http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.bike10jul10,1,7627446.story

Baltimore man dies when bike hits van outside Westminster
July 10, 2005

A Baltimore bicycle builder died yesterday afternoon after his bicycle struck a minivan in Carroll County, state police said.

Just before 3 p.m., Thomas J. Bruni, 54, of the 2000 block of Sylvan Ave. was riding south on Halter Road approaching Stone Road, about four miles north of Westminster. At the same time, a 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport minivan was traveling west on Stone Road, approaching the same intersection.

State police said that the minivan passed through the intersection and was hit by the bike. Bruni had failed to halt at the stop sign, according to authorities.

Bruni was taken to Carroll Hospital Center, where he was later pronounced dead. Five passengers in the minivan were taken to the hospital with minor cuts and abrasions.

Bruni owned Bruni Bicycles, police said, where he designed and built mountain, road and tandem bicycles.


I saw him the weekend before this when he and his wife attended an organized bike ride that I lead. I'm still trying to find out if he was on his tandem with his wife at the time, etc. I go through stop signs and light all the time in Baltimore City, but my guess is that if the news story is correct he went though one out in the middle of nowhere, presumably on a downhill (I guess). Doesn't sound like the kind of thing he would do but hopefully one of my friends will have more details. He did fix my bike once (something that required a bike builder to fix).