Big oops for local cyclist

[sbhikes]

A local bicyclist was going along and some motorist did something he didn't like, so he sped up to catch up to the motorist and give him a piece of his mind. As he was riding along side the motorist and yelling at him, another car in front of them slowed to make a right turn. The cyclist ran into the rear window of that slowing motorist and ended up in the hospital.

My BF just happened to be in the hospital yesterday and saw the guy. He said his head was all encased in that netting stuff like you sometimes see on pears, all wrapped and wrapped, the inner layers visibly bloodied, and with just one eye peeking out.

Gotta watch out that you don't right-hook yourself with your own self-righteousness. :eek:

[LittleBigMan]

Dang...I suppose that could have happened to a motorist, too--not paying attention, just focused on berating another driver.

A neighbor once ran his VW bug into a parked car just a few doors down from his house. He was tuning his radio and not watching where he was going.

I once ran my bike into a parked car when I was a kid. I was staring at my front tire...then, WHAM!

Sometimes I scare myself.

[Keith99]

Clearly the car driver's fault. We have to get those slow moving vehicles off the road.

[DCCommuter]

Dang...I suppose that could have happened to a motorist, too--not paying attention, just focused on berating another driver.



We had a case here a few years back where a motorist lost control because he was sticking his hand out of the window giving another motorist the finger, and he crashed and died.

[Peterpan1]

The important question is was he wearing a helmet, or was that netting stuff what was left of it?

It's obvious, of course, but if people insist on doing stupid stuff "all the kings horse and all the kings men..."

[fordfasterr]

http://lestoil.net/bc/humpty/humpty.jpg

Ohh yeah !

[noisebeam]

I guess one lesson is if you want to best (and most safetly) confront a motorist, drive up to their window, not the passengers.
But if you choose the passenger window, stay by it. That is, wouldn't the driver the cylist was confronting also be slowing for the right tuner ahead?
Al

[Helmet Head]

Sounds like the cyclist was going straight from either the right turn only lane (or the "right turn only" informal space of a wide lane), while the motorist beside him was going straight in the adjacent through lane (or in the adjacent informal through area of the wide lane), and the motorist in front of the cyclist slowed before turning right.

Because the cyclist was clearly using inappropriate lane positioning at the time of the collision, indicating that using appropriate lane positioning was probably not an ingrained priority habit for him (since he sacrificed appropriate lane positioning in order to yell at a cager), one may surmise that a significant contributing factor to the original altercation was inappropriate lane positioning by the cyclist as well.

[sbhikes]

I think his lane positioning was about right for what he did. It's a lot easier to get up to the passenger side than the driver's side. There's a lot more room.

The netting was holding the bandages on.

[sgtsmile]

A local bicyclist was going along and some motorist did something he didn't like, so he sped up to catch up to the motorist and give him a piece of his mind. As he was riding along side the motorist and yelling at him, another car in front of them slowed to make a right turn. The cyclist ran into the rear window of that slowing motorist and ended up in the hospital.


Sounds to me like the cyclist was a moron. I am sorry he is hurt, but no more than I would be if he was a motorist who was road raging against another motorist or whoever and crashed in the process. Darwin will out.....

If you cannot control yourself, you should not be on the road, in any kind of vehicle.

[Helmet Head]

I think his lane positioning was about right for what he did.
What he did was go straight in space that others were using for going right, while others who were going straight were further left. How is that "about right"?

[chipcom]

The important question is was he wearing a helmet, or was that netting stuff what was left of it?


Yepper, that's the important question all right. Whether the guy is ok or not isn't anywhere near up at the top of my list either. I'm more worried about the damage to the car - it'd be a shame to screw up a nice paintjob. :rolleyes:

[sbhikes]

What he did was go straight in space that others were using for going right, while others who were going straight were further left. How is that "about right"?
It's about right for yelling into the passenger window and making a total ass out of yourself.

[Peterpan1]

Right you are Chip.

"Whether the guy is ok or not isn't anywhere near up at the top of my list either."

Though I just assumed if he was wearing a helmet he must be fine.

[dobber]

Because the cyclist was clearly using inappropriate lane positioning at the time of the collision, indicating that using appropriate lane positioning was probably not an ingrained priority habit for him (since he sacrificed appropriate lane positioning in order to yell at a cager), one may surmise that a significant contributing factor to the original altercation was inappropriate lane positioning by the cyclist as well.

Are you implying that there is a proper lane position for acting like a total putz? This cyclist got tagged for the same stupid reason we berate car drivers. Lack of focus on the task at hand.

[I-Like-To-Bike]

Are you implying that there is a proper lane position for acting like a total putz?
My take is that a putz can act in strange and stupid ways, including getting into a street altercation over minor issues, or by being totally anal/obsessed about "proper lane position."

[velonomad]

http://www.nonstick.com/wpics/coy2.jpg