After the tragic pedicab accident that happened in Belltown on August 6, many people blamed the driver. New information in an article in The Stranger is revealing however, that the pedicab company may be at fault. A former employee of the Cascadia Cabs company says in reference to the company's owner, Ryan Hashagen, "I've been reading what Ryan has been saying to the media and I want to say the other side of it... He's blaming the driver when I think that there are poor management practices that are actually to blame for the accident."
The former employee who asked to remain anonymous goes on to say that the company doesn't provide enough braking mechanisms on its pedicabs, relies on inexperienced bikers, and is insufficiently thorough in safety training. Not only that, but apparently the pedicabs have only a simple braking mechanism which is a metal bar connected to a leather strap. There are no hand brakes on the pedicabs.
When the owner of Cascadia Cabs was told of the former employee's complaints, he said, "Our company policy is safety first. We have a motto. That is, 'Be safe, have fun, and make money.' ...[Drivers] are not allowed to leave the shop with nonfunctioning brakes."
He also went on to say that drivers are told to avoid hills like the one that played a role in the tragic crash. Hashagen explained that all their drivers receive extensive training and are told, 'If you can't go up it, don't go down it," However the company's former employee insists, "They do do a very short training, but they never tell you not to go down hills."
What do you think?
I live at western and vine, 1 block from the accident and came upon the scene shortly after they took the victims away. i think that common sense tells me that it would be suicidal to go down that hill with two additional people on a bike regardless what the stopping mechanism is on the bike. The driver was definitely negligent to do that.
It's a shame that this senseless tragedy even occured.
Not all pedicabs are created equal.
Professional quality pedicabs generally cost from $3000 to $8000 dollars. Among their many safety features, professional quality pedicabs have brakes that are able to quickly stop them quickly even while heavily loaded and going down a steep hill.
The type of pedicab driven in this accident was not professional quality and should never have been used on the streets and hills of Seattle. In flat areas this pedicab's brakes may have been able to stop it in most situations.
Pedicabs very similar to the one the Peter Dzioba died in can be found on ebay for $400.
More information can be found here:
http://austinpedicab.org/category/seattle-accidents/
I too was a block away and saw the accident unfold in front of me. The pedicab passed behind me as I walked South on 1st Ave across Cedar. The driver was trying to adjust something on the frame of the bike and I was a was a bit surprised to see him going West, down that particular hill, with a full load. Damian and Ken are right, the hill was far too steep for a cruising pedicab meant for flat boardwalks. The driver used bad judgment as to the abilities of his brakes on the hill and the pedicab company should never have allowed their driver to be cruising downtown. Auto drivers and pedestrians totally aren't used to those contraptions, more prominent in cities of SE Asia, and they need to be kept to the waterfront.
Heres a dirty secret. The owner of the company doesnt care.
He makes his money off of kid's lease payments and billboard ads.
Its alot of tax-free under the table money. And he knows it.
This accident is only bad for him, in that it's putting him in the spotlight.
Someone report this guy to the I.R.S.
If he is making over 1,000 a day leasing brakeless, cheap, unsafe chinese made pedicabs...
I pray that justice comes down hard and forcefully on his crooked shoulders.
He may have made his get rich quik scheme materialize, but in the long run, the lives he's dented and the consequences to come, will show that nothing is free and only hard work pays.
-Seattle John