Advocacy & Safety - World's stupidest hit and run

I took advantage of a beautiful, sunny and relatively balmy [-1C] morning to go for a 75 km ride today. On my way back along Lakeshore road, just past Pointe Claire village, I saw a guy standing dazed on the North side of the road [the other side] with his bike on the ground. He had been hit by a car -- a very large black SUV that had passed me [going in the other direction] moments earlier.

I stopped to help the cyclist. He was uninjured except for a tear in his heaviweight jersey and a scrape on his elbow. His bike -- a recent model Stumpjumper -- seemed to be okay, but the front wheel seemed slightly taco'ed. I didn't have my cell phone on me, so after checking that he was okay, I turned around and sped off to the village to call 911 from a phone booth. I then returned and stayed with Alain until I saw the cops coming.

Now, this is the stupid part: The SUV that hit Alain had backed out of a riveway perpendicular to the road ["it jumped" was how he described it]. After hitting him, the driver swerved the SUV's rear to avoid hitting Alain as he lay on the ground, executed a two-point into Lakeshore road and drove off. In that time Alain was able to get the make and license number of the SUV. What makes this particularly stupid is that he also knows where, in all probability, the driver lives.

How stupid can this driver be?

I seriously think a lot of drivers out there don't actually realise that assaulting a cyclist is actually illegal. There was an assault here on the Gold Coast earlier this year when a car load of thugs decided to bash a cyclist, then went surfing at a beach about 400 metres away. Of course, the cops just waited at their car for the thugs to come back and made the arrest.

Yeah, they were pretty stupid, too, but it continues to amaze me how many people believe that bikes shouldn't be on roads, and as a consequence that cyclists are "fair game". Of course, the ridiculously lenient penalties continually handed out to drivers in these situations does nothing to dispel this belief.

:mad:

Originally posted by velocipedio
How stupid can this driver be?
Very glad Alain's ok.

Please give any updates on the situation, if you are informed of them.

Originally posted by Chris L
I seriously think a lot of drivers out there don't actually realise that assaulting a cyclist is actually [b]illegal[/b

I think it is more than bikes we are having a rash of hit runs against pedestrians here (as well as bikes) one woman tried to say she hadn't realized she had hit (and killed) a 14 year old girl even though the way they tracked her down was that she had to replace her wind shield due to the damage the girl caused when she bounced off of it :confused:

Glad Alain is ok.

Hope the guy in the SUV gets crucified!! :mad:

earlier this year I was crossing the street to go home, and just as I stepped into the cross walk a white sedan driven by a lady yelling at her husband slowley drove right into me. I was pushed out of the way with her right front fender and nearly had my foot run over. The last thing she made contact with was the key to my front door which I held in my right hand, she actually drove into my key. As she continued i did not feel the need to surrender any more ground as I was already feeling bad about giving up so much, so the key stayed and she scraped the length of her little white car along its pointy tip. It took me a second to realize what had happened; my key had been cared. Thankfully the key sustained no damage other than a few flecks of paint so I did not take down here plate # or call the police

Originally posted by RonH
Glad Alain is ok.

Hope the guy in the SUV gets crucified!! :mad: YES>YES

Glad Alain is ok, too. It's holiday season, so I guess we ought to expect a rash of dangerously rude people everywhere.

Originally posted by ngateguy
I think it is more than bikes we are having a rash of hit runs against pedestrians here (as well as bikes) one woman tried to say she hadn't realized she had hit (and killed) a 14 year old girl even though the way they tracked her down was that she had to replace her wind shield due to the damage the girl caused when she bounced off of it :confused:

The point I'm making is that at least they usually try to avoid running over pedestrains (usually). You won't believe how many drivers honk at a cyclist a split-second before charging past, leaving no room at all and showing a total and complete lack of regard for the welfare of the cyclist. It's an increasingly common situation and one which law-enforcement desperately needs to put a stop to.

Originally posted by Prosody
Glad Alain is ok, too. It's holiday season, so I guess we ought to expect a rash of dangerously rude people everywhere.

What's with that anyway? I thought holidays were a time to reduce stress, or does that only apply to my holidays?

:confused:


So much for the "christmas spirit".

Originally posted by temp1
It took me a second to realize what had happened; my key had been cared. Thankfully the key sustained no damage other than a few flecks of paint so I did not take down here plate # or call the police

:D :D :D

Originally posted by temp1
... It took me a second to realize what had happened; my key had been cared. ...

Well done!

Did you wind up calling the police. YOU called 911 so I assume that the police came and you gave a state-ment. Will the driver be prosecuted. (Its a large crime to hit and run anybody, pedestiran or motorist, I think it calls for jail time.) Just out of curiosity, what did the driver look like, male/female? big small? Keep us updated!