Law Schools
U of Denver Law Prof Dies Today After Bicycle Accident
Posted May 6, 2009 4:15 PM CST
By Martha Neil
An assistant professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law died today after a bicycle accident early yesterday.
After initially saying in an e-mail to students that 32-year-old Erik Bluemel had been assaulted, law school officials later announced that police had determined he had a bicycle accident early yesterday, according to the Denver Post.
A police spokeswoman says Bluemel crashed his bike under a bridge, and that the cause of the accident is under investigation.
"We have lost a wonderful colleague, teacher and friend," said Jose "Beto" Juarez Jr., the law school dean, as he called for the law school community to keep Bluemel's family in their thoughts and prayers.
A graduate of New York University School of Law, Bluemel clerked for Judge Kermit Edward Bye on the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. He taught administrative law and environmental law at the University of Denver.
Bluemel was very well-liked and a brilliant teacher, says Ben Goff, vice president of the law school's student bar association.
Updated at 5:55 p.m. to include and accord with new information from Denver Post.
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Comments
J.D.
May 7, 2009 8:30 AM CST
About 540,000 bicyclists visit emergency rooms with injuries every year. 700 bicyclists died on US roads in 2007.
Obviously, we need federal regulation of bikes. Perhaps a “Brady Bike Law” is justified here. I propose a 2-week waiting period for a bike purchase combined with extensive background checks.
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JN
May 7, 2009 8:44 AM CST
Yeah! Let’s get a Meghan’s law-esque registered bike offenders program up and running!
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B. McLeod
May 7, 2009 9:15 AM CST
One of the things that really can be tricky with modern bicycles is the caliper braking. Back when I first learned to bicycle, braking was done by locking the pedals backward, which stopped the chain and stopped the back wheel. There was no braking on the front wheel, and it would continue to turn for whatever distance the back wheel skid after it locked up. The cyclist’s weight was just forward of the back axle, so the old bicycles never flipped over the front wheel during braking. Modern bicycles can. The calipers brake front and back, and if there is too much inertia (or too much grade), the whole bicycle will just go over the front wheel, catapulting the rider into the ground or pavement. Newer technology does not always mean better technology. I think a lot of the older designs were really safer.
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J.D.
May 7, 2009 10:30 AM CST
Considering it can result in death, it would make sense to call bicycle riding “torture” under the current liberal definition filling the newspapers. And if a caterpillar happens to be in the front basket, then this is grounds for taking Bush to the criminal courts of Europe.
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A reader
May 7, 2009 10:39 AM CST
J.D. - seriously. Someone died. Yes, the comment boards are meant to spur discussion, and you are certainly entited to express and debate your conservative views. But show a little respect, for cripe’s sake. This article is about someone who died, and your jokes about a Brady Bike Law are misplaced.
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Tom
May 7, 2009 11:00 AM CST
B. McLeod, disc brakes are an awesome invention. What’s missing is application of knowledge (high school physics) & common sense. Also missing is bicycle education. In an emergency I can safely stop a bicycle traveling 15mph with disc brakes in probably 1/10th of the distance as a bike with a coaster (backpedal) brake. Having a bike with disc brakes for some time now, I will never go back to rim or coaster brakes.
As the cause of the accident is still under investigation there is no need to speculate as to what happened.
You want to know what the real killer is, JD? Our road & highway system. http://www.makeroadssafe.org
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J.D.
May 7, 2009 11:34 AM CST
What makes you think I’m joking? In fact, Tom makes a good point: we should also ban vehicles. That way we can also save the ice caps from melting.
Literally, a Brady Bike Bill and the ban of automobiles could save lives. In fact, a news story from just yesterday proves my point: an illegal alien from Mexico drove over an American riding a bike; he killed the bicyclist after dragging his body 500 feet. Clearly, both cars and bikes should be outlawed if we’re serious about protecting people:
“Mexican man pleads guilty in cyclist’s death”
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/may/06/bn6jeronimo12241/?metro&zIndex=94748
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B. McLeod
May 7, 2009 11:56 AM CST
No need to ban vehicles, just transition to PPVs, like the cars on “the Flintstones.”
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reb
May 8, 2009 9:26 AM CST
i rarely read comments to articles in this,or other,journaks precisely because of morons like “J.D.” Get a life and stop issuing inane commentary.
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J.D.
May 8, 2009 2:30 PM CST
Reb, I take offense at you calling my liberal positions “inane commentary.” But after further review, I agree with you that these liberal thoughts are problematic. I am now going to support the conservative idea that people have a right to live as they choose with limited governmental intervention. If you want to drive an SUV or a bike (with or without a helmet), then that should be your choice. If you want to live out the Constitution by owning a gun, that’s your choice. And caterpillars are certainly not torture. Thank you for making me see the light.
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J.D.
May 8, 2009 2:31 PM CST
Also, Reb, when calling someone a “moron” please be sure to check your spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. Thx.
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