It is with deepest regret that we report that Andres Hulslander, manager at Wallingford’s Bartell Drugs, was struck and killed while biking home from work on Saturday, June 27th at about 11 pm. Andres is survived by a wife and two children.
According to the Seattle Bike Blog, Andres was biking eastbound on NE 65th St towards his home in Lake Forest Park when he was struck from behind by 29 year-old Lucas McQuinn near the intersection at 15th Ave NE. McQuinn, who officers believed to be intoxicated, was arrested at the scene and charged with vehicular homicide. He is being held in lieu of $100,00 bond.
The Seattle Times notes that Hulslander was “wearing a brightly colored cycling jersey and his bike was equipped with a red, flashing taillight,” according to the charging papers.
The Seattle Bike Blog notes that this is the first death of a cyclist in Seattle in 2015, and the first since Wallingford’s Sher Kung was struck and killed in August of last year.
A “ghost bike”, a bicycle painted white as a memorial to a cyclist’s death has been placed at the scene (pictured above).
Our hearts go out to Andres’ family, his co-workers, and all who knew him.
(Thanks to Kerry and John for bringing this to our attention.)
Such terrible news. Drunk and speeding, I hope Lucas McQuinn gets the book thrown at him. In King County, vehicular homicide is punishable by life in prison.
The safety of bicyclists at the very intersection where Andres Hulslander was killed has been much-debated over the past few years. SDOT included bike lanes on NE 65th Street in its Bicycle Master Plan, but that proposal was met with negative feedback from the Hawthorne Hill Community Council and the Ravenna-Bryant Community Council.
Tony Provine, who is a candidate for Seattle City Council Position 4, was president of the Ravenna-Bryant Community Council during this debate and penned the following:
We in Ravenna-Bryant would like to have a greater response from neighborhood residents to this survey because we expect a full court mass mail campaign from the Cascade Club and others. The Ravenna Bryant Community Association (RBCA), Hawthorne Hills, and NEDC have all stated their opposition to cycle tracks on 65th. Our obvious favored alternative is Alternative D. Also, SDOT seems to be overlooking 75th as another alternative for cycle tracks. While RBCA would like to see some traffic calming and safety features for 65th, we do not feel it is appropriate for cycle tracks. We would be grateful for your help and participation. I’ve attached recent letters from NEDC and RBCA for your reference.
If you’re curious what “Alternative D” is, here’s a link to the four proposed routes through this corridor. It appears that none of these four alternatives are part of the most current Bicycle Master Plan, so thanks in part to push back from neighborhood councils more concerned about parking spaces than safety, NE 65th Street will remain unsafe for cyclists.
Is there a support fund for the family?
Yes! There is a college fund account to help his young sweet daughters. The details are listed on his obit. Just so tragic for this great family. Andy was such a loving/involved father. http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Andres+%22Andy%22-Hulslander&lc=7552&pid=175239850&mid=6510202
Speaking as a daily cyclist, as long as there are drunk drivers out there pretty much no street, cycle track or not will be 100% safe for bikers. This is always my greatest worry while commuting downtown that a motorist will not follow the rules for whatever reason and collide with me. The death on Dexter where a cyclist with the right of way in a bike lane was killed by a left hand turn from the other direction still weighs heavily on my mind.
Doug, the adopted plan includes “Alternative C”, but it’s not in the current implementation plan, which covers to 2019. The proposal for the Move Seattle levy does include something in that area according to the (unlabeled) map, but there I can’t find specifics.
Regarding punishment, I don’t see what purpose a long prison sentence would serve other than vengeance. I’d be in favor of a lifetime ban on him driving a car. He can go to prison for a long time if he violates the driving ban.
You’re comment is the most ignorant thing I’ve read! If someone shot and killed your family member, would you be alright with his punishment being he can never carry a gun again? Lucas choose to drink and drive. Lucas choose to speed through the intersection. Lucas choose to take away someone’s son, husband, father, brother, nephew, uncle, cousin, and many peoples dear friend.
@5 Eric, I would use the term “justice” rather than “vengeance.”
Nothing will bring Andres Hulslander back, and I join others here in expressing my condolences to his family.
But simply depriving Lucas McQuinn of the right to drive a car does not seem to be in alignment: vehicular homicide is a crime. Should he be convicted, I believe lengthy imprisonment is an appropriate punishment.
To Aaron and others. When I was at Bartell’s last night, I asked about a fund for the family. They said the only thing that was happening was that the employees were contributing. I told them I’d be there with a check, encouraged them to explore getting something set up where we can contribute, or contact the right person who can do this, including finding out if it already exists. I posted this in the general forum last night, but strangely, not one response. I mentioned that the staff and employees at the store are devastated, and for us be aware of that when we are in there.
I would be more supportive of banning driving for life if I thought it was effective, really worked. But it doesn’t. I vote for prison time. Bet anything he has a history of drinking and driving. I don’t understand the statement of the person who owns the bar. difficult to have half a beer, and be fully drunk and kill someone minutes later.
On the obit there is some info of where to donate toward his young daughter’s college funds: http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Andres+%22Andy%22-Hulslander&lc=7552&pid=175239850&mid=6510202
I also agree that a GoFundMe would be great for this sweet family. I’m not very close with the family but may bring this up the next time I see them…
I would prefer the responses to this article be about the tragedy, and address Alternative D in another thread.
Andy’s obit. is in today’s Seattle Times; in it they ask that contributions be made in Andy’s name, to the Woodland Park Zoo Raptor program, http://www.zoo.org/mobile-donation or the Forgotten Children’s Fund, for which he built bikes, http://www.forgottenchildrensfund.org
Blessings to all.
Thanks Erin.
@8: Why? When people are shot, we talk about gun control. Cyclist safety is not an abstraction. Many of these tragedies could be avoided by better road design. The 2nd Avenue bike lane where Sher Kung was killed had been on the city’s radar for years as unsafe for cyclists. NE 65th Street was as well.
“The 2nd Avenue bike lane where Sher Kung was killed had been on the city’s radar for years as unsafe for cyclists”
As a 45 plus year cyclist my opinion is that most of these accidents are the cylist fault. (Obviously not Mr Hulslander) You cannot approach an intersection along a row of waiting cars and as they move expect them all to realize you are flying past them on the right. Its simple survival! I ALWAYS slow down to the first moving car next to me and NOT move any faster so they can see me to their right, and I EXPECT the car in front of them to turn right WITHOUT a turn signal! Sher King expected the truck not to turn left in front of her, that is her fault for not being aware of what could happen. Its called “situational awareness” and most cyclist are floating along totally unaware of whats happening around them, and it will catch up with them.
My condolences to the family.
It is events like this that make me fear taking up biking again after my bike was stolen. Insurance will cover, but at 74 I do not need broken bones, or worse.
Redwind, I think you’re conflating “should have seen it coming” with “at fault”. Yes, there are many ways that drivers fail to comply with the law that experienced cyclists can predict and avoid, but that doesn’t make the driver’s actions any less illegal. It also doesn’t remove our obligation to build infrastructure that gives people the cues they need to drive safely. It’s all the more important now that there are so many new cyclists on the road who don’t have the luxury of 45 years of experience to tell them how motorists are likely to misbehave.
What a tragedy. My heart goes out to his family.
Thanks to all to asked about a support fund for the family — that is very thoughtful.
As an aside, I have to say that I’m totally disgusted by Redwind’s comment. Do bicyclists make mistakes, some of which lead to their own accidents? Yes, of course — no one would argue with that. But what’s the point of coming on to this thread simply to bring up Sher’s horrible death, explicitly stating that it was her own fault and implying that her death was the result of poor choices “catching up with [her]”? She was a member of this neighborhood and an absolutely amazing person. Unless you were there, I don’t think you really knew what happened and what she was thinking. Worse, there is no reason for you to extrapolate your assumptions of this one event (i.e. knowing the bare facts of what happened when she was killed) to her entire lifetime of cycling.
Apologies for the rant, but I find it pretty arrogant of you to come here and gloat about your superior biking skills and go on and on about how you would never have done what she did. Congratulations for surviving when she did not.
equally disgusted. A life was lost. Imagine Redwind will have a heyday with the ice cave death! And yes, there were multiple warnings about the danger. Just like not having your photo taken with a mother bear with cubs at Yellowstone. But the time to discuss this is SOME OTHER TIME. Start a new thread.
All part of the grief at these losses. Let’s be kind to each other.