Biker hit by truck

By Marcos Gonzalez

A bicyclist was hit and killed by a tractor-trailer on Commonwealth Avenue near the Boston University campus Thursday morning.

The name of the bicyclist was not released. This marks the fifth fatality this year on Boston streets.

Stanley Brown, who works at the CVS store at the intersection, said he noticed the tractor-trailer turn onto Saint Paul from the far left lane of Commonwealth and then saw the bicyclist racing down the avenue at a high rate of speed.

“It was a loud enough impact that I heard it’’ inside the store, he said.

He said the driver exited his truck, walked to the passenger side of the cab where he looked quickly at the bicyclist and then returned to his cab. He appeared shaken up, but did not show any obvious sign of intoxication or impairment, Brown said.

No charges or citations have been issued.

“If you are down on Commonwealth Avenue, you know what kind of street it is,’’ he said. “You have to be aware of your surroundings. Some cyclists only look at what’s ahead.’’

Public safety workers covered the bicyclist’s body with a plastic tarp.

Marc Taylor, a Department of Transportation employee, stared at the scene today and wondered how the crash could have taken place. “How could they miss [seeing] each other?’’ he asked.

“We are certainly looking at any intersection that may have had a serious accident and making sure that those intersections are safe, we are analyzing every cycling accident in the city of Boston, where it happened, how it happened,” said Dot Joyce, spokeswoman for Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

From 2011 to 2012, the city saw a 31 percent increase in bicyclists on the streets, he said.

“You’re seeing more bikes and about the same number of accidents,” Carter said.

He believes communication is the key to safety among drivers and cyclists.

Image Courtesy: AP Images