When I'm not working or reading, you can usually find me biking -- and that's why I was distressed to hear that Natasha Pettigrew, a Maryland Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate, has died from injuries sustained in a bike-car collision.
The young woman was hit by an SUV early Sunday morning, while training for a triathlon, according to the Washington Post. Today, word came that she had died. Pettigrew wasn't going to win this election, but she had a promising future as an athlete, political candidate and law student. "We'll never know what great things could have come from this bright young woman, Green Party co-chair Karen Jennings said in a statement.
Unfortunately, this sort of accident seems more and more common, as cars get bigger and the number of bikers grows. In fact, in Baltimore County on Saturday, there will be a fund-raiser -- Larry's Ride -- for Larry Bensky, who was killed this spring while riding. He left behind a wife and two young children.
So please, next time you're on the road -- on a bike or in a car -- be careful.