Cyclists Hit by Car During Tour de Farms

The sixth annual Tour de Farms, which took place on Sept. 15, began on what seemed like an idyllic fall Sunday and ended in tragedy. During the cycling event, which the Addison County Relocalization Network (ACORN) and the Vermont Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition (VBPC) organized, an alleged drunk driver struck three cyclists, seriously injuring two of them.

Brian Miller, 54, of Shoreham, was driving on Route 74 West when he struck the cyclists around 11:30 a.m. Martin Veit, 35, of Moretown, was thrown onto the hood of Miller’s car and became embedded in the windshield, only to become dislodged after Miller’s car struck an apple tree. Sophie Gerry, 15, of Williamstown, Mass., was thrown an estimated eight to 12 feet when the car struck her and what was initially thought to be a broken pelvis but was later diagnosed as a broken leg.

Miller’s blood alcohol content was 0.095 percent according to court records – in Vermont the legal limit is 0.08 percent. According to the Addison Independent, Miller has also been under an active arrest warrant for the past nine months for driving under the influence. On Monday, Sept. 16, in Addison County Superior Court he pleaded not guilty to the offences.

Both Veit and Gerry were taken to Fletcher Allen Hospital in Burlington immediately after the accident and were both released on Tuesday, Sept. 17, expected to recover well.

Although the incident turned out much better than it could have, for both the driver and the cyclists, it sent shock throughout the cycling community and the reaction has been strong.

Nancy Shulz, the Executive Director of VBPC, sent an email to members of the coalition shortly after the Tour de Farms, in which she took a hard stand and spoke up for cyclist safety.

“The chronic problem of impaired drivers (many of them repeat offenders) demands statewide conversations and commitment that will result in a significant change in driver behavior,” she said in the email to VBPC members. “The VBPC board of directors and I will be discussing what we … can do to end this carnage on our roadways.”

The response to her email has been very supportive of the cycling community and of tackling the issue of impared driving in the state of Vermont.

“My inbox exploded after the crash,” she said. “People said, ‘let us know how we can help. We support you.’”

VBPC is a small non-profit that in the past has initiated small programs to educate people about bicycle and pedestrian safety. They work with some driver education programs in central Vermont to educate new drivers about bicycle and pedestrian safety and also work with law enforcement to educate them about the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians alike.

In addition to VBPC’s educational programs, they lobby Montpelier for new laws that “will offer protections and improve life” for their coalition members and the general community of cyclists and pedestrians.

Although VBPC is concerned with all pedestrian and cyclist safety in Vermont, the accident during the Tour de Farms was particularly close to home for the organization because the event is their largest fundraiser of the year. The organization is very small and the Tour de Farms is central to both their fundraising and their sense community.

“For years, safety has been part of our mission and educating cyclists on what to do to stay safe,” said Shulz of the coalition’s mission. “Someone can be doing all of those things properly but you can’t insulate a cyclist from poor behavior. There is nothing we can do to put airbags around our cyclists.”

Even though the task is daunting as dealing with DUI and cyclist safety is complicated, VBPC is planning on addressing those issues.

“We haven’t focused on impaired driving as an issue before,” said Schulz, regarding what the organizations response to the accident will be. “As a result of [the accident], we will focus on impaired driving. It is in the newspaper every day – DUI violations and repeat DUI violations.”

ACORN had a similar response on their website that said “the safety and well-being of all riders and participants is always our top priority and the precautions taken at the Tour de Farms this year were entirely consistent with those past Tours.”

The randomness of the accident during the event also shocked VBPC and highlights that their response will take into consideration the larger picture of DUI in Vermont as a whole.

“It was a rogue act,” said Schulz. “[Miller] was a loose cannon and it could have happened any time to any one. I don’t see what happened as a flaw in the event or the behavior of the bicyclists.”