(UPDATED) Bicyclist dies in crash with truck on Commonwealth Ave.
A 23-year-old Boston University graduate student was killed this morning when he collided with a 16-wheel tractor-trailer while riding his bicycle on Commonwealth Avenue near the Boston University campus, the school reported this afternoon.
Christopher Weigl, a photojournalism student, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The crash occurred just after 8:30 a.m. near Commonwealth Avenue and St. Paul Street, according to police. Witnesses told BU Today that Weigl and the truck both were traveling east on Comm Ave and collided when the truck made a wide right turn onto St. Paul Street.
The driver of the tractor-trailer stopped and made himself known to officers, police said.
Many stunned passersby looked on as the crash happened during the busy morning commute on a heavily traveled road. It appeared the collision happened when the truck was turning from Commonwealth Avenue on to St. Paul Street.
Police have shut down that area of Commonwealth Avenue while investigators examine the crash.
No citations have been issued as of this morning, police said.
Boston University President Robert A. Brown released a statement today that said: “We are very concerned about the dangers faced by members of our community who must navigate the streets on and near our campus, especially bicyclists and pedestrians. As we identify ways in which education and changes in practice can reduce risks, we will take all necessary and possible steps to do so.”
Weigl is the second Boston University cyclist to die in a collision with a vehicle in less than a month. On Nov. 12, Chung-Wei Yang was killed when he was struck by a number 57 MBTA bus at the intersection of Harvard Avenue and Brighton Avenue in Allston.
Weigl’s death marks the fifth cyclist death in Boston this year.
On his photojournalism website, Weigl writes of his passion for photojournalism, “Photography has the unique ability to tell the story of a moment in time that will never be relived. From the wedding day to a simple human interest story, the capture of emotion in a split-second is a truly powerful, almost magical, ability.”
BU Today made reference to Weigl’s photographic work, saying he was “as adept at covering the performing arts, architecture, and sports as he was at shooting portraits, weddings, and images of the natural world.”
He spent the past few months covering the 2012 presidential campaign. A vivid portrait of President Obama at a rally on September 7 in Portsmouth, N.H., is among the more memorable images in his portfolio, according to the news site.
City Councilor Felix Arroyo, who co-sponsored a council hearing today at City Hall on improving bicycle safety, rode his bicycle to work today from his home in Jamaica Plain to bring attention to the issue. The hearing and bike ride were planned before this morning’s crash.
