Point83.com ~ View topic - Contact with Bryce's family

FAQ Search Memberlist

Point83.com Forum Index » Westlake Center » Contact with Bryce's family - please read

Page 2 of 2 Goto page Previous 1, 2

Foo

Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 9:41 pm

Joined: 27 Jul 2007 Posts: 583

TrikerTrev wrote:

lets make him an honorary point 83 member with all the benefits and accoutrement's.

Jeez Trev, what did this kid ever do to you?

Seriously though, I was already thinking this is a Good Idea. While the full spectrum of .83 asshattery is probably not the most fertile ground for a formative mind, I think that we can provide a welcoming environment for these guys. It's no substitute for what they've lost but it's a good bit better than nothing.

gsbarnes

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 11:30 am

Joined: 15 Aug 2006 Posts: 2666 Location: No Fun Town, USA

I just updated the SLB website to indicate our next ride will be the Bryce Lewis Memorial Ride, along with a short explanation. I'll be happy to add more info when we actually have info.

As for what can be done now, in the absence of a date, perhaps the best thing would be to nail down a route. Do we know where Caleb and Bryce were riding when the accident occurred? We could ride their route as it should have been, with a stop at the accident site; that seems the most meaningful thing to me.

Otherwise, we could make some ride materials: flyers, signs. The stencils sound like a good idea; we could stencil things along the route as we ride. Maybe signs and flyers could be a mix of pictures of Bryce and stuff relating to making the accident site and biking in general more safe in this city.

I also think you, Foo, and the folks who've helped have done a great job so far. I visited the accident site yesterday during lunch and the memorial is very moving.

_________________
I have always thought in the back of my mind: Cheese and Onions

wakingjonas

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 11:47 am

Joined: 06 Jul 2007 Posts: 62 Location: bitter lake

gsbarnes wrote:

Do we know where Caleb and Bryce were riding when the accident occurred?

at the risk of sounding too sensitive...are we certain that caleb is ok with riding the same route as he did before the accident?

TrikerTrev

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 11:50 am

Joined: 23 Oct 2006 Posts: 2303 Location: FOCO, MOFO!!!

gsbarnes wrote:

all very good ideas indeed.

we have the bike stencil that is perfect for marking THE BIKE LANS, since the city dosent feel the need to do so. I'd be happy to get road marking paint for this. I like breaking this specific law.

_________________
Insufferable ass, est. 1969

SeditiousCanary

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 11:51 am

sorry, can't make it! Joined: 26 Jan 2006 Posts: 2315 Location: Fremont Troll

wakingjonas wrote:

at the risk of sounding too sensitive...are we certain that caleb is ok with riding the same route as he did before the accident?

Not at all. It's a totally valid question. I was riding my bike a week after going head first through the windshield of a car that hit me head on. Just because I can get hit and shake it off doesn't mean everyone else can. We should encourage Caleb to join the discussion when he's ready.

henry

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 11:56 am

somewhat piggish Joined: 05 Aug 2005 Posts: 5415 Location: on porch with shotgun

I checked out the scene on my way in today and was very impressed.

It's pretty awesome that such a cool memorial could get put up for a kid that hadn't lived around here for long.

While i was there reading the notes and stuff a couple of pedestrians walked by and said "i'm sorry for your loss" which i thought was really cool, although when i thought about it Bryce's death is as much a loss for them as it is for me.

_________________
winter men

gsbarnes

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 12:03 pm

Joined: 15 Aug 2006 Posts: 2666 Location: No Fun Town, USA

wakingjonas wrote:

gsbarnes wrote:

Do we know where Caleb and Bryce were riding when the accident occurred?

at the risk of sounding too sensitive...are we certain that caleb is ok with riding the same route as he did before the accident?

True; but to find out the route, we have to ask Caleb, so we can certainly ask him whether he thinks this is a good idea at the same time.

_________________
I have always thought in the back of my mind: Cheese and Onions

Foo

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 1:05 pm

Joined: 27 Jul 2007 Posts: 583

Not being trained in any way shape and for for grief counselling, I've been erring on the side of going very easy in talking to Caleb and the other family members. Caleb sounded a bit better when I talked to him yesterday but he's still quite shaken up. He's going to call me to let me know when he knows his schedule. If I don't hear anything by the weekend, I'll call him again but with the funeral coming up, I don't want to intrude.

I would probably guess they were coming from Cap Hill and going to the U district since they lived on the Cap and were enrolled at the UW. Whether they were coming down Harvard or Eastlake, I don't know.

GSBarnes, thank you for getting the ride up on SLB.

I just got email addresses for contacts at Cascade and Erika at the Stranger so I'll forward this info on to them as well.

Uncle Jose

Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 8:59 am

Joined: 09 Sep 2007 Posts: 5 Location: NYC

Hi,

It's Jose, Bryce's uncle. I'm in Denver and there are alot of things happening to comemorate the life of my nephew.

His friends are making the urn out of ceramics. At Bryce's family's house, there has been a constant stream of well wishers.

The funeral is set for Friday at 4:00pm. There will be a memorial at Bryce's old high school.

Surlykat, Denny, or anyone who has picss of the memorial sight there, would you please email them to me at joserocks@hotmail.com. I would like to place the pics at his memorial.

Thanks guys

dennyt

Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 9:35 am

rocket mechanic Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 2708

Email sent.

Mike

Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 11:09 am

Joined: 28 Jun 2007 Posts: 22 Location: pill hill

Newbie lurker guy here -- planning on my second P83 ride tonite. I'm going to be in Denver visiting family from 9/27 to 10/2. I travel light, so if there's anything the group, roommate or friend wants to send with me, I'll take it so long as it doesn't involve balloons, body cavity insertion or Federal law violations for which I'm likely to be penalized. I have transportation in Denver, so getting around is no problem.

mike.morris at scraplaw.org.

Foo

Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 11:25 am

Joined: 27 Jul 2007 Posts: 583

Thanks Mike!

I've got to call the family and Caleb today since there's a Times reporter that wants to interview Caleb and I want to check with him first before passing his contact info along. When I talk to them, I'll see if there's anything that needs to be ferried along.

Since the memorial ride will almost certainly happen before you go to Denver, we may have material to send out to them as well by then.

dennyt

Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 12:54 pm

rocket mechanic Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 2708

There is a new comment on my metroblogging post that sheds more light on what actually happened prior to the accident.

Uncle Jose

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 8:45 pm

Joined: 09 Sep 2007 Posts: 5 Location: NYC

Hi guys,

Just into NYC from Denver.
It was a heartwrenching week. The funeral consisted of slide shows by Bryce's friend Aaron, between eulogies from his mom, step-father, and other uncle. Bryce's friends made two urns to hold his ashes. One of them depicted Bryce with a moustache; he could never grow one in this life, though he tried.
At the memorial, located at Bryce's alma mater, Bryce's band Galacticon performed. Bryce's good friend Scout read and sang. His pal Spencer also spoke.
I developed two of Kat's pics and they were framed in the entrance. I still cannot look at those pics from Seattle without breaking into tears.
Allthough still to soon to tell, I think Tyler, Caleb, and Lauren plan on returning to Seattle.
A memorial fund has been named for Bryce Anthony Lewis. Proceeds will benefit music and arts foundations including; The Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning, along with various cycling organizations.
If you would like more information please contact;
The Bryce Anthony Lewis Fund of the Denver Foundation
55 Madison Street
8th Floor
Denver, CO 80206

Bryce's parents plan on visiting Seattle within a month. They would love to be in touch you 83ers.
I would love to meet you guys someday also.
Your kind words and actions will never be forgot.

Uncle Jose
[/img]

Foo

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 10:29 pm

Joined: 27 Jul 2007 Posts: 583

José,
Thank you for the update. I'm glad to hear Tyler, Caleb and Lauren are planning on coming back to Seattle. We'll do our best to make sure they get a good welcome back.

Do you know approximately when they will be returning? We should probably start gearing up on our plans for the memorial ride over here and even an approximate date will help in getting that under way.

TrikerTrev

Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:32 am

Joined: 23 Oct 2006 Posts: 2303 Location: FOCO, MOFO!!!

Uncle Jose,

I hope Bryce's family do come out with us, even for an evening. This group is pretty good at throwing things together near last minute, and could come up with something decent.

That said, i'll probably finally crack and have a good cry over this.

_________________
Insufferable ass, est. 1969

n_claw

Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:05 am

Joined: 02 Jul 2007 Posts: 517 Location: the only hill: Beacon

To Bryce's family and friends:
I am at a complete loss for words, 'my condolences' doesn't even begin to describe my heartfelt grief for your loss, for our loss. I wish we had gotten a chance to meet Bryce, he sounds like the kind of lively kind bikey soul who we would have loved to join on a ride. I hope you will have time to join us for a ride some time in the future--I'm sure we can scrounge up bikes for you in the area. Our city is a beautiful one, and we would love to share it with you.

To my point83ers: holy cows, critters! I was on another coast and you guys laid it DOWN in a beautiful display of our community ethos as cyclists and as humans. I am so proud to know you. <3!

Matthew

Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 2:02 pm

rookie Joined: 20 Aug 2007 Posts: 1173 Location: Sur le nord-ouest des Ã‰tats-Unis, pret de la frontier QuÃ©bÃ©cois

Question: the SLB website says that the memorial ride date is TBD. What dates are we batting around now?

Foo

Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 2:13 pm

Joined: 27 Jul 2007 Posts: 583

It's all dependent on when Caleb and Tyler get back.

I was guessing at this coming weekend but it's sounding more like sometime later than that. I haven't spoken directly to Caleb for almost a week now - I've been trying to not bother him right now. I'll try to contact Caleb today to see if he's got any general idea of when he'll be back and ready to do this.

I'll post a date on here, SLB, Cascade and CM as soon as I've got something firm.

Foo

Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 8:27 am

Joined: 27 Jul 2007 Posts: 583

OK, I got a phone message from Lauren last night. She, Caleb and Tyler are tentatively returning on Saturday.

I'm going to wait until they're back in Seattle and they have a chance to get settled in and can make an informed decision about when they're ready to do the memorial ride before setting a date.

Also, given that Bryce's parents are probably coming out here, it may be worth postponing until they are here so that they can participate as well.

I'll post more info as soon as it becomes available.

mos6502

Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 1:24 pm

Joined: 20 Sep 2007 Posts: 21

Hello all. I was a friend of Bryce's and a I know Caleb too. Bryce and Caleb went to the same highs chool as I.
When I moved away from Colorado I lost contact with Bryce, but while I was back in Denver for about six months I spent a lot of time hanging out with him since he was going to move to Seattle and I was going to Savannah, I figured it'd be a long time before I got to see him again.
I was hoping Bryce would enjoy living in Seattle, and told him places where I went to find bikes, etc. I had tried calling Bryce a couple days before the accident but didn't hear back from him. My friend Ean called me the day after the accident and told me. I'd been having a pretty crappy week, and hearing about Bryce downgraded it to pure shitty pretty much.
Bryce was a great guy. I don't know if anybody here on the forum ever had the chance to meet him, but anybody who's known him would probably agree that Bryce was the greatest person alive.
Bryce played music, drew cartoons, he was into bikes, he worked at a bike shop and commuted there by bike a distance of several miles. To the best of my knowledge he never had any accidents here in Denver, at least worth noting, I was really surprised when I heard about the accident.
I had really hoped that Bryce would enjoy a change of scenery and living on his own.
I guess I'm just rambling. Caleb is a great person too. I don't know him as well as I know Bryce, but he worked at the Mayan (a movie theater here in Denver) where my friend Chase worked so I'd see him all the time when I was hanging around. He had his birthday a couple days ago.

I have to express thanks to you people for caring about this. For taking the time to put up the ghost bike and to get up this idea for the memorial ride. I would love to join you in memory of Bryce, but I'm 3000 miles away and broke, so I hope somebody plans on taking lots of pictures.

Thanks.

Foo

Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 3:56 pm

Joined: 27 Jul 2007 Posts: 583

OK, I have a fairly solid date range for the memorial ride. Laura, Bryce's mother will try to come out to Seattle the first week of November. Tyler, Bryce's brother and one of his uncles as well as other family members will try to attend as well.

The route is up to us and she is fine with going to the memorial site. Also, a quick reminder, there is a memorial fund for Bryce, posted here.

I'm going to start a new thread for this as well.

mos6502

Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 4:44 pm

Joined: 20 Sep 2007 Posts: 21

I just thought I'd update this. I wrote SDOT after the accident asking them what they plan to do about the intersection since according to several sources, it has been the site of several similiar accidents, etc. And finally recieved a reply from them today:

Quote:

Dear Mr. Grimshaw:

Thank you for contacting the Seattle Department of Transportation
(SDOT) regarding the recent fatal accident of your high school classmate on
Fuhrman Avenue E. I appreciate you taking the time to write.

SDOT sympathizes with and understands your concerns about this
location. This section of Eastlake has a marked bike lane, but this has not
altered poor motorist behavior. SDOT staff will be taking a closer look
at this intersection to see if improvements can be made through
engineering.

While changing motorist behavior is a challenge throughout the city,
SDOT and the Seattle Police Department work together to identify trouble
spots and direct additional enforcement to the area, as is possible.
SDOT is also in the process of developing a bicycle safety education
campaign that will include an element of driver safety.

You may be interested to know that SDOT has developed a Bicycle Master
Plan which will, among other things, lay the foundation for creating a
comprehensive, interconnected city-wide system of off-street shared-use
paths, on-street bike facilities, and signed bike routes. As the
Bicycle Facility Network is built and more people are encouraged to
bicycle, new programs are being developed to educate motorists, bicyclists,
and pedestrians about how to co-exist safely in the roadway environment.
The city recognizes that education, enforcement, and encouragement
programs are essential activities in order to achieve the goals of these
plans. Current drafts of the plan may be downloaded at :
http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bikemaster.htm. As soon as the
Seattle City Council approves the Bicycle Master Plan, copies will also
be available at libraries and community centers.

Again, thank you for writing. Please contact our Pedestrian and
Bicycle Program with any additional concerns you may have at (206) 684-7583,
or via email at walkandbike@seattle.gov.

Sincerely,

Grace Crunican, Director
Seattle Department of Transportation

Just in case anybody cares. I don't know what the bike master plan is. And while it seems like the typical rambling government babble letter, it was interesting to me that Grace seems to imply that motorist behavior is the reason the intersection is unsafe... (which I guess actually is pretty much true? eh?)

snyd3282

Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 5:36 pm

could suck the fun out of a blowjob Joined: 23 Jul 2007 Posts: 588 Location: Ballard / Fremont

mos6502 wrote:

The bike master plan is a 5 year to-do list of bike lanes, sharrows, bike racks, signs, road diets, bike boulivards, and trail additions/improvements.
http://www.cityofseattle.net/transportation/bikemaster.htm

Eastlake is mentioned 22 times in this document. Unless I missed it in my latest read-through, the area where Bryce was hit is not mentioned as a spot for improvement.

The Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board is going to be somewhat supervising and giving lots of input to SDOT on the implementation of and the progress monitoring of the the bicycle master plan.

In 5 years, the Bicycle Master Plan will be revised and probably largely re-written to address the next set of problems.

After reading probably way too much about engineering accidents and failures of complex systems, I am convinced that "operator error" is blamed much too often for design flaws.

mos6502

Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 6:06 pm

Joined: 20 Sep 2007 Posts: 21

Quote:

After reading probably way too much about engineering accidents and failures of complex systems, I am convinced that "operator error" is blamed much too often for design flaws.

Because finger pointing is easier than redesigning entire systems.

snyd3282

Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 6:26 pm

could suck the fun out of a blowjob Joined: 23 Jul 2007 Posts: 588 Location: Ballard / Fremont

mos6502 wrote:

snyd3282 wrote:

After reading probably way too much about engineering accidents and failures of complex systems, I am convinced that "operator error" is blamed much too often for design flaws.

Because finger pointing is easier than redesigning entire systems.

That, and the real answers scare people and/or aren't politically acceptable. People don't like to hear that their airplane has design flaws that make it easy to accidentally autopilot into the side of a mountain or that the warning light in their nuclear reactor telling them that the containment chamber is at critical pressure is next to the warning light that the toilet paper is out in the men's restroom.

In this case, the head of SDOT admitting to an engineering flaw where a fatality occurred would be inviting a lawsuit against the city...a very career limiting move.

Saras

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 11:49 am

Joined: 11 Oct 2007 Posts: 1 Location: Seattle, WA

I have been reading the Forum since Bryce died. I was not a friend of Bryce nor do I know anyone in the point 83rs (I don't think). However, I bike to work everyday on Eastlake with my boyfriend. I was at Cafe Venus with a bunch of other bike kids when I heard the terrible news. We were all sad to hear that a life was claimed in an intersection we are all a little wary of.

I registered for your forum so I could give comments in regards to WA state law. I used to work for Progressive Insurance determining liability in accidents and sadly learned intimate details of some terrible bicycle vs. car accidents.

Based on the witness account posted on your site, my first hand knowledge of that intersection and the construction taking place there; I would have found blame with the driver of the dump truck and this is why......

When a vehicle is turning (left or right) that vehicle bares the greater burden of responsibility. The law states if you turn your vehicle to cross a lane of travel whether a cross walk, bike path or another vehicle lane you MUST make sure the lane you are entering is clear. If the truck driver had bothered to stop completely at the intersection and check his mirrors before turning his vehicle he could have seen the cyclists coming and stopped. If he had had is blinker on and stopped the cyclists would have known he was about to turn and they could have slowed in case the truck was not planning to stop before the turn.

I have been driving and biking around Seattle for years. When I am in my car I never fear of hitting Cyclists, because I come to a complete stop and check my mirrors before moving my vehicle. IF I see a cyclist coming up behind me I wait for him/her to go through the intersection first, even when I have a green light. Because the law states it is my fault if I hit a Ped or a bicycle going strait in their lane of travel.

I know that there was some question of whether vehicles can be blamed for bicycle accidents in the Eastlake/Fuhrman ave intersection. From what I have seen when driving or biking though that intersection and many other intersections in this city, it appears that a lot of drivers don't want to be bothered with taking the time to stop and check their mirrors before turning. THIS HAS TO CHANGE.

However, in the mean time as a cycling community. I feel that it is important to make sure that cyclists are also practicing due caution. Plan for the worst traffic, hope for the best traffic.

I hope that my comments help. However, the real help will be in educating drivers that a bike lane is a lane of travel. Also that it is very important to take your time and make sure it is a safe time to turn your vehicle.

I would also like to extend my condolences to the family and friends of Bryce. His death was a terrible waste. Even though I never met him, he has entered into my thoughts every time I cross the Eastlake Bridge. Hopefully, his death won't have to be in vain if we as a city can make changes to how the bicycles and vehicles share the road. Perhaps we can prevent another terrible accident like this from happening again.

Regards,

_________________
The pigeon poops alone!

Page 2 of 2 Goto page Previous 1, 2
Point83.com Forum Index » Westlake Center » Contact with Bryce's family - please read

All times are GMT - 8 Hours
The time now is Sat Aug 12, 2023 11:13 am

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum