Ticabus hits, kills man

On the bus South to Panama from San Jose, our driver killed a bicyclist. Night time and the biker had no lights and was weaving across the road. Police arrested our driver and held the bus for evidence. A replacement bus fetched us an hour later. The reaction of my fellow passengers seemed much the same as in England - shocked and silent.
I got hit by a truck from behind while riding my Honda 125 in Tierra del Fuego. My fault, the road was sheet ice.I shouldn't have been riding. I had to argue with the cops to have them release the truck driver. A doctor set the leg in the kitchen of the Hotel Argentino in Rio Grande. For anyone interested there is a description on my website http://www.simongandolfi.com

May have been suicide. In that case, "Man hits bus" would be correct phrasing. Motion is relative.

Happens all the time. The Pan Am Hwy going from Mexico to Panama is a 2 lane road, with all the commerce for 6 countries going in each direction, cargo trucks, busses, farm equipment, crazy drivers, drunks, people, old jalopy's, and add to this no shoulder, speeding, mountains, steep turns, fog and mist, and you have a recipe for death.

The #1 cause of death in Costa Rica is car accidents. When I see a poster say they want to bicycle in CA, I cringe, on the secondary roads fine, but the main hwy is a zoo, even in a 4x4 is no easy task, being alert on defense is a must.

I have seen 3 people killed in CR, one a moto hit a pot hole and swerved in front of a bus, bus had no where to go, he was killed. I saw a guy pass a bus and get hit by a cargo truck that knocked the car down a ravine like a train hit it, guy was a goner, and the nuttiest was a truck passing a bus, and car pulled out, all three smashed into the mountain side, and closed the highway for 4 hours outside San Jose. The truck driver and cars passenger was killed.

Its hard to witness, you feel like a soul has just left earth, and I usually have to head to a church for a prayer and some reflection on life. Stays in your mind a long time, and its a tragedy for all.

The worst I have seen was a motorcyclist in Italy, on a Ducatti flying about 200KM on the hwy between Rome and Naples, they are in full leather and swerve in out of and between cars, as a motorcyclist myself, i was amazed at the risk they took in Italy on both mopeds and motos, but anyway, this guy went into a off ramp and braked to avoid a slow car that had no idea he was coming behind him so fast, and the moto hit the guardrail and sent the driver at least 200 feet thru the air back onto the highway where 3 cars hit him, the moto was in a million pieces, and the driver looked like a noodle, every limb broken. The police got there and just put a sheet over him, it happens all the time there I am told...

Man, that shook me up big, as I have a fast bike that easily gets to 200KMH in less than 10 seconds...and I am only in 4th gear...with 2 more to go!

I was in BA a while back and the front of a bus clipped a woman as she crossed a busy main road. It dragged her forward a few feet and then as she started to go under the front wheels she let out this most painful cry of shock and resignation. I think that sound stayed with me with greater clarity that the vision of seeing someone being killed....

Man, exactly, I'm always incredulous when people talk about biking in CA, I've seen a lot of dead bodies in the road in Honduras and other countries, too many

Incredulous? I rode 60000 Ks through the Americas, north to south and back. Venezuela was the one country that scared me - city thru-ways. The police were running a TV warning: 35,000 deaths on the roads.
http://www.simongandolfi.com

Hey Simon....

How is life? Long time no hear Amigo.

Tim

Got hit by a car two years ago. Young woman driver walked over crying. Told her to quit crying, that at my age I should be dead. Got on my Yamaha and took off. Hurt for about ten months but eventually stopped.

Simon--did you write your book yet?

I am certain the only reason they stopped was to see if he had any change in his pocket.