Last Wednesday, Marcellus Tryk died in a Eugene hospital from injuries he received on Monday when his bicycle crashed on W. 17th Ave., just west of Lincoln St., in Eugene.
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(No surprise that the Google street view cameras caught a bicyclist in this shot of W 13th St just west of Lincoln street; the bike lane begins one block east of here.)
The cause of the crash is yet unknown. There were no witnesses other than Tryk and the occupant of a car that was apparently somehow involved – Eugene police did not describe the crash in this news story but did say that “maybe he was startled by or avoiding the car door,” and a more recent story reports that the initial 911 call reported a crash with a car door. which suggests that an opened car door may have been a factor.
Now that the only person besides the driver (who may not have seen, themselves, what happened) who could tell police what occurred has passed away, it may be difficult for police to reconstruct what caused Tryk’s crash and death. We ask, however, that they investigate this fatal crash to the fullest extent possible in order to determine its cause, whether it was mis-operation of the bicycle by Tryk or violation by the driver of ORS 811.490, which prohibits opening a car door unless it is “reasonably safe to do so.”
The number of people who die on Oregon’s roads is intolerable, and every crash is a trauma and sometimes a lifelong curse to the victims, drivers, families and even the witnesses. Learning something from this crash, and taking this opportunity to educate bicyclists and drivers about the “door zone,” its dangers and the laws that apply there, is the least we can do.
The loss of Marcellus has left our family devastated. He was perhaps the healthiest and most vibrant of our family. Certainly, none of us could have dreamed of losing him at this point in our lives. It would seem that he too felt indestructible. He was not. The roads are a dangerous place. To know of this accident is to know that we are all vulnerable. Bikers, always wear a helmet.
Mar’s forever loving sister,
Donna
Dear Tryk Family: Robyn and Cindy Tryk feel the loss of our dear cousin Todd. We hold memories in our heart when he was a small boy.
Cousin Cindy’s birthday is December 12th. I love being a Tryk.
Dear Tryk Family: I am Cynthia Tryk Cranston and I am your cousin. You would be very proud of my family. I raised two very intelligent daughters one is a professor in South America and my youngest daughter Elisa has worked for attorneys. She has a very intelligent little boy Liam. Carrie my eldest daughter has a baby boy also.
We are all Tryks and are sadden by the loss of Todd. He very special to us and we will love him for ever. Your cousin Cynthia Tryk Cranston
It is hard to believe that such a sweet person with such a huge presence could be gone. There are many broken hearts. It is a new world without him. But many lessons were learned. Be real, be careful and enjoy the people around you. We all (cars, bikes, pedestrians) have to be as cautious and attentive as possible on the streets. There is a ghost bike at the corner of 17th and Lincoln in honor of Mars. I wish this would be the last.