Carol Rock covered the story about the accident in Angeles Forest.
I rode the Grand Tour that same day... and lucky for my friend and I we survived it. We rode the same route with ambitions to complete the 400 Mile route. However, a brutal day of heat and wind cut us down to completing the low-land double route.
We rode this same stretch just hours before... in fact we finished at 10pm that night. It makes me sick to think that 3 hours after we finished, a father lost his life doing the thing he loved most. Riding his bike with his little boy.
I have been the victim of driver carelessness time and time again... I have been lucky and despite being hit 3 times I have never walked away with more than a few scrapes and some broken bike parts.
This is becoming a very large problem in Los Angeles especially. The saddest part is that in almost all the online comment and in the public often the blame is placed on the cyclist.
"They shouldn't be riding in the street..."
"Riding a bike in LA is dangerous and they should be more careful..."
It is never the fault of the driver. I am shocked that the driver is not being held on a murder charge as well... after all when you drive drunk that is your mistake, and if you kill someone... then you are a murderer. It is a simple as that, even if it was a mistake... everyone knows better.
If the driver is sober its ALWAYS THE CYCLISTS FAULT. I was hit by a car when she cut through the bike lane. She hit me and my friend in front of the police.
What Happened...???
She was told to exchange information with us and our insurances could deal with it. No citation for making a right hand turn with out a signal... oh yeah... or smashing into two cyclists. It's disgusting.
Contrary to he Bike Snob NYC, I hope the fixed gear epidemic continues its ravenous course of popularity. The more riders on the road the more the city will have to be sensitive to our rights, and our chosen method of transportation.
But for now... we are the minority and you must ride as if you have no rights on the road.
Final Note... I was involved in a hit and run a few weeks ago. Took a picture of the car, after sprinting to catch up. I later made a report to the police. They asked me two questions.
- Are you hurt?
- Is there damage to the bike?
No, and No... I was really lucky and after she hit me I managed to keep the biked safe and caught myself before falling.
The Answer: "Technically, that is not an accident and would not qualify as a hit and run... if you don' have a doctors note , or damage report to the bike we cannot help in this matter"
Really, really sad... so again... RIDE AS IF YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS
RIDE SAFE but... "RIDE LOTS" - Eddy Merckx
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