News-Press Sunday 3/8/15 Bike Safety Feature: Paths of peril
Janine Zeitlin, Melanie Payne and Laura Ruane jzeitlin@news-press.com, mpayne@news-press.com, lruane@news-press.com
Each Southwest Florida bike death is a different, heartbreaking story...this is Jack van Caulil's story:
Jacobus
“Jack” van Caulil, 80
Crash
date: Feb. 23, 2014
 |
| Jack Van Caulil (Photo: Special to news-press.com) |
If you had known Jacobus
"Jack" van Caulil you would have never believed he was 80 years old,
his bandmate Hal Reisenfeld said.
Reisenfeld, the president of the
Bonita Springs Concert Band, took over the tenor saxophone chair left vacant by
van Caulil's death.
"He loved his music. He loved
playing in our concert band. He was a charter member," Reisenfeld said.
Music was a part of Jack's life and his family's life. Two of his grandchildren
played a concerto at the funeral.
Originally from the Netherlands, van
Caulil had just returned from a three-week trip to Asia. He was killed just
three miles from his Estero home.
On Feb. 23, 2014, a sunny Sunday
afternoon, van Caulil was in the bike lane on Ben Hill Griffin Parkway when
71-year-old Donna Rice, driving a silver BMW, pulled out from a side street and
ended his life. Rice was found guilty of running a stop sign and violation of
right of way. Her license was suspended for six months and she was fined
$1,000.
Reisenfeld said he too is a bike
rider, but gave it up after van Caulil was killed. It's too dangerous, he said.
"There's too many people driving along not paying attention."
Editorial: Cyclists
deserve to be protected, safe
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