Friday, March 1, 2013
NECN's BroadSide examines the Weston Road hit-and-run crash and the verdict with cycling advocates.
We may never know why the grand jury elected not to indict in the hit-and-run crash that took the life of 41-year-old Alex Motsenigos, but some suggest it is a larger issue than one case. The incident was a topic of discussion on NECN's BroadSide with Jim Braude earlier this week. He sat down with David Watson, executive director of MassBike, and Josh Zisson, a lawyer who writes the Bike Safe Boston blog. Both spoke to the Globe in their report on the outcome. The failing, Watson told Braude, was not on the police or prosecutors, but on the members of the grand jury connecting more to the driver of the truck, Dana McCoomb. He supposed a lack of empathy could have been a factor. The grand jury proceedings are secret, so Zisson could not …
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Before the crash, Patch readers voted the Weston Road-Linden Street intersection one of the most dangerous in Wellesley.
A Massachusetts grand jury returned no indictments against truck driver Dana McCoomb in the Weston Road hit-and-run from last year. The Boston Globe reports that the area cycling community is reacting with anger to this case. During the trial, Wellesley Police Chief Terrence Cunningham tells the Globe he got the impression that one juror did not understand that, in this situation, the driver of the truck was obligated to yield to the cyclist. “Personally, I don’t feel they [the grand jury] followed the law,” Chief Cunningham said to the Globe. “But that’s the process.” Warning against speculating on the jury's decision, Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey added that he thinks there may be an overall bias against cyclists, …
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Civil suit filed on Jan. 30 against driver of truck involved in hit-and-run crash in Wellesley last August.
There were no indictments, but there may be a civil suit against the truck driver involved in last summer's Weston Road hit-and-run crash. The grand jury came in yesterday on last August’s fatal crash on Weston Road, and police are closing the case, saying there are no further options to pursue criminal charges against the driver after the grand jury elected not to indict. Cyclist Alexander Motsenigos' family, however, is not giving up yet. The Globe reports that his family has filed a wrongful death suit against the driver of the truck. In a statement posted on the Swellesley Report yesterday, the Motsenigos family thanked the Wellesley Police Department for their work on the case, and that "if the truck driver had used even basic …
Police closing case against driver of vehicle involved in hit-and-run which killed a Wellesley cyclist last year.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Police closing case against driver of vehicle involved in hit-and-run which killed a Wellesley cyclist last year.
The grand jury is in on last August’s fatal crash on Weston Road, and police are closing the case. A statement from the Wellesley Police Department indicates that the case is now closed, and there are no further options to pursue criminal charges against the driver after the grand jury elected not to indict. Police say they have spent three months investigating the crash, including a systematic reconstruction with trucking experts. Wellesley and State police, as well as the District Attorney's office believed there was probably cause to seek charges against the driver of the 18-wheeler. A press release from the police department indicates police and the DA had brought forth charges motor vehicle homicide, precautions for the safety of…
Saturday, September 29, 2012
There have been no charges in the Aug. 24 incident which resulted in the death of a cyclist.
Local and state police are continuing to investigate a crash which resulted in the death of a Wellesley man. Alexander Motsenigos, 41, died from injuries related to a crash on Weston Road at Linden Street Aug. 24. Motsenigos, who was riding a bicycle, was struck by a truck traveling northbound. “It is still an open and ongoing investigation,” Lt. Marie Cleary of the Wellesley Police Department said in an email Friday. “The accident reconstruction team is working on their reconstruction. The detectives are still working on their portion of the investigation as well.” A few witnesses and the driver of the truck made themselves known to Wellesley Police in the days following the incident, but charges have yet to be filed. Boston Magazine …
Thursday, September 6, 2012
No charges have been filed in the incident that resulted in the death of Alexander Motsenigos Aug. 24. Boston Magazine says the investigation has been too slow.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
No charges have been filed in the incident that resulted in the death of Alexander Motsenigos Aug. 24.
There have been no charges filed in the Aug. 24 Weston Road crash which resulted in the death of cyclist Alexander Motsenigos, and one local publication’s blog says there it’s time for some “accountability.” Boston Magazine’s Boston Daily blog section features a post calling the investigation into the incident slow and the facts confusing. One of the first facts to come out in the incident was that both an 18-wheel truck and cyclist were driving northbound at the same time on Weston Road when the crash happened. "It’s perplexing that two people could be traveling side-by-side on the same street at the same time, and one could end up killed while the other drives away unaware," the blog, written by Casey Lyons, says. "Suburban streets are …
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
A local cyclist talks about how she stays safe on the road, in the wake of several serious accidents.
Somerville resident Amanda King, 32, bikes 16 miles roundtrip to work in Waltham, on average three times a week during the summer. While she knows the risks of riding the roads, taking safety precautions and not being complacent is how she says she stays safe. “When I first started biking, I thought, how can I possibly bike on the road — I’m going to get killed,” she said. “Now, I’m not as worried about it, but that doesn’t mean I’m not very wise to the dangers.” When it comes to safety, King rides her bike wearing a helmet and fluorescent-colored vest. She mounts blinking lights on her helmet and the front and back of her bike. She “signals like a lunatic” to drivers, never runs red lights and stays as far to the right as possible, she …
Friday, August 31, 2012
One last gasp before fall.
1. The weather has already seemed to change a bit out there. Enjoy the de facto final weekend of summer. 2. This is in case you're looking for something to do. 3. Funeral services for Alexander Motsenigos are 11 a.m. today at Taxiarchae/Archangels Greek Orthodox Church in Watertown. 4. The state primary is in less than a week. Look our for profiles on some of the candidates. 5. Have a great Labor Day weekend.
Mike Brennan
4:57 pm on Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The sad part of your idiotic comments is that you don't seem to recognize the tragedy for all involved here regardless of fault. That said, current laws allow cyclists to ride on the road. It's actually against the law for them (us) to ride on sidewalks. But let me guess, you're the guy who brakes for a squirrel in the middle of the road and then 1/4 mile later goes into a rage about a couple of … more ›