Architect Helmut Jahn killed in bicycle accident

[Blue Owl]

[link:https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/famed-german-architect-helmut-jahn-dies-illinois-bicycle-accident-81-n1266787|

When I was a kid, I wanted to be an architect and was always inspired by Helmut Jahn's strikingly modern buildings especially in the Chicago area. RIP Mr. Jahn and thank you for your contributions to modern architecture!

[whistler162]

1. Sadly, I have seen too many bicyclists ignore the rule of the road

"Police said he was hit by two vehicles going in opposite directions after he failed to stop at an intersection, but details about the incident remain unconfirmed."

[Blue Owl]

3. I have as well

But there is always a possibility he had some kind of medical/physical episode that affected his vision or judgement while riding — happens to motorists sometimes too. Wonder if more details will be discovered/released following the police/medical investigation...

[caraher]

5. I think you're right

I suspect there may have been a medical event at play, because the T-shaped intersection does not have the kind of stop sign a cyclist would roll through - you have to turn either left or right, so either he meant to turn left and missed two(!) oncoming cars, turned right and missed one (and evidently had a lot of momentum going across the intersection when he was hit, or inexplicably meant to go straight across despite the road he was on coming to its end.

It was a one-way stop, on the road he was riding (Old LaFox Rd. at Burlington).

[USALiberal]

2. Cyclists seldom stop at 4 way stops where I live!

P

[Blue Owl]

4. We've all seen it!

Age could have also been a factor — Mr. Jahn was 81 years old...

[Spider Jerusalem]

8. In many cases it's safer for cyclists to not come to a complete stop...

because being able to carry momentum and speed to get through the intersection quickly instead of having to start from a dead stop, possibly going uphill, ends up being safer for everyone (California is about to become the 8th state to allow cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idaho_stop

[USALiberal]

12. I am fine with yield behavior, many times they just ignore it. Nt

[Ron Green]

6. Predictably the first posters in this thread are whining about

the behavior of people on bikes.

It’s the car drivers doing most of the killing.

[Lucinda]

7. ❤️ ✿❧🌿❧✿ ❤️

[Progressive Jones]

9. RIP Helmut Jahn. My sister in law lives where this happened. I'll ask her what she knows.

It's not a big town. It sits just West of St. Charles, IL. It's the edge of suburbia. Lots of horse owners and "rural" roads.

For years I've noticed a lot of cycling in the area. Many roads there lead to a couple of popular trails. I'm not sure exactly
which intersection this took place at, but I have 2 likely locations in mind. There are roads with high speed limits, and a lot of turns.
Mostly wooded, with some fields along the roads.

As for Mr. Jahn, the architect, I was lucky enough to meet him, back in 1988. I was working on a construction project at O'Hare.
Another guy and myself had to go around with him noting stuff to put on our punch list. Real nice guy, and he bought us lunch!

[Blue Owl]

10. Location

Note: Caraher’s reply above (#5) was so kind as to include a link to the exact location for your reference...

[Progressive Jones]

11. The articles only mention the town, Campton Hills, not the accident location. nt