New GM Powertrain Europe head killed in bicycle accident

[nashville_brook]

(from Automotive News BREAKING email update)

http://www.autonews.com/defaultRegister.cms?newsId=12931

Luca Ciferri
David Piper
TURIN -- The new head of General Motors Powertrain Europe was killed Sunday in a bicycle accident, a day before he was scheduled to assume his new duties.

David Piper, 47, was struck by a car at about 1 p.m. Sunday while he was riding his bicycle on a mountain road between Susa and Turin, the new headquarters of GM Powertrain Europe, GM said.
GM officials said they became alarmed when Piper failed to attend a Monday morning meeting and did not respond to calls to his mobile telephone.
His wife, Debra, had called the Turin office from her Michigan home because she was unable to reach her husband on Sunday, the company said.

[opihimoimoi]

1. Gosh, OMG, WTF?.... not only Bush has those accidents??? is it

spreading?

[kenny blankenship]

2. Didn't anybody tell him

About Italian drivers? Mountain roads are used for testing the outer limits of your cars' grip at high speed! They used to make a big festival of this in Sicily called the Targa Florio. Along with dodging goat herds crossing the winding mountain roads, the Targa's course ran right through the middle of a couple of towns. Country folk and jet setters sitting on the haybales at the non-existent curbs, close enough to reach out and grab your sideview mirrors.


What could he have done that was more suicidal? Well, Mr. Piper might have ridden his bike against traffic in downtown Paris while blindfolded.

[TahitiNut]

3. I've driven the Alpine roads in Northern Italy and Switzerland.

It's piss-in-your-pants awesome! Rounding a curve and seeing the Mercedes emblem of an oncoming truck is the kind of excitement that'll let you know where your adrenal gland is.

I've also done bungee jumps off a bridge over whitewater. :dunce:

[malachi]

4. Could someone please send the GPS coordinates of this tragic

accident to the White House for the Monkey's next bike ride?

[TheDebbieDee]

5. Already transmitted!

Just kidding!

[fortyfeetunder]

6. was he pretending to be Lance Armstrong?

European country roads are nothing like the Tour de France...

[smirkymonkey]

7. What's with all these CEO accidents?

Hmmm....

[Straight Shooter]

8. There was a movie many years ago called Grand Prix.

It was about an impromptu race of sorts between high-adrenaline drivers. One guy gets in his car, rips off the rearview mirror. Passenger says, "What'd you do that for?"

Driver says, "I'm Italian. Whatsa behind me, duzza not matter."

I never forgot that scene. I should put a bumper sticker on my car: Beware, Italian driver behind wheel. :)