11.30.2005 |
Pollock Country Park, Glasgow.
11.25.2005 |
Roadside 'shrines' such as this one in Clerkenwell are sadly becoming a regular feature on the streets of the UK. Quite often in inner city areas, large yellow police boards appealing for witnesses are the first indications that a tragedy has occurred. More often than not, passers by will never actually know the full story behind the boards, and the only information that might be gleaned will be from the messages attached to flowers left by the bereaved after the event.
Whilst taking this image I was approached by a young lady who knew the person that had fallen, and filled me in on the story. Visibly struck by grief, the encounter was short, yet tender.
Her friend had been riding a bicycle and was struck by a lorry making a turn into one of the roads. As we parted I began to think about the friend and also about the rather more high profile passing of George Best earlier this afternoon. In a way Best highlighted the real tragedy of the cyclist who had been taken, unknowing and unprepared for her demise, whereas it could be argued that the celebrity footballer had been given countless opportunities to avoid his fate, and had squandered them. The young lady's life is no less valid than his, yet he will be remembered by millions. I suspect I will always think of the cyclist, who I never knew, every time I pass by this junction in the future.
