the road who did not respect the right of the two-wheeler to share the road. The recovery of a broken helmet inicates that this biker had taken a precaution that many don't in Boston – wearing a helmet. It's our strong urging that every cyclist, pleasure or commuter, wear a helmet every time they mount the seat for a ride. V's at the ears and two fingers above the brow as a guide for a proper helmet fit – the Boston Public Health Commission will help in a proper fitting if you have any questions. BPDNews has reported that they were called to the scene for a pedestrian struck, a cyclist is not a pedestrian, they're not allowed to ride on sidewalks in Boston proper and are relegated to the roadways. Roads that are often treacherous for a bike to travel safely given the Massholes, potholes, and other obstacles. The Critical Mass group will likely install a ghost bike memorial on the site to increase visibility and remind drivers to share the road with bikers who have as much legal right to traverse the asphalt as they do.

Image from Google Maps of the intersection of Huntington and Forsyth St.