Paul Ziegler
Paul Ziegler
Age 19    McPherson, KS    September 23 2012
Comments: 1

Source: Students, faculty and staff at McPherson College are remembering one of their own. "He loved riding his bike," McPherson College President Michael Schneider says. "I talked to his dad, and his dad said he was doing what he loved to do." Sophomore Paul Ziegler of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania died Sunday afternoon when he was his bicycle was hit by a vehicle. The crash happened south of McPherson around one o'clock. "He was the best of us," says Dusty Kitchen, a 2012 alumnus and Director of Student Activities and Resident Director of Dotzour Hall. "Everything that was a good human being, he was." "Paul was an outstanding member of our campus community," said President Schneider says. "So many love and respect him. I can't express how devastated we are upon learning of his death." Ziegler was part of the McPherson College tennis team and worked in the sports information office. Tennis coach Jeff Benito says Ziegler's death has been particularly hard on his teammates. "Words cannot express how deeply saddened our team and our campus community is regarding the loss of such an extraordinary individual as Paul Ziegler," Benito says. "He exemplified the best in all of us with his fierce passion for his teammates and to the people he knew and loved. Paul was always so excited to be at practice and worked harder than most to improve every day. He loved being a part of our team, and we will greatly miss him. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family, friends and loved ones." Counseling services are available on campus. People can also leave cards, letters and notes at baskets located in Student Services in Miller Library, at the front desk in Admissions in Mohler Hall, and outside Dr. Crain's office in the basement of the Student Union.

Collision Data

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

Closest Intersection:

Land use: Rural

Road type: Collector

Where on the road the collision happened: Shoulder

Collision type: Head on

Driver Data

Vehicle type: Light Trucks (SUVs, pickups)

If truck: Unknown

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

Sources

Source: News Report
Type: TV
Pos/Neg: Neutral
Link if Website: http://articles.kwch.com/2012-09-24/bicycle-accident_34067086

Source: News Report
Type: Blog
Pos/Neg: Positive
Link if Website: http://www.kansascyclist.com/news/2012/09/teenage-cyclist-killed-near-mcpherson-kansas/

Legal Status

There is no information on legal status at this point.

Comments:

  • Don Ziegler October 02 2012

    I am Paul’s uncle.  I used to ride bicycle quite a lot, some there in KS when I was a student at McPherson College.  I see that you are listing that the accident happened on the shoulder of the road.  I had not heard this before, but I knew in my heart that Paul must have been on his way off of that road and that he must have been hit at the very edge.  Those of us who bicycle, know that heading into a 4 or 5 ft ditch, like the one at the site, at 15 to 20 mph, pretty much insures some kind of injury.  We also know that you don’t ride an expensive road bike with a composite frame on the shoulder of the road.  That would be for a mountain bike.  So, when most of the articles reporting the incident say “it did not appear that there were any evasive manuvers taken by Fowler or Ziegler.” it feels like an insult.  It feels like an insult to Paul’s ability and it feels like an insult to my intelegence.  Of course Paul took evasive action and judging from his injuries and the damage on the truck, he was only a foot or so away from success.
    I do not wish for any prosecution of the young man for what was certainly not intentional.  It would serve no useful purpose.  He and his family have their hands full, moving ahead with their lives.  I do care, and think that it is important for all of us to be honest about what happened.  That is the first step in changing the attitudes and behavior that caused Paul’s death, (carelessness) and no doubt many others.

    Having spent time as a pedestrian along our roadways I do long for a different kind of attitude from motorists toward pedestrains.  From my experience so many motorists make no effort to slow down or move over at all.  For so many it would appear that, at that moment, a pedestrian is not considered a human life, but simply an obstacle, or worse, a frustration, someone or some thing to be angry at.  How can we change this destructive relationship between motorists & pedestrians?  Somehow we need to care for eachother and understand the possible consequences of carelessness on our roadways.

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