Fatal Bike Accident in the Woodlands Turns Spotlight on Cycling Safety

In the days and weeks after a fatal Texas bicycle accident, area bicycle safety advocates are stressing that all Texans should understand the rules of the road when it comes to cycling – whether they are cyclists or motorists who share the road.
The deadly bicycle accident took place in The Woodlands on May 23 when 70-year-old Jack Elstone was struck by a vehicle while traveling north on Sterling Ridge at around ten in the morning. The car was stopped at the intersection of Sterling Ridge and Bantam Woods – when, the driver states, she looked both ways and then left again before beginning through the intersection. When Elstone, who was traveling on the wrong side of the road, appeared in front of her car, she accidentally hit the brake and accelerator at the same time, striking the biker.
Although Elstone was conscious and speaking after the accident, the first responders at the scene asked him to ride to the hospital for treatment since he struck his head on the pavement. He died at the Hermann Memorial The Woodlands Hospital of head injuries three days after the incident.
The man wasn’t wearing a helmet and was riding his bike on the wrong side of the street – two basic mistakes that may have cost him his life. Bike-safety experts say that while The Woodlands has made significant progress when it comes to bike safety (the city is a bronze Bike Friendly Community winner), many of those on bicycles lack knowledge on the rules of the road. At the same time, many drivers don’t understand when a bike has the right of way.