Bicylist killed by drunk driver in south Mpls, MPD says

[geardaddy]

http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2014/02/bicylist_killed_by_drunk_driver_on_south_mpls_sidewalk_mpd_says.php

A bicyclist died after being stuck by a van near the intersection of Franklin Avenue and Harriet Avenue in south Minneapolis just before 10 p.m. last night.

According to police, the as-of-yet-unidentified biker was headed west on Franklin a few blocks east of Lyndale Avenue when a westbound van hit him. The victim ended up pinned underneath the vehicle as it careened over a snowbank onto the sidewalk.

The biker was pronounced dead at the scene.

The van's driver, 49-year-old John Iverson, was arrested. Minneapolis Police Department spokesman John Elder told us "alcohol appears to possibly be a factor."

More at link.

[BainsBane]

1. No evidence to charge with homicide?

What about vehicular homicide? The guy was driving drunk. Case closed.

[geardaddy]

2. Exactly.

[progree]

3. Preliminary toxicology results show the driver, John Iverson, had a 0.27 blood alcohol level (BAC)

That's 3.4 times the 0.08 legal limit.

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/24665091/franklin-ave-bike-accident-driver-released-from-jail

At 0.21 BAC, according to the graph near the top right of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_alcohol_content
a person has 30 times the relative risk of an accident as a sober person. Extrapolating it out (assuming it is linear from the the last 2 points), it is 45 times the relative risk at 0.27 BAC.

Actually its not linear, as the graph shows the relative risk is rising exponentially with BAC level, so it's well over 45 times the relative risk, but am not up to more scientific curve-fitting right now.

[font color = red] On edit 213a 2/8/14:[/font]

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http://www.southwestjournal.com/news/news/driver-in-fatal-van-bike-collision-charged-memorial-for-rider-planned

The driver in a fatal van-bicycle collision was in Hennepin County jail Feb. 7 on a felony charge of criminal vehicular homicide while under the influence of alcohol.

Bail for John Iverson, 49, was set at $150,000. Iverson submitted to a breath test at the scene of the crash four days earlier and registered a 0.27 blood-alcohol content, more than three times the legal limit to drive of 0.08. Toxicology results from a blood test were still pending Friday.

... Cyclists are organizing a memorial ride for Nalls. Riders plan to meet 3 p.m. Saturday in Loring Park. Riders plan to meet 3 p.m. Saturday in Loring Park. A Facebook post on the event has more details ( https://www.facebook.com/events/1425051811071689/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular )

[geardaddy]

4. Thanks for posting the update.