New: Memorial arrangements for James O. Gates, M.D.
New: Link to the Huntington Herald-Press story on the accident. (posted 5 P.M.)
A Fort Wayne resident was killed in Huntington County at approximately 3 P.M. 2:56 P.M. yesterday when his bicycle was struck by a Valparaiso motorist on Highway 5 south of U.S. 224. The identity of the bicyclist has not yet been released. The Huntington County Sheriff's Department has identified the cyclist as James O. Gates, M.D., age 55, of Fort Wayne. (additional information posted at 9 A.M.)
Dr. James O. Gates was a physician and oncologist with Radiation Oncology Associates, PC at 7910 W. Jefferson Boulevard, Fort Wayne.
The Huntington County Sheriff's Department reports that a motor vehicle driven by John Thephasdin of Valparaiso attempted to pass three bicyclists traveling south bound on Highway 5 1,254 feet south of County Road 100 N. when he struck the victim.
The victim was critically injured and airlifted by Samaritan Helicopter to Parkview Hospital where he later passed away.
I am familiar with that section of Highway 5. Construction crews have recently repaved Highway 5 from US 225 to a point south of the J. Edward Roush Dam. Highway 5 goes across the top of the dam.
The resurfacing project meant removal of the guardrails along the earthen barriers flanking each end of the dam. Additionally, as of my last visit on June 5th, striping had not been completed marking the edges of the road. The guardrails have been reinstalled. However, the edge striping has not yet been completed. (Additional information posted at 9:27 A.M.) New, paved shoulders were installed on either side of the dam. Further away from the dam, new gravel shoulders are being placed. At the time of this writing, I do not know whether that gravel had been installed.
There has been great progress in improving bicycle safety in northeast Indiana over recent years. The efforts of the Ron Repka Foundation, in particular, have greatly aided this cause.
Click on this bicycle safety message to hear a 30 second PSA on motorist and bicycle safety. More examples can be found on the Indiana Bicycle Coalition website.
As an editorial note, let me urge every reader to be alert to bicycles on the road. Until wider shoulders (such as the Amish buggy lanes in northeast Indiana) are increasingly placed along roads, safety will depend on the alertness of drivers and strict adherence to safe cycling practices of bicycle riders.
More: From the biography of Dr. Gates posted on the Parkview Hospital website:
James O. Gates, M.D., graduated from Creighton University School of Medicine in 1979 and served his residency at the University of Utah Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. He joined the practice in 1985 and became board certified in radiation oncology in 1986. He received his fellowship from the American College of Radiology in May 2000.
Photo of Dr. Gates from the Parkview website.
The Roush Lake Dam has always been a tight and dangerous spot for those who use the trail. I had hoped that the DNR would have taken the opportunity associated with the repaving to designate a specific trail path where possible.
Hopefully, this doesn't bring about a "knee-jerk" reaction.
Posted by: Stealth | June 12, 2006 at 10:21 AM