Cyclists Face Lack of Legal Protection in Crashes  | Tue Nov. 2,
2010 11:11 AM GMT  Today is election day, but one candidate that
won't be on the ballot is Maryland candidate for Senate Natasha
Pettigrew. Thirty-year-old Pettigrew, who represented the Green
Party, was struck and killed by an SUV while biking on September
20. The driver of the Cadillac Escalade who hit Pettigrew said
she thought she had hit a deer or a dog so she didn't stop and
continued driving for four miles until reaching her home. Upon
parking the SUV, she saw Pettigrew's bicycle lodged beneath it
and called police. Pettigrew's mother, Kenniss Henry, is running
in her place but looks like Maryland is re-electing Democrat
Barbara Mikulski.   The death of a promising young person is
tragic, but at least charges for the driver are pending. (An
eyewitness says she saw the SUV stop after striking Pettigrew,
then take off with sparks and smoke trailing behind due to the
bicycle stuck beneath the vehicle.) Often, charges aren't filed
in cases wh