Bicycle Accidents

[kkeenan 14]

In the last 2 weeks, I have lost two friends from our skydiving community in bicycle wrecks, one in Arizona and one in Florida. Both were hit from behind while riding in proper bike lanes.

I know this stuff happens, but please, be aware of these fragile humans sharing the roadway. I'm sure that everyone who rides a bicycle on the road has many close calls, and it is a matter of inches that determine the difference between a scary story and a funeral. I get a chill now every time I pass a bike on the road.

Please be careful.

Kevin K.

[shropshire 0]

:-(

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[dzdiva 7]

Before I met him, my husband was cycling and was hit by a driver. Put him in a coma for a month. Still suffers from symptoms due to major head trauma. Short term memory loss, no sense of smell and mild depression. They never found the guy who hit him.

Because of his story I've definitely become more aware of cyclists on the road.

"It's not just a daydream if you choose to make it your life..."

[Remster 30]

Thanks Kevin... And yeah, it's sometimes just a matter of inches. And then, there are the real assholes out there:

A friend of mine was hit (as in the guy threw it full force at him) by a full beer bottle some guy threw at him from a moving pick up last Saturday. Bruised his shoulder blade. But he got his license plate number. I hope he goes down for attempted manslaughter.

Remster

[JohnMitchell 16]

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A friend of mine was hit (as in the guy threw it full force at him) by a full beer bottle some guy threw at him from a moving pick up last Saturday. Bruised his shoulder blade. But he got his license plate number. I hope he goes down for attempted manslaughter.

+1 And I hope it makes national news when he goes to prison for hucking a beer bottle. I want all the jerks out there to get the message.

[kkeenan 14]

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I hope he goes down for attempted manslaughter.

Definitely. I hope they throw the book at him.

Just to illustrate that there are no shortage of dicks out there: In the accident in AZ, in which one was killed and another severely injured (tandem bike), a witness to the accident was caught by police going through the backpacks of the victims while EMTs were working to save their lives. That's certainly someone who I would like to introduce to friends at the DZ after hours.

[Remster 30]

Yeah... Saw that in the news when it happened...

Remster

[airdvr 210]

Don't recall there being so much of this type of thing.

High school friend who was a judge, earlier this year.

http://www.chagrinvalleytimes.com/NC/0/3119.html

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[shropshire 0]

Also happened to one of our U,K rowing athletes (James Cracknell) - he survived but with major head injuries.... It's stunning how he recovered and has done a lot of great charity work since.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11411630


As a motorcyclist and keen cyclist I know that some fucking car drives just don't give a shit

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[davidw 1]

Being involved in the cycling/racing community for over 20 years I can tell you that it happens way to often. Until the legal community steps in and makes an example of a few people it will continue to be a socially acceptable form of homicide.

[obelixtim 150]

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As a motorcyclist and keen cyclist I know that some fucking car drives just don't give a shitMadMadMad

Basic law of the road # 1.

Everyone is your enemy and wants to kill you.

Basic law of the road # 2.

In any incident, you are always gonna come second.

My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

[shropshire 0]

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Basic law of the road # 1.

Everyone is your enemy and wants to kill you.

When I started riding back in XXXX my instructor used to say something like that that .....

"Treat everyone like they're out to kill you.... and if they don't Bonus"

Problems is, on a 'treader' ... you often get hit from behind, so there's nowt you can do about it

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[riggerrob 643]

About three years ago, an SUV clipped the left handle-bar of my bicycle, stripping it out from underneath me.
Fortunately, neither of us was travelling very fast, since the traffic light had just turned green.
I fell on the sidewalk, leapt to my feet and started running after the SUV yelling "Idiot! Idiot! ..." After about three strides,I realized that my left leg was not functioning normally and HURT! The SUV continued to drive away until yelled out her license plate number.
When police arrived, they ticked off my reflectors, headlight and the flashing red light on the back of my helmet, and listened to my version of the story.

Emergency Medical Technicians quizzed me repeatedly about possible head injuries ... even though my helmet remained on until well after they arrived.
I could not walk - without pain - for another eight months.

A couple of months later, the constable phoned to inform me that the driver was contesting the ticket and invited me to the courthouse.

Twenty minutes before we were scheduled to appear in court, I reiterated my version of the story to the constable, who then crossed the hall to remind the "guilty bastard" ... er driver of the SUV ... that I was willing to testify against her.
The constable re-crossed the hallway to inform me that she had agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge.
I was out of the court house before the judge sat down!

In conclusion, if more cyclists were willing to appear in court, fewer "guilty bastards" ... er ... careless car drivers ... would escape the legal consequences of their incompetence.

[billvon 2,991]

A guy here recently got in front of two cyclists and slammed on his brakes to "teach them a lesson." They were both injured, one seriously. He recently got five years for assault with a deadly weapon.

[davidw 1]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/01/cyclist-sentenced.html

Fortunately in this case another cyclist filed a police report against this good doctor 30 days ahead of this despicable cowardly act that netted him 5 years in prison. The previous attempt showed a pattern of behavior.

[kkeenan 14]

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I reiterated my version of the story to the constable, who then crossed the hall to remind the "guilty bastard" ... er driver of the SUV ... that I was willing to testify against her.
The constable re-crossed the hallway to inform me that she had agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge.
I was out of the court house before the judge sat down!

In conclusion, if more cyclists were willing to appear in court, fewer "guilty bastards" ... er ... careless car drivers ... would escape the legal consequences of their incompetence.

Maybe I don't understand completely, but if you were willing to testify, why did the authorities allow the driver to plead to a lesser charge?

Glad you escaped without greater injuries.

Kevin K.

[towerrat 0]

while I agree that no one should be hurt or killed for any reason, I do have to say that bicycles should NOT be in the road. There are many,many safe places to ride that don't include the busy 45 mph+ roads that I see them on. I've watched packs of bicycles riding 15 to 20 mph down busy two lane highways blocking the road for miles. While they do technically have a right to be there, it's fucking rude and it's fucking dangerous. It's not a wonder people get pissed off. Now, all that being said of course none of that is a reason to run someone down in the road and I'm certainly not advocationg that. I do however see LOT'S of bicyclists who could be using a lot more common sense in regards to where they choose to ride.
What was the first thing your parents taught you when you got your first shiny new bicycle? Stay out of traffic.....

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

[billvon 2,991]

>I do have to say that bicycles should NOT be in the road.

Bikes belong there as much as cars do. Some roads are indeed closed to bikes just as some are to cars - but beyond that they are just people trying to get where they are going, just as drivers are.

>I've watched packs of bicycles riding 15 to 20 mph down busy two lane highways
>blocking the road for miles.

That's often necessary to bike safely on roads that have shoulders that are too narrow for cars to pass bicycles on.

There are some cops in SF that ride 100% legally, taking the lane when needed, riding two abreast when they are with in other groups etc. When they get honked at they pull the driver over and explain the laws to them. No tickets, unless the driver gets abusive, and it helps overall to educate people.

>While they do technically have a right to be there, it's fucking rude and it's fucking
>dangerous. It's not a wonder people get pissed off.

Therapy is a good option for those people. Certainly better than five years in jail.

[riggerrob 643]

Quote

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I reiterated my version of the story to the constable, who then crossed the hall to remind the "guilty bastard" ... er driver of the SUV ... that I was willing to testify against her.
The constable re-crossed the hallway to inform me that she had agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge.
I was out of the court house before the judge sat down!

In conclusion, if more cyclists were willing to appear in court, fewer "guilty bastards" ... er ... careless car drivers ... would escape the legal consequences of their incompetence.

Maybe I don't understand completely, but if you were willing to testify, why did the authorities allow the driver to plead to a lesser charge?

Glad you escaped without greater injuries.

Kevin K.

.......................................................................

It is all part of the legal game known as "plea bargaining."

If a defendant is willing to plead guilty to a lesser charge, it saves the judge the hassle of listening to long-winded, emotional testimony.
Lawyers - for the prosecution - often file two or three charges - for the same crime - in hopes that they can intimidate a defendant into pleading guilty to ONE of those charges.
If a defendant protests too loudly, the lawyer for the prosecution threatens to drag them into court again and again and again to answer to all the other charges.

In the end, plea bargaining saves the court system thousands of hour per year.

[davidw 1]

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while I agree that no one should be hurt or killed for any reason, I do have to say that bicycles should NOT be in the road. There are many,many safe places to ride that don't include the busy 45 mph+ roads that I see them on. I've watched packs of bicycles riding 15 to 20 mph down busy two lane highways blocking the road for miles. While they do technically have a right to be there, it's fucking rude and it's fucking dangerous. It's not a wonder people get pissed off. Now, all that being said of course none of that is a reason to run someone down in the road and I'm certainly not advocationg that. I do however see LOT'S of bicyclists who could be using a lot more common sense in regards to where they choose to ride.
What was the first thing your parents taught you when you got your first shiny new bicycle? Stay out of traffic.....

So it's rude to slow you down? Bicycles have a legal right to be there. The roads were not built just for you. Your attitude is "...fucking rude and it's fucking dangerous".

[skydiver30960 0]

I've always been intrigued by the sense of entitlement we get when we're in our cars. Consider one human being in a car, one on a bicycle, and one on foot. Why is it we feel that the one in the car has some degree of privilege over the other two?

Elvisio "burning fossil fuels does not equal more important" Rodriguez

[jakee 1,489]

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I do have to say that bicycles should NOT be in the road.

I do have to say you're entirely wrong.

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There are many,many safe places to ride that don't include the busy 45 mph+ roads that I see them on.

Tomorrow I'm taking my road bike out for a 72 mile ride with 5,500 feet of climbing, on hills that peak at over 20% gradient. Your suggestions on where I could fin that sort of route without being in the road would be welcome.

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What was the first thing your parents taught you when you got your first shiny new bicycle? Stay out of traffic.....

Do you still hold your mothers hand when you cross the road, or have your skills and awareness increased since you were a child to the point where you can safely do it yourself?

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[davidw 1]

Tomorrow I'm taking my road bike out for a 72 mile ride with 5,500 feet of climbing, on hills that peak at over 20% gradient. Your suggestions on where I could fin that sort of route without being in the road would be welcome.

Wouldn't you rather add some fun by dodging old ladies, children on tricycles and women pushing baby strollers as towerrat suggests?

[ryoder 1,590]

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Wouldn't you rather add some fun by dodging old ladies, children on tricycles and women pushing baby strollers as towerrat suggests?

Yeah, I'm sure they would like me doing this on the sidewalks: http://www.dim.com/~ryoder/bldr-cyn-50mph.mov
(You can hear the brakes scrubbing off speed to keep from over-running that slower car.)

That is just my mtn bike. I've gone faster on a couple of my road bikes.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[JerryBaumchen 1,362]

Hi Kevin,

Disclaimer: I am only an occasional bike rider.

Portland, OR is the bike capital of the USA. Lately, we have had a tremendous increase in cars hitting bikes ( read about one just this morning in the newspaper; the dufus hit a sitting judge [ not good ] ). A substantial number of the accidents here have been fatalities.

I really get my 'alertness' on whenever I see a bike. However, on the other side, I do see a lot of them breaking the local traffic laws. Just last month I came close to hitting one who was crossing the intersection in violation of the local traffic laws.

Bikes simply do not win when 'playing' with cars/trucks/etc.

JerryBaumchen