http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12135980

Former British boxing champion Gary Mason has died in a cycling crash in south London.

Mason, 48, was on his bicycle in Sandy Lane South, Wallington, on Thursday morning when he was involved in a collision with a van.

The retired fighter was pronounced dead at the scene.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving and bailed until March pending further inquiries.

EDIT. Also is it just me that dislikes the use of the words “collision with” and “cycling crash”? Im not sure there’s many incidences of cyclists dying having “collided” with a van, but plenty more where a van has “collided” with a cyclist. Maybe just my erroneous understanding of the meaning of the word, but I always thought the “collider” is the one with the kinetic energy….

Bloke who killed a time trialist (and admitted he hadn’t been looking at the road at the time) just got a 12 month suspended sentence.

My local paper has stopped using that term – I think they got fed up with the comments on the stories every time they used it (particularly as they didn’t ever say pedestrians were ‘in collision with’ cars).

Its Croydon, the driver won’t be inconvenienced.

Yes, it seems that if you’re suspected of being involved in murder of one of your tenants, having a strange haircut is enough for the tabloids to presume your guilt.
When it comes to cyclists being hit by vans though, they have to word it carefully so as not to suggest that one party might be more to blame than the other.

one definition Ive found:
collision – an accident resulting from violent impact of a moving object

Which I think illustrates my point, the van is surely the “moving” object in the impact relative to the cyclist, not the other way round.

as you say, Wworrier, they dont call it “pedestrian in collision with a van” do they.

and its not a “cyling crash”. The cyclist didnt crash. I crash my bike – I rarely die. To crash a bike you fall off or run into something. You dont end up dead.

col·lide? ?/k??la?d/ Show Spelled
[kuh-lahyd] Show IPA
verb, -lid·ed, -lid·ing.
–verb (used without object)
1. to strike one another or one against the other with a forceful impact; come into violent contact; crash: The two cars collided with an ear-splitting crash.
2. to clash; conflict: Their views on the matter collided.
–verb (used with object)
3. to cause to collide: drivers colliding their cars in a demolition derby.
Use collide in a Sentence
See images of collide
Search collide on the Web

——————————————————————————–

Origin:
1615–25; < L coll?dere to strike together, equiv. to col- col-1 + -l?dere, comb. form of laedere to strike

—Synonyms
1. hit, smash, clash.

Inconclusive!

Sad news…Drove past yesterday morning when parts of the road were cordoned off…Only realised after reading the article today why this was. RIP 🙁

I collided with the back of a BMW being delivered to it’s new owner once.

My gears were playing up and I was looking down…the delivery driver was more concerned about me than the car which was nice…I managed to dent it and it was my fault.

The sentences are never very severe.

http://thecyclingsilk.blogspot.com/2009/11/cycling-against-car-culture.html

It also grates the way they often state the driver was unhurt. I know they are reporting the facts but I always think it’s obvious that would be the case, that’s why they drive the way they do. If it was 50:50 who would be injured people would drive a lot more cautiously around cyclists. More like people do with horses where it is not seen to be sensible to go past at speed inches away.

I think “in a collision with” is the correct form as it shouldn’t imply who collided with whom. The BBC have a habit of saying “a cyclist collided with a van” which is usually not correct.

I know the van has more kinetic energy so does more damage, but I can’t think of many other wording options that would be neutral. An “incident involving a bicycle and a van in which a cyclists died” perhaps would work, but it’s a bit clunky.

jonb – they can be. Years of jailtime happens as well

Attitudes are changing – 20 years ago jailtime was almost unheard of

Inconclusive!

bloody lawyers. Always on the fence 🙄

mark, I could cope with “in a collision with” if the context was clearer as to which actor was more likely to be passive and which active.

McHamish – that sometimes we cyclists can be utter numpties goes without saying. It’s usually not fatal when “we collide with something” though. When a “van collides with us”…. the odds arent so good.