Charlottesville Cyclist Killed By City Truck

A bicyclist was tragically killed yesterday when he collided with a City-owned vehicle in Charlottesville.  The accident happend shortly after 9:00 AM on April 19 at the corner of West Main Street and Fourth Street Northwest.  According to reports, Matthew Seven King, a graduate student in mathematics at UVA, was killed when a City vehicle turned right when he was on the vehicle's right-hand side.  Mr. King was taken to Virginia Medical Center but did not survive the collision.  In cases like this, it is imperitive that the family or friends of the victim arrange for an immediate investagtion of the accident scene before critical evidence may erode or otherwise become lost.  Similarly, all potential witnesses in the vicinity of the acident should be interviewed immediately, and both the bicycle and the vehicle involved should be carefully impounded and preserved to prevent loss of forensic evidence of the collision itself.  Otherwise, it may be difficult to determine eactly what happened, and whether negligence was a factor.  As cyclists who ride ever day on our roads and highways, our sympathy, thoughts and prayers go out to the victim's family.