Keith Moon, a business owner and father of two, was hit and killed by a left-turning driver on Wednesday in Bend as he biked home from work. 
Photo taken from Bend Bulletin.
Police are currently investigating and the District Attorney has not made any statements, but according to reporting by KTVZ.com it appears that the driver hit Moon, who was traveling straight in the bike lane, as she turned left into a parking lot. (An earlier story by the Bend Bulletin suggested it was a right-hoo, not a left-hook.)
Bend was recently energized by a discussion about bike collisions with the police, so I’m sure local advocates will pay attention to the aftermath of this crash with heavy hearts. (So far the language in news stories has been very dry and equivocal, which we appreciate.)
Here at the BTA we’re very saddened by the death of Keith Moon and look forward to a time when, thanks to good bike routes and more awareness of bicyclists among drivers, noone has to be afraid to bike home from work.
Over 400 people attended memorial services for Keith Moon today. The many who turned out to remember Moon overflowed the pews, filled the back of the church and even stood out in the entrance during the entire service. There was no doubt as to Moon’s positive impact in the community as friends and family shared stories about the avid outdoorsman, friend, dedicated family man, woodworking artist and respected employer.
Moon’s death is the second fatal crash this year involving a cyclist and motor vehicle. On June 24, Duane “Duke” Noteboom was struck by a pick-up as he was turning left into a parking lot, as the pick-up was turning left out of the parking lot. Noteboom died of his injuries four days later. To our knowledge, charges had not been filed against the driver in that case. It is probably too soon to tell, but in Moon’s case, we hope the district attorney will uphold the law, and defend the rights of cyclists in Central Oregon. In both cases, there would probably be no hesitation at all in charging the drivers if the victims were also driving cars rather than riding bikes. So, we’ll have to wait and see if our rights as cyclists are upheld or if they are in name only.
My heartfelt sympathies for Keith and his friends, family and community. What a tragedy. It is a truly sobering reminder of the risks and how very careful and extremely vigilant we drivers, riders, and pedestrians all must be every moment.