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NHL star Johnny Gaudreau & brother Matthew killed by driver whilst cycling ahead of wedding.

I take exception to the BBC's headline and article, given what I've put in bold below. 😡

Full article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce81wp4xkkgo

Quote:

NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and brother killed in car accident

National Hockey League star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother were killed in a car accident in New Jersey on Thursday night.

The Columbus Blue Jackets player - who was 31 - and his younger brother Matthew, 29, were riding their bicycles on a rural road in Oldsman Township when a car struck them, New Jersey police told the BBC.

The driver of the car, Sean Higgins, 43, has been arrested and charged with two counts of death by auto, according to officials.

As of Friday, he is being held without bond at the Salem County Correctional Facility.

...

Gaudreau's brother Matthew was also a professional hockey player who previously played for the Reading Royals team in Pennsylvania.

The Gaudreau brothers were in New Jersey to attend their sister's wedding on Friday in Philadelphia, where they were supposed to be groomsmen, according to the Columbus Dispatch, external, a local outlet.

Police said Mr Higgins hit the brothers with his car from behind as he attempted to pass two other vehicles on the road.

Mr Higgins was suspected of driving while under the influence of alcohol and is currently being held in the Salem County Correctional Facility, New Jersey police said.

Awful under any circumstances, but ahead of what should have been a totally joyous family occasion. 😔

It may be a accident in that the driver didn't intend hitting or killing them, but as driving under the influence is 100% avoidable, such collisions should never be called 'accidents'. 😡

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2 comments

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Cayo | 3 months ago
3 likes

The BBC have finally changed the article title to "NHL star Gaudreau and brother killed in bike and car crash".

Better, but still ignoring they were killed by a drunk driver. Granted, they can't call him guilty before a trial, but the police have said he failed a test, so I see no reason why they can't say he was drunk in the title.

As for the article contents, it still says, "killed in a car accident", so they still have it wrong. 😡

Avatar
hawkinspeter | 3 months ago
5 likes

It doesn't surprise me at all as the BBC don't particularly care about reporting guidelines as they deal with their own complaines (i.e. send an email a month after the complaint detailing that they're either ignoring it or will change the details for a month old article that no-one will come across and read again). They are bastions of motonormativity and it's rare that they can have an article featuring cyclists without it being focussed on helmet use.

Here's the guidelines: https://www.rc-rg.com/guidelines

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