Traffic death in Bermuda

[smeyer418]

School students pay tribute to visitor killed in road accident

 

 

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By Amy Terceira

 

 

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An American visitor who died on Bermuda's roads was remembered by her school with a memorial concert and a special scholarship in her name, according to The Pioneer Press in Chicago.

Linda Elizabeth Anne Carpenter Inman, 50, of Lake Forest, Illinois, died when the motor scooter she was riding was hit by a bus near Mullet Bay in St. George's on October 14.

She is survived by husband George Inman, who was in the accident with her, and their college-age children, Mark and Brittany.

Mrs. Inman was a secretary in the Fine and Applied Arts Department of Highland Park High School where the faculty, staff and students have honoured her with a memorial concert, and a special choir programme at her funeral, said The Pioneer Press.

"She was a mom to everybody," said Mary Jo Papich, chairman of the Fine and Applied Arts Department. "She treated each student like gold."

Ms Papich said the school is setting up a special scholarship in Mrs. Inman's name.

Donations may be sent to the Fine and Applied Arts Department at Highland Park High School, 433 Vine Ave., Highland Park, IL 60035. Other memorial contributions are being accepted by Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Lake County.

"She was always willing to serve," said Ms Papich. "She cared for people a lot, especially young people."

Faculty and students described her as very supportive of the school, a personality everyone found gracious, and always willing to help move projects along, said the Chicago-based paper.

On October 20, students dedicated the department's Music Showcase concert in her memory. The evening concert provided performances of the marching, concert and jazz bands,and the choirs and orchestras, said The Pioneer Press.

The Highland Park High School Chorale also sang two selections at Mrs. Inman's funeral service at First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest.

"The singing was so gorgeous," said High School District 113 Assistant Superintendent of Community Relations, Susan Benjamin.

"I don't think I've heard them sing better," she added.

"She was a delightful, helpful person," Ms Benjamin said.

"It's a tragic death that has saddened all of us."

High school junior, Taylor Barden said. "We all took care of each other.

"Even though she wasn't a teacher, she meant so much to us."

High school senior Julie Beck remembered Mrs. Inman for helping with all the small details involved in any department project.

Mrs. Inman provided copies of materials or music, even Kleenex if it was needed, said Ms Beck.

She remembered Mrs. Inman as a resource for guidance on life and the logistics of everyday activities.

"For her 50th birthday, the whole chorus went into her office to sing her 'Happy Birthday,'" Ms Beck said. "She blushed and it was so wonderful."

Mrs. Inman and her husband had travelled to Bermuda to celebrate both her birthday and their wedding anniversary, said The Pioneer Press.

[Swizzle]

Another tourist was also killed in a traffic accident a week before Ms. Inman was killed. :(

 

I always tell guests who come to visit that they shouldn't rent scooters in Bermuda unless they are used to riding scooters/motorcycles at home. Bermuda's roads are narrow, winding, have lots of traffic, and drive on the left. This is not the place to ride scooters for the first time!

 

Buses and ferries in Bermuda are nice to travel on, if you plan on visiting Bermuda I recommend using them.

[Dolphins]

We know a couple who rented a scooter in Bermuda and ended up in the hospital. Some roads are narrow with rock walls on each side and no shoulder. Not for beginners.

[Host Kewlguy]

This is why we don't rent the scooters. I'm not going to risk my vacation and hard earned dollars getting injured on one of those things. I have heard the Bermuda government is going to enact tougher laws and stricter standards regarding visitors and scooter rentals. We actually saw a woman drive off of the pier in Hamilton right into the water on her scooter due to the fact she was unable to stop it.

[BulldogR]

Another tourist was also killed in a traffic accident a week before Ms. Inman was killed. :(

 

I always tell guests who come to visit that they shouldn't rent scooters in Bermuda unless they are used to riding scooters/motorcycles at home. Bermuda's roads are narrow, winding, have lots of traffic, and drive on the left. This is not the place to ride scooters for the first time!

 

Buses and ferries in Bermuda are nice to travel on, if you plan on visiting Bermuda I recommend using them.

 

Swizz:

 

We are renting and have motorcycle exp. We are planning on staying on South Shore only and not even going as far as Hamilton. Just Dockyard to Jobson's. How are the roads in that area?

[RichNY]

If any of you first timers are thinking about renting a scooter the first thing you should do is take a bus ride. This way wou can check out the lay of the

land and see what your in for..

 

We have been to Bermuda about 20 times and we never fail to see a tourist laying in the road receiving medical care. Its just not worth it..

[Charles4515]

If any of you first timers are thinking about renting a scooter the first thing you should do is take a bus ride. This way wou can check out the lay of the

land and see what your in for..

 

We have been to Bermuda about 20 times and we never fail to see a tourist laying in the road receiving medical care. Its just not worth it..

 

I have not been to Bermuda near as much as you but both times I saw accidents where folks scraped themselves up. And also near misses. Last time I was there when I was drinking a Swizzle on the balcony of the Swizzle Inn I saw a guy just miss by inches getting creamed and killed by a truck when he pulled out of the lot to the road. I saw him look the wrong way, obviously he was from the US so he was expecting traffic from the other direction.

[Swizzle v2.0]

Swizz:

 

We are renting and have motorcycle exp. We are planning on staying on South Shore only and not even going as far as Hamilton. Just Dockyard to Jobson's. How are the roads in that area?

Narrow, 2-lane, winding, lots of traffic. Same as anywhere else in Bermuda.

 

Once you're at the South Shore it is more likely that there will be shoulders or grassy areas where you can pull over if need be, in other areas it will be walls/hedges right up to the edge of the road. Since you're experienced on motorcycles you shouldn't have much of a problem (though Charles had a good point about looking the proper way when pulling out onto a road). I'd look both ways before pulling out even a little - if a truck or bus is coming there is very little space in the lane.

 

Remember that traffic generally goes 25-30 mph (and even that is over the official speed limit of 20mph) so it won't be like driving on a freeway or US highway.

[oscarmoraz]

Thanks for the thread! We were considering it...but we are entering into unknown territory and it's best to be safe!

 

We'll be bussing it! lol Is it true we can purchase a 2 day pass for the bus system?

C

[Jeanne S]

Swizz:

 

We are renting and have motorcycle exp. We are planning on staying on South Shore only and not even going as far as Hamilton. Just Dockyard to Jobson's. How are the roads in that area?

But are you used to drivng on the opposite side of the road and used to traffic circles?

 

Thanks Meyer, posted this link on our VOS 11/13 Roll Call. We take taxis and ferries.

[Aliann]

The story is tragic and my heart goes out to that family.

 

As I got to reading the posts, I remembered when we went and saw the same things, several bumps, bruises and scrapes as some limped back onto the ship. Hubby drives a motorcycle, and we thought about it, but after seeing the narrow roads and twists and turns decided it wasn't worth the risk, plus driving on the wrong side of the road. I almost walked in front of a car because I was looking the wrong way, its a natural mistake to make.

 

And as for the story about the woman driving off the pier, I really hope she wasn't hurt, you didn't say she was, and I guess its late and I should go to bed because I started laughing just picturing it in my mind.

[mhdubgal]

I was on the 9-24-05 cruise to bermuda and on the last sea day saw someone who had broken his leg - scooter accident. Please be careful if you are thinking of renting.

[Spf12]

I hate to hear tragic stories like this.My wife and I sailed to Bermuda on the Zenith,9/17 out of Cape Liberty and opted for a 3 day pass which proved to be fantastic.This was our 9th trip to Bermuda and every other time ,rented scooters.I guess we were lucky.On our cruise,several passengers were in slings,bandaged and on crutches.Don't be fools ; unless you ride cycles or scooters regularly,get the transportation pass.

[smeyer418]

Boy this is an old thread. Its not only Bermuda but we just came back from another trip(Turkey) and we saw someone with a black eye in Cappadocia and pretty banged up. We joked that she looked like she had gotten mugged. We saw her a couple of days later on the plane back to the US and asked what happened and sure enough she had been hurt on a scooter.

[NotADude]

I'd like to add that the few times I've been to Bermuda, I saw the same accidents each time! We are all warned and begged not to rent them.

 

But what I wanted to say in particular is how distressing this is to the locals. Taxi drivers have stated how frightening it can be watching out for visitors on scooters. They have seen too many of them die. One ride in particular, a scooter was driving on the wrong side of the road, coming straight for us ... The driver swerved and missed the scooter, but what made my jaw hit the ground were the big smiles on the driver/passenger's faces as they just escaped death. Amazing!

 

Hopping off my soapbox! --------Terry

[toothfairy]

I was in Bermuda this past August. A woman from my ship was riding a scooter with her son. They hit a median and the son was thrown from the scooter and pinned between the scooter and a rock wall. He suffered a broken ankle.

 

I own a few mopeds (scooters) and had to take a safety class with six "real" motorcyclists on my military installation to become licensed to drive them on post. They all laughed at me and called me "Scooter Girl", but I'll tell you what - it may seem like fun, but a moped or scooter is still a MOTOR VEHICLE and has to share the road ways with vehicles that do not often notice it. It's easy to maneuver, but there are special techniques that must be learned to ride one safely, offensively and with traffic consisting of larger vehicles.

 

Buses, cars, trucks, etc are A LOT bigger and heavier and can cause MUCH damage to the moped/scooter and its rider(s). Don't forget the potential of taking a "road spill" and leaving some of your skin on the road.

 

These cycles are not toys and should be handled with extreme care. I'm licensed and own two, but you couldn't pay me enough to ride one in Bermuda. Sorry to sound so negative or harsh, this is just my opinion.....

[smeyer418]

Thanks Kathy good advice.

[Ocean Boy]

I don't understand why people have to have a license for a motorcycle but anyone can just get on a scooter and take off. I've ridden motoercycles for years and rented scooters in Bermuda. Even with extensive riding experince when you are suddenly driving on the oposite side of the road from what you are used to and going though rotaries, which they seem to really like in Bermuda, it demands concentration.

 

If you are not an experienced rider I'd recommend staying away from the scooters.

[cthoops]

I agree that renting a scooter isn't for everyone, but I'd also like to point out that you don't need to currently ride motorcycles or scooters to be able to handle them. My DH and I are avid bicyclists - not just riding-around-the block bicyclists, but the kind that routinely ride 25 miles after work and 40-50 miles/day on the weekends. We've been to Bermuda twice and rented scooters both times, and (knock wood) haven't had a problem. But, because we ride a lot, we are comfortable with being so exposed to other vehicles near us, and we pay attention to things like uneven pavement, sand in the road, potholes, etc.

 

I think that the visitors who get in accidents tend to be people who have little-to-no REAL experience on anything with two wheels, and then expect it to be like driving a car.

 

In the meantime we have a trip to Bermuda planned for next September, and we wouldn't consider anything but renting a scooter.