Elliot Kaminitz
Elliot Kaminitz
Age Unknown    Newport, RI    June 21 2012
Comments: 4

Source: Medical examiners have officially confirmed the death of the bicyclist who was struck by a car on Memorial Boulevard on Tuesday afternoon, police officials said. Elliot Kaminitz, 65, a retired dentist from Middletown, was transported to Rhode Island Hospital on Tuesday for severe head trauma. Sara Martineau, 38, of New Bedford, MA, was driving the car that reportedly hit Kaminitz while he was riding his bicycle near Old Beach Road around 1:15 p.m. Martineau has not faced any charges related to the incident. The investigation is ongoing, but police do not believe Martineau was using her cell phone during the time of the accident, Lt. William Fitzgerald said. At the time of the accident, Kaminitz was wearing a helmet and traveling in the westbound lane on Memorial Boulevard toward Newport. “Elliot was out on his usual daily ride — which he has done for decades,” Kaminitz's son-in-law Jon Strasser said in an email. Strasser said Kaminitz was “an extremely cautious biker, always wearing a helmet, signaling his intentions to passing motorists, and staying to the side. “This family is just completely devastated — to lose a young vibrant loved one.” Funeral arrangements have been made for Friday, June 22, at 11 a.m. at the Hoffman Chapel on Fowler Avenue in Newport, followed by burial at Beth Olam on Wyatt Road in Middletown.

Collision Data

Crash time: between noon and 2:59 p.m.

Closest Intersection: Old Beach Rd

Land use: Urban

Road type: Urban Arterial

Where on the road the collision happened: Road

Collision type: Rear-end

Driver Data

Vehicle type: Automobile

At crash time driver was: Operating the Vehicle in Careless or Inattentive Manner

Sources

Source: News Report
Type: Newspaper
Pos/Neg: Neutral
Link if Website: http://portsmouth.patch.com/articles/bicyclist-hit-by-car-confirmed-dead-police-say-bc8b3bf8

Legal Status

There is no information on legal status at this point.

Comments:

  • Lynn June 28 2012

    I didn’t know Dr. Kaminitz, but this was one mile from my home, on a road I ride frequently. I saw the bike and the SUV right after the crash, and it’s given me nightmares. The road is straight, with no merging traffic at this point. The conditions were clear, with no solar glare.

    Thank you for honoring these lives.

    • Rory July 06 2012

      The circumstances of this collision are disturbingly similar to the crash that killed my father, Ralph Finneren, in July of 2011.

      Does Massachusetts have a Vulnerable Road User Penalty law? Let’s continue to push our local and state governments for harsh penalties for drivers who injure or kill cyclists. This should result in at least a vehicular manslaughter charge. Physically separated bike lanes and traffic calming measures are much needed across the Union as well. Let’s put an end to these tragic deaths.

      • Ilicia Strasser July 08 2012

        This man was my father and words cannot express how devastated we are as a family and community. My father was extremely cautious and safety was always first as I have ridden with my father for years-we have had bike helmets since the beginning. Biking is a way of life on our island and motorists need to be held accountable. To Rory-what is Vulnerable Road User Penalty? To this site-thankyou for honoring all those who have lost their lives-these are “accidents” that should not happen.

        • Rory Finneren July 10 2012

          Ilicia - I’m so sorry that this happened. Our family has gone through the same devastation over the past year. We never thought it would happen to us.

          Vulnerable Road User bills bring the penalties for injuring or killing a cyclist at least up to the level of those applied for injuring or killing a road construction worker. It gives prosecutors the ability to go after drivers in these scenarios and charge them with a more serious crime than they otherwise would be able to. It looks like MassBike is trying to get a bill pushed through the MA state legislature. I agree that drivers need to be held accountable for their negligence and I’m willing to work to see that they are. Spread the word.

          More info here: http://massbike.org/projectsnew/legislation/ and here: http://digboston.com/think/2012/06/vulnerable-road-users-bill-at-risk/

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