this post was submitted on 21 Sep 2026
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Fuck Cars

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24-year-old attempting to rollerblade across the entire US killed in hit-and-run (www.kctv5.com)
submitted 9 hours ago by FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world to c/fuckcars@lemmy.world
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SALINE COUNTY, Kan. (KWCH/Gray News) — A Norwegian man attempting to rollerblade across the U.S. was killed in a hit-and-run in Kansas, officials said.

The Saline County Sheriff’s Office identified the man as 24-year-old Joachim Lanham.

Lanham was documenting his rollerblading journey across the U.S. on Instagram. According to a post from his family, he was hit by an SUV on day 22 of his journey from New York to Los Angeles

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[–] Rothe@piefed.social 5 points 19 minutes ago

I don't understand why people keep trying to achieve this. We have had several similar stories of people attempting cycling across the US:

https://www.wrbl.com/news/cross-country-cyclist-killed-in-lee-county-while-riding-from-california-to-georgia/

https://eu.naplesnews.com/story/news/2025/09/15/naples-crash-leaves-bicyclist-dead-hit-and-run-driver-arrested/86163292007/

It also seems that the major cause of death for American competitive cyclesports athletes are getting killed by car while training:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/may/19/gwen-inglis-cyclist-dies-fatally-struck-colorado

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/08/sport/ethan-boyes-death-cycling/

https://www.today.com/news/magnus-white-cycling-team-killed-rcna97356

[–] altphoto@lemmy.today 2 points 36 minutes ago

God... Like the fruit dude! Like the gad damn fruit! Orange 🍊. Dolly Parton was way not orange. But just focus on the color. You can do it. I know you probably want to meet other famous people and such. But right now we would love for you to meet with the orange guy. Cmon, please!

[–] im_fine_sandy@nord.pub 51 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Fuck this sucks.

Here's an article about him skating 5,500km across Australia:

https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/joachim-lanham-norwegian-rollerblader-skates-5500km-from-sydney-to-perth-c-21657510

[–] shirro@aussie.zone 13 points 5 hours ago

I am too terrified to ride a bike 20km to the next town. I could probably do a quarter of it on paths. Perhaps a bit more bush bashing. But the highway sections seems like certain death. I envy places that are connected with paths. Huge respect for this guy.

[–] notsure@fedia.io 30 points 5 hours ago (2 children)

FUCK CARS...especially fuck that this asshole won't suffer anything worse than a slap on the wrist for KILLING someone.

[–] bampop@lemmy.world 0 points 13 minutes ago (1 children)

On the other hand, isn't an 82 year old hurtling around in 2 tons of metal with only a vague idea of what's happening outside that box... normal?

Why single out this woman, when there are millions just like her who are only different in that thus far, by sheer luck, they haven't happened to kill anyone? This one won the murder lottery, millions more bought a ticket.

[–] whatsisface@sh.itjust.works 1 points 8 minutes ago (1 children)

I'm assuming you don't drive, and hopefully you never do.

[–] bampop@lemmy.world 1 points 3 minutes ago

I think you're missing the point here. The individual is not the issue. The fact that any 82 year old is hurtling around in 2 tons of metal oblivious to the world outside is the issue (or at least part of it). Do you think this woman is some kind of exceptional case?

[–] notsure@fedia.io 28 points 5 hours ago

...i don't give a fuck if she's 82, that just means she shouldn't have been driving in the first place.

[–] UltraMagnus0001@lemmy.world 21 points 5 hours ago

Of course an suv. People and their big vehicles thinking they're untouchable and in their private house with no one looking in.

[–] turdas@suppo.fi 12 points 4 hours ago

He would probably have been safer doing this in Afghanistan.

[–] hexdream@lemmy.world 45 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

He wasn't shot, so that's a nice change. /s

[–] heartSagan5@lemmy.zip 9 points 6 hours ago

Oof, why did I laugh at this? 'Tis America, I guess?

[–] Hakuso@scribe.disroot.org 26 points 6 hours ago (4 children)

Remember, people who don't live here:

Our rails are almost all shut down, public transit is a joke in all but a few small areas, roads are dangerous to bike or walk on with many not even having a shoulder let alone a reasoable place for traffic that isn't motorized.

You slmost have to have a car here, by incredibly shitty design.

And then the cars, now...

Between the fact that nobody makes a decent car anymore, they all fall apart just about the time your lease is up so you can't even own one only sign eternal contracts for landfill bait, all of them spy on you, and have beacons that are tracked by countless parts of our surveillence capitalism infrastructure on top of sending their own reports on you to the automaker who then sells it to anyone ad everyone, insurance is insanely expensive, and now gas is nuts, as well... And if you have a diesel?

I don't own a car anymore, and am not in an area with passable public transit. I have one chance a week, insanely early in the morning, to catch a buss for an eight hour trip that would take one by car to get to a hub... Which doesn't even have decent local transit for the town, but does have a meeting of interstates so you can catch other busses to other cities. At leaast those city connections run at least once a day instead of a week.

[–] ScarlettStunningSpace@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 6 minutes ago

The sweet spot for cars is early 2000s, like 2005. Still analog enough to be cheap to repair but with relatively modern luxuries. Thankfully I got rid of the truck and got a car it just sips gas. An 8 hour road trip takes like $50 in gas even at around $4 per gallon.

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 8 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

I have one chance a week, insanely early in the morning, to catch a buss for an eight hour trip that would take one by car to get to a hub

I know what's that like. I was carless for two years in a suburb that had an express bus into the city that you could catch one of two times in the morning and one of two times home in the afternoon. If I had to work overtime I had to beg coworkers for rides.

Being near the streetcar was a big part of why I moved where I did when I had the chance, but not everyone has that privilege these days. (And lucky me, my parents have been "borrowing" my car for two years.)

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[–] Sanctus@anarchist.nexus 209 points 9 hours ago (16 children)

An 82-year-old female said she had been driving a 2013 Ford Edge SUV going west on Country Club Road. She stated that she thought she hit something, turned around to check the area, but didn’t see anything, so she continued her journey home.

For some reason its normal this lady can drive. Yep, sure thing, we'd help you open a door for worry of your frailty but you can totally chuck an 8 ton hunk of metal down the road.

[–] drmoose@lemmy.world 2 points 29 minutes ago

Getting killed by a granny that didn't even notice the fact that she killed you and drove away home all jolly is some horror movie material.

[–] Sirdubdee@piefed.social 11 points 4 hours ago

She belongs in congress.

[–] CombatWombat@feddit.online 103 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

And if you suggest we should add public transit so that 82 year olds have a reasonable option other than driving, everyone acts like you’re ableist as if people whose disabilities make driving more dangerous don’t exist at all.

[–] cloudshouter@lemmy.zip 71 points 8 hours ago

The problem with public transportation in the US is that black people will use it. That means the old white lady is going to fight paying for it and then take her own car anyway.

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 19 points 9 hours ago

You're not wrong.

[–] mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca 11 points 6 hours ago

one sad thing is that, as american vehicles go, a 2013 Edge is not very offensive. sure, it's not a Corolla, but it's not a full size

it's a CUV with inoffensive tech. not too big, not too heavy, not too blinding or distracting. not that that saved the victim..

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 66 points 9 hours ago (9 children)

Yup, and in many states it's legal for blind people to own guns.

When I hear of people like this driver, it reminds me of the quote from Coming to America: "Imagine a country so free one can throw glass in its streets." It's meant as a joke in the movie, but for me, it's actually a really great way to describe our concept of freedom.

[–] BillyClark@piefed.social 5 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

I saw a commercial where a blind veteran used those Meta spy glasses everybody hates to ask where the flag was so he could salute it.

So, "Hey Meta, where is the intruder?"

[–] Zarobi@aussie.zone 2 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

That's such a wild mental image, I could imagine it in a movie

Aim 15° right and 5° up

[–] BillyClark@piefed.social 3 points 3 hours ago

Hero name: Deadeyes

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[–] Clent@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

In America, you get at least on free kill with your vehicle. Age is rather irrelevant except she waited longer than others to claim her's.

[–] Hakuso@scribe.disroot.org 5 points 6 hours ago

You're supposed to be tested when you renew your license, but the renewal period is anywhere from four to twenty-five years, with some places even longer. If you are not renewing your license they neeed an incident to reevaluate your ability to drive.

On the one hand it's good that they have less control over locing down the ability of people to move around, especially since we have almost no rail lines, horrible public transit, and roads that are dangerous to bike or walk on.

On the other.... You have to hurt someone, or damage something, in order to be told "Okay, grandpa, time to hang up the keys."

[–] Kyrgizion@lemmy.world 18 points 9 hours ago

My own grandfather is a danger on the road. He's slowly losing his faculties, which is always tragic but doubly so because this was a deep intellectual. But trying to convince him that it's really time to stop driving has been... a challenge, shall we say. There's really only so much you can do in a legal sense.

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[–] ManosTheHandsOfFate@lemmy.world 18 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

I've been to Saline County, Kansas. That's an especially shitty place to die.

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 5 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

The only thing I like about Salina is their roller derby team.

[–] discocactus@lemmy.world 5 points 5 hours ago

Ironic.

[–] chunes@lemmy.world 12 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

Did this guy really get from NYC to Kansas in 22 days? Dude was haulin' ass. That's about 64mi/103km per day.

When I was a teenager, I once rollerbladed 25 miles in a day and my feet were very unhappy about it. The constant, violent vibrations of the asphalt make it hard not to get blisters and stuff.

[–] moldy_rice@piefed.keyboardvagabond.com 2 points 3 hours ago

I assume they have touring blades

[–] Switorik@sh.itjust.works 14 points 6 hours ago

I wouldn't walk, roller blade, or ride a two wheel vehicle of any sort on a public road here. People will hit a parked car and say it came out of no where. We'll give anyone a license and in some cases without a driving test.

[–] warm@kbin.earth 16 points 7 hours ago

Murica

[–] huppakee@lemmy.world 38 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

Guess they picked the wrong country to rollerblade in /s

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 29 points 9 hours ago

As someone who travels on two wheels in the US all the time, they kinda did.

[–] doleo@lemmy.ml 11 points 8 hours ago

Or even visit

[–] mrmisses@lemmy.world 20 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

I saw a video of a skateboarder who skates across the states the other day and all I could think is how surprised I was that he didn't get hit/killed. Though in his montage he did get clipped

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