Advocacy & Safety - Columbia, SC bike rider gets run over then ticketed

February 22, 2007 - A Columbia bicycle rider got hit by an SUV - then he got slammed with a ticket.

Full Story via WIStv.com (http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6128719)

Discuss. I have my own theories, but someone's definitely not telling the whole story.

Those f-ing bastards.....

Unless they have witnesses, its going to be his word against the drivers... I have no idea who wins in those types of situations...

If everything goes in favor of the cyclist, then hopefully the judge would say " nobody is at fault " and drop the ticket, but since the driver ran this guy over, I would assume that his insurance would have to cover the damages ... hopefully.....

thats a fairly busy intersection, and its in a part of town where it is ILLEAGAL to ride on the sidewalks, so technically he was at fault.

Love this part


Tannie Dandridge is limping, in pain, still not sure how he ended up getting dragged up Harden Street under an SUV

And then later


"If they had asked me, I would have told them what happened."

Sounds pretty straigh forward, he was riding the sidewalk and he hit the SUV. Again, he hit the SUV.

Sorry folks, nothing to defend here.

"A Columbia police spokeswoman says an officer did speak with Dandridge before he went in for X-rays. His attorney said if the light was indeed red, anyone in the crosswalk would have the right of way, whether riding a bike or on foot."

This seems pretty clear. I know peds always have the right of way in a xwalk, wasn't sure about someone riding a bike across, but this clarifies that question.

I would be interested in the where the damage was on the SUV.

Az

"......

I would be interested in the where the damage was on the SUV.

Az


Let me take a wild guess, UNDERNEATH !!!!! ?????????? LOL

The morning of January fifth, Dandridge was riding his bicycle to work in Five Points. He says he was in the crosswalk on Slighs Avenue, when a Ford Explorer making a turn on a red light pulled out and ran over him.

He was in the crosswalk. If I understand crosswalks, they are in the street, not the sidewalk. The light was red and the Explorer was making a turn. (I'll assume a right turn) He was in the street, in the crosswalk and a driver must stop before making a right on red turn.


A Columbia police spokeswoman says an officer did speak with Dandridge before he went in for X-rays. His attorney said if the light was indeed red, anyone in the crosswalk would have the right of way, whether riding a bike or on foot.

I seems to me that the driver made the call to the police to get their story out first. I guess all you have to do is be the first to call and the Colombia police will go with your story and do no further investigation.

I seems to me that the driver made the call to the police to get their story out first. I guess all you have to do is be the first to call and the Colombia police will go with your story and do no further investigation.

Or they called the police to summon help, report an accident.


He was in the street, in the crosswalk and a driver must stop before making a right on red turn.

Was he riding the bike? If so, then he was essentially a vehicle that was now in the wrong place for someone making a legal turn.

sounds like he may have been riding against traffic on the sidewalk. a very similar thing happened to me once. the drivers don't look your way, they look at the cars coming from their left. just as I was about to cross the sidewalk, the guy pulled right up in front of me into the crosswalk. I hit him! and I got tickets!

Watch the video, it shows the ticket with a quick shot of the accident drawing. The drawing appears to indicate a motor vehicle making a right turn and the collision occurring in the crosswalk. With the drawing, the only question is, who had the red light.

A good example why cyclist should not ride on the sidewalk, especially in the wrong direction.

couldn't get the video to load. I feel sorry for the guy, that could have been me. that is the first and last time I ever rode against traffic on the sidewalk.

http://digg.com/offbeat_news/Dude_Riding_A_Bike_Gets_Hit_By_An_SUV_Then_The_Cop_Writes_Him_A_Ticket

I would just like to point out here, that you dont HAVE to be riding on the sidewalk to be in a crosswalk. Often, when people are riding in the road, they will ride to the right hand side, with the flow of traffic. That being the case, that puts those cyclists in line w/ any street crossing/ crosswalk, and also in line for right hand turning traffic, left hand turning (oncoming) traffic, and possibly right hand turning traffic coming from the cyclists right, on the opposite side of the street.

Given that, It is my view, that the MOTORISTS are the ones responsible to YEILD to those cyclists, and pedestrians crossing the street in the vicinity of the cross walk. Its the law here, period, and I dont see why it wouldnt be the law everywhere, and I dont see why that wouldnt be applied in this case.

This case, makes the police department of Columbia SC, look like a bakwards bunch of lazy jackasses, IMHO. I guess they are just too busy in the big hub that is Columbia SC, with other big city crimes, to handle this sort of investigation correctly. :rolleyes:


I can tell you that had that happend where I live, the MOTORIST would have b een the one who had gotten the ticket, and my have faced jail time for assault with a vehicle. Even when there are NO stoplights present here where I live, motorists are REQUIRED BY LAW to STOP for pedestrians in the cross walks, period, no questions.

I would just like to point out here, that you dont HAVE to be riding on the sidewalk to be in a crosswalk. Often, when people are riding in the road, they will ride to the right hand side, with the flow of traffic. That being the case, that puts those cyclists in line w/ any street crossing/ crosswalk, and also in line for right hand turning traffic, left hand turning (oncoming) traffic, and possibly right hand turning traffic coming from the cyclists right, on the opposite side of the street.

Using your scenario, he'd be even more at fault for passing on the right.

sounds like he may have been riding against traffic on the sidewalk. a very similar thing happened to me once. the drivers don't look your way, they look at the cars coming from their left. just as I was about to cross the sidewalk, the guy pulled right up in front of me into the crosswalk. I hit him! and I got tickets!

Sounds like he was riding with traffic where the blind spot is rear/right not against. I almost hit a SUV walking across a crosswalk taking a step-in... and he barely missed me when he turned. Obviously he didn't look right and we both had green light. Now I wait a second or 2 to make sure I don't get run over. Although eye witness is notoriously inaccurate in this case it should be a simple matter to figure out who had the right of way.

Peds have the right of way in crosswalks, but I have not seen any law that gives cyclists the right of way in crosswalks when we are barred from the sidewalk. The cyclist's attorney claims that the cyclist had the right of way, the cop says otherwise. We'll see who's right.

Yes, the SUV driver should have been more careful, but the cyclist should have been more careful, too. If the cyclist wanted to be on the sidewalk and in the crosswalk, he should have been walking his bike. At a minimum, the cyclist should have checked for turning traffic. [The cop said the SUV was going 15 mph, which is not exactly a blazing pace. (Edit: As the next post correctly states, this sentence is wrong. The cop said the cyclist was going 15 mph.)]

Generally, cyclists don't belong in crosswalks.

The cop said the cyclist was going 15 mph when the cyclist hit the SUV.

In most states, a driver turning right on red must yeild to everyone else.

In most states, a driver turning right on red must yeild to everyone else.

If the cyclist was riding on the sidewalk and entered the crosswalk at speed, there would be no expectation that the motorist should have yielded.

If the cyclist was riding on the sidewalk and entered the crosswalk at speed, there would be no expectation that the motorist should have yielded.

Not if it's legal to ride on the sidewalk and the driver had the red light (yield to everyone). If that was the case then the driver was facing north with red light, turning east (right turn) while the cyclist was heading west with green light (in which case he would be facing against traffic unless it was one-way street).

In any case the driver should have been fined for not yielding on red.

haha.. that'll teach him to ride a bike . . -on a SIDE WALK. :beer: :lol:

Not if it's legal to ride on the sidewalk and the driver had the red light (yield to everyone). If that was the case then the driver was facing north with red light, turning east (right turn) while the cyclist was heading west with green light (in which case he would be facing against traffic unless it was one-way street).

Wait, I'm turning right on a red and someone on a bike, riding on the sidewalk and, according to your description, was on the wrong side collides with me and I'm at fault?


I'm expecting the next thing we'll find out is it was oh-dark thirty and he was dressed in ninja black.

Wait, I'm turning right on a red and someone on a bike, riding on the sidewalk and, according to your description, was on the wrong side collides with me and I'm at fault?


I'm expecting the next thing we'll find out is it was oh-dark thirty and he was dressed in ninja black.If the cyclist is in the crosswalk, and you hit him, you're at fault. The only exception would be if you were turning before he entered the crosswalk.

If the cyclist is in the crosswalk, and you hit him, you're at fault. The only exception would be if you were turning before he entered the crosswalk.

So if I stop at a light, check the crosswalk, begin my turn and somebody leaps out in front of me, I'm a fault?

Wait, I'm turning right on a red and someone on a bike, riding on the sidewalk and, according to your description, was on the wrong side collides with me and I'm at fault?


I'm expecting the next thing we'll find out is it was oh-dark thirty and he was dressed in ninja black.

Yeah you are supposed to yield when turning right on a red light. The driver obviously didn't check both ways (check the right side) which is a common practice when making a right turn on red. It doesn't matter if it's illegal to cycle on the sidewalk or the rider was wearing all black in the dark, the driver is supposed to look both ways and yield on red.

So if I stop at a light, check the crosswalk, begin my turn and somebody leaps out in front of me, I'm a fault?Read what I said. It answers your question.

So if I stop at a light, check the crosswalk, begin my turn and somebody leaps out in front of me, I'm a fault?

Yep, you are supposed to look and if you had looked then you would know someone could leap out in front of you since they had the right of way.

Yep, you are supposed to look and if you had looked then you would know someone could leap out in front of you since they had the right of way.

What if they make a feint, but don't actually jump out in front of me and then somebody pushes them?

While 15 mph is not fast for a car, it's a fast clip for a pedestrian, which is what drivers are supposed to look for before turning. If you are going to ride on a sidewalk, you need to act like a pedestrian, especially at intersections.

Regardless of whether the cyclist is legally at fault (and I suspect he is), if the cop was correct about the cyclist's speed, the cyclist was being reckless. And the cyclist could have prevented the accident.

minor edit made.

And the cyclist could have prevented the accident.

Personal responsibility ? Heaven forbid !

Has anyone heard the results of his court date?

I'll let the court decide who's legally at fault here and to what degree. But one flaw, in my opinion, of the right turn on red rule is that many drivers are in the habit of doing a quick tap on the brakes and going or simply rolling through on red. They seldom look or, heavens forbid, yield to anyone in either the crosswalk or even cyclists who might have the right of way in the right hand lane of the road they have just intersected.

I'll let the court decide who's legally at fault here and to what degree. But one flaw, in my opinion, of the right turn on red rule is that many drivers are in the habit of doing a quick tap on the brakes and going or simply rolling through on red. They seldom look or, heavens forbid, yield to anyone in either the crosswalk or even cyclists who might have the right of way in the right hand lane of the road they have just intersected.They also commonly make the mistake of checking oncoming traffic, but not checking for pedestrians walking against traffic.

That's how it works in Brownwood, Tx!

i think it sounds, from the way i hear it that sc needs some education on bicycle/car people interaction laws. even the upholders!
good luck in court!!

were you "vehicularly bicycling" (riding with traffic, bright clothing, etc)?

While 15 mph is not fast for a car, it's a fast clip for a pedestrian, which is what drivers are supposed to look for before turning. If you are going to ride on a sidewalk, you need to act like a pedestrian, especially at intersections.

Regardless of whether the cyclist is legally at fault (and I suspect he is), if the cop was correct about the cyclist's speed, the cyclist was being reckless. And the cyclist could have prevented the accident.

minor edit made.
Any guess on how the police came up with that speed of 15 mph? Doubt they had a speed gun on the cyclist. Doubt they measured skid marks. So how did they do it? Maybe the SUV driver made the claim and the cops just accepted it.

I know one thing, if I broadsided an SUV cycling at 15 mph, there would be much more damage than $50 to the SUV.

So things just do not add up with the ticket.


What if I were running (jogging) at 12 mph and the SUV hit me, would the driver be off the hook because the driver (according to your implication) only has to look for slow moving pedestrians?

I did qualify my statement with, "if the cop was correct about the cyclist's speed." Drivers of cars should be expected to look for people who belong in crosswalks. Generally, 15 mph cyclists do not belong in crosswalks.

Even if you have the legal right of way, if you are riding down sidewalks and across crosswalks, you have to be extra vigilent about turning traffic at crosswalks. One of the worst things to have is a valid personal injury claim.

So things just do not add up with the ticket.

All that from a simple news article, damn, can you help us with Anna Nicole?


Why is it so hard to accept the possibility that the bike rider was wrong, guilty, pwned?

If it was another car driving on the sidewalk and then got hit by the SUV, would there by any question as to fault? Either a bike is a vehicle or it isn't. You can't have it both ways.

thats a fairly busy intersection, and its in a part of town where it is ILLEAGAL to ride on the sidewalks, so technically he was at fault.

He was NOT riding on the sidewalks. He was in the crosswalk.

All charges were dropped

Love this part



And then later



Sounds pretty straigh forward, he was riding the sidewalk and he hit the SUV. Again, he hit the SUV.

Sorry folks, nothing to defend here.

He was NOT on the sidewalk!! Where do people keep getting that from!?

Holy necroposting batman!! ;)
But.... how did he get into the crosswalk if he wasn't on the sidewalk in the first place?

Wait, I'm turning right on a red and someone on a bike, riding on the sidewalk and, according to your description, was on the wrong side collides with me and I'm at fault?


I'm expecting the next thing we'll find out is it was oh-dark thirty and he was dressed in ninja black.

Does anyone want to really know what happened? You've all got it wrong. Well, some of you have it kind of right. There was no side-walk riding going on, he yielded, then walked his bike into the crosswalk. It was not dark outside, nor was he dressed in ninja black. It was 7:30 am as a matter of fact, and he was dressed for work, as that's where he was headed. That morning my husband was almost taken from our three daughters, and me. You're here developing theories when you're trying to piece things together from one news article. Here's something for you. THE CHARGES AGAINST HIM WERE DROPPED, meaning he was not at fault. That debate can now end. He proved that he was where he was supposed to be. If you have any more questions on this case, I'd be more than happy to answer what I can, so you'll have real facts.

Just an aside, the police also charged him with not carrying a valid Drivers License, insurance, & registation when we don't even own a car, and last I checked, you don't need those things to ride a bike. The whole case was flubbed hugely!

Holy necroposting batman!! ;)
But.... how did he get into the crosswalk if he wasn't on the sidewalk in the first place?


He was riding on the road, and came to the crosswalk. How hard is that to get???

He was riding on the road, and came to the crosswalk. How hard is that to get???
There was nothing for me to get. I asked a question, and you answered it... thanks. Up until now I had never posted in this thread... I tend to shy away from the "blame the cyclist" threads (except for the Critical Mass ones).
There was also no information letting me know where he was prior to being in the crosswalk that I saw. It was obvious that you had more information on this since you are new here and this is where you decided to start posted. I kind of figured that you had intiment knowledge of this situation.
I understand that you are defensive about this situation as well but there is no need to climb up my backside, I only asked a question for clarification. If I came off as sarcastic... well, that's becasue I am. I'm old and grumpy and tired and sore and am never overly polite, just blunt and to the point.

Does anyone want to really know what happened?
I am out on a limb here, but I am assuming you are Mrs. Dandridge?
Hopefully you all are doing well now both physically and financially. I reaad the news article and it stated you might be having some financial difficulties due to this. I'm a husband and a father too and I know that if I were to get hurt it'd put a strain on us if I never had insurence to cover loss of wages and medical expenses.
Can I ask what brought you to this forum?

Does anyone want to really know what happened? You've all got it wrong. Well, some of you have it kind of right. There was no side-walk riding going on, he yielded, then walked his bike into the crosswalk. It was not dark outside, nor was he dressed in ninja black. It was 7:30 am as a matter of fact, and he was dressed for work, as that's where he was headed. That morning my husband was almost taken from our three daughters, and me. You're here developing theories when you're trying to piece things together from one news article. Here's something for you. THE CHARGES AGAINST HIM WERE DROPPED, meaning he was not at fault. That debate can now end. He proved that he was where he was supposed to be. If you have any more questions on this case, I'd be more than happy to answer what I can, so you'll have real facts.

Just an aside, the police also charged him with not carrying a valid Drivers License, insurance, & registation when we don't even own a car, and last I checked, you don't need those things to ride a bike. The whole case was flubbed hugely!

The reason so many assumed that he was riding on the sidewalk was because that's what we see happen 99.99% of the time when a cyclist is "riding" in a crosswalk. Obviously the news article can't figure out that someone walking their bike is a pedestrian.
I hope your husband and everything else is getting better.

I found this page online: http://injustice-4-all.bravehost.com/index.html
It is the cyclists account of what happened here and is very interesting.



On January 5, 2007 at around 7:30 am, I was riding my bicycle to work in the light drizzling rain that had just begun. As I came to a large intersection about a half mile from my house, I witnessed a minor fender-bender. A small SUV had slid into the rear of a larger truck at the stop light. No one had been injured, as it had happened at such a low speed, so I took note of the conditions, making it a point to be extra careful, and continued on my way.

I made it a point to be aware of the traffic lights and cars around me. I turned the corner toward the next intersection, and saw that the crosswalk light was green, so I proceeded with caution. There was a large SUV sitting at a red light in the left turn lane, so I started into the crosswalk. As I passed in front of the SUV, it suddenly pulled out and turned right. Unfortunately, I went with it.

I was struck slightly left of center by the SUV's bumper, pulled underneath it, and dragged for about 30 feet. I lost track of my bike at that point, and the world turned red and black. I had the sensation of rolling over - moving in ways my body wasn't designed to - and then pain.

I remember thinking "I'm dead", but I somehow managed to stay centered under the vehicle, so the tires missed me. It seemed like an eternity from the time I entered the crosswalk to where I ended up - bleeding and broken in the middle of the road - but I guess the whole thing happened within about 25 seconds. I knew I was badly injured. My head was ringing, neither of my arms seemed to be working, I couldn't see out of my left eye, and my legs felt like they were on fire. I knew I needed to get to the hospital quickly.

The driver of the SUV, finally realizing that something very bad had just happened, pulled into the far lane and stopped. Somehow I was able to stand up, and limp to his passenger side door. I looked in at him through the closed window and said, "You just f***ing ran me over! Take me to the hospital!" He didn't move a muscle as he looked back at me. I tried again, "Please open the door! You hit me, and I need to go to the hospital!" He still didn't move. Maybe he was in shock, too.

When he finally, reluctantly opened the door, I feel into the passenger seat. He immediately started berating me for "jumping out in front of him". He said, "Why did you do that? What were you doing there?" He was trying to convince us both that the accident had been my fault, but I knew better, and I think deep down he did, too. I just kept telling him to get me to the hospital, which fortunately was close.

After a few wrong turns, and his continual ranting about it being my fault, we arrived in front of the E.R. By now I just wanted to get inside as quickly as possible to get help, and I also wanted to get the hell away from this man who was near yelling at me for running me over. I stepped out of the SUV, and collapsed on the ground. Orderlies rushed out with a wheel chair and pick me up. More pain. They wheeled me into the trauma room as the pain continued to intensify. Once they'd cut my clothing off of me, strapped me down, and immobilized my neck, I finally got something for the pain - morphine. After that everything began to get blurry. The pain was still there, and I couldn't move, but the morphine made it matter a little less.

Next, I was x-rayed, given a CAT scan, and more medication. I think I may have even dozed off. Then the police showed up. They had already spoken to the man who ran me over, and I was very drugged when they came in. There was also a plastic surgeon stitching my left ear back on at the time, which had been dangling from the side of my head. The only thing I really remember from their visit is that they wanted me to sign something. I couldn't because I'm left-handed and my left forearm was severely broken, so they went on to tell me that I was being charged with the responsibility of the accident - "failure/right away" (as it was written on the ticket) - I think they meant "right of way". I couldn't help but laugh at them. They had to be kidding, right? Then I saw their faces. They were serious. Apparently "Mr. Almost Hit & Run" (I can't give a name yet due to my lawsuit) had told them his side of the story, and instead of getting my side, they descided to just go with it. No one ever asked me what happened.

At this point, I was still alone in the hospital getting ready to undergo about $30,000 worth of surgery and treatments in a 12 hour period, my bicycle was now mysteriously missing, and these cops were looking at me like I was a criminal. It was ludicrous. I've never felt so violated and misused in my life. The rest of my 12 hour stay at the hospital were spent in surgery and recovery. At about 7:30 pm I was discharged, and my wife, our 3 daughters, and my brother took me home.

Incidentally, here is a list of all of my injuries: my left ear had been nearly torn off, I had a large, deep laceration running down my face near the outer corner of my left eye, my left forearm was so severely broken it required (surgery) a metal plate & pins, the ACL joint in my right shoulder was dislocated & the cartilage was ripped, various bone chips throughout my body, torn tendons & ligaments, wide-spread lacerations, contusions, and serious raod rash. This; however, is not the the end of my story. This is solely an account of the events that took place on 1/5/07. Due to this, I've been out of work for over a month, and I was my family's sole source of income. Needless to say, we are currently in sever financial trouble with no income coming in.

For crosswalks, a possibility would be that the cyclist was going straight down the road, and veered slightly right into the parallel crosswalk to let the cars behind him pass more easily. At least that is something I sometimes do when riding in heavy traffic when I have the green.