Northeast - Seeking Information on a Washington DC Cyclist Hit and Run

Dear Members,

I am seeking information for my brother, an avid cyclist.
My brother was run over by a car in a designated bike lane while commuting home to
his wife and three year old son Wednesday evening. The driver of the vehicle ran
and left my brother in the middle of the road. Thankfully a bike messenger and some
locals pulled him from the road and called an ambulance. Remarkably after smashing
into the car at 15-20 mph, without warning (he said he never even touched the brakes)
his steel Mercier shattered but, he will be OK. Torn Ligaments and a Hamstring,
chipped and bruised but, alive. For a life long cyclist in his late 40's who commutes 4
thousand miles a year, he is talking about throwing in the towel. I will list the specifics
but I am asking for anyone in the Washington DC area who saw the accident or knows
anything about the deliver to contact me. For any information leading to the arrest
of the driver I will offer an cash reward. Thank you.


Time: 6:45 - 7:00 p.m Wednesday July 11th.
Location: East corner of 14th Street and Taylor Street, Washington, DC, NW.
Automobile: Green, blue/ green or blue sedan, probably a Honda Accord,
with Maryland Chesapeake Bay Decorative license plates, number 86570.
Witnesses did not identify the two small letters stacked on top of each other
on the plate. DC police say they cannot find driver without knowing what were
these letters.
Driver: African American. Appeared to be in 20s to 40s.
Incident: Bicyclist was traveling north approximately 15 to 20 mph on
14th Street in bicycle lane with right of way. Car moved into bicycle
lane just a few feet in front of bicyclist, who was not able to break or
swerve to avoid. Bicyclist smashed into and dented car on at front of front,
left quarter panel and flipped over handle bars and part of car hood into
traffic lane of 14th street. Driver immediately left scene of accident.

hi

sorry your brother got nailed. glad he is ok. forget about depending on dc cops to help you. get on the horn with md mva to figure out the possible letter combinations and then cross reference to color and make. its kind of a no brainer. here's a place to start:

http://www.marylandmva.com/Resources/DARS_Tag_Scheme.pdf

later
dave in dc

PS you could also try going to that area around the same time and look for the car.


Dear Members,

I am seeking information for my brother, an avid cyclist.

T
Automobile: Green, blue/ green or blue sedan, probably a Honda Accord,
with Maryland Chesapeake Bay Decorative license plates, number 86570.
Witnesses did not identify the two small letters stacked on top of each other
on the plate. DC police say they cannot find driver without knowing what were
these letters.

I got this responce on another list:

My experience with Montgomery County police after a very serious hit
and run was that they would not initially put adequate resources on
the case. Initially they assigned a lower ranking officer from the
local station to look into it, and he didn't even call the witness.
Only when I called the police chief's office to marvel at the lack of
effort given the victim's state (in a coma) did they assign a more
experienced detective. He did a lot of legwork, but said he couldn't
do searches based on vehicle make, model and color (no one saw the
license plate). About a month later the victim died, which elevated
the case, so a specialist officer from the collision reconstruction
unit took over. He used the state database to do the very searches
the other officer said couldn't be done - amazing. So the technology
is out there if not the motivation. To get results, first complain
to police HQ, then get politicians involved, then even contact a
reporter or two. You might also have an organization like WABA do it
for extra clout. Unfortunately in the Montgomery case the perpetrator
was never found. But with a tag number it should be easier to get
justice.

I was in the area around this time, probably riding just a bit ahead of your brother. I am not certain, but I think this was the day I was almost hit as well when I was on Arkansas Ave NW (heading towards Georgia Ave NW). It was a dark colored car with chesapeake plates driven by a black male. This guy swerved to get around a car, almost hitting me, and then he ran a red light at Arkansas and 13th. The only thing is that I thought it was earlier than the time you noted on your email (closer to 6:30), but I could be wrong. Either way, please contact me at arcurlyq@yahoo.com. I have corresponded with Chief Lanier regarding this issue. I have been hit several times (thankfully none of them serious incidents) but was extremely frustrated by the total lack of assistance provided by the MPD. They can locate this driver using the license plate numbers you have and the car model; I think all chesapeake bay plates have "CA" as the two small stacked letters. They can also run a wild card search. Email me and I can give you more information about Chief Lanier's response and what you can do to get some justice.

MODERATOR: I suggest moving this to Advocacy and Safety, where it will reach a broader audience. Also maybe cross-post in Commuting.

This is nuts. ANOTHER hit and run? This is a symptom of the breakdown of society. I'm not being hyperbolic. It's one thing for a driver to dent another car in the parking lot and not leave a note (which is distressingly common). But to hit another person — and watch the guy flip over the hood!? And then leave? Nail this guy, please. And definitely contact the metro desk at the Washington Post:
General numbers: 202.334.6000; 800.627.1150.
Metro desk direct line: 202-334-7300.
Not sure who the transportation beat reporter is. Whoever answers the phone will know.
And pitch the story this way: Cyclists online are pissed off and helping one another find the hit-and-run driver. Otherwise, it'll never get reported.
Good luck.

FWIW I’ve PM the op and have not gotten a response back, to get results we need the cyclists or someone close to the cyclist to start the ball rolling and be in contact with the local bike advocates (WABA.) Moving the thread will not help if the op is not participating.

Is there a question about whether the report is legit?

Who's the mod in here? This needs to be in A&S, I believe.

Is there a question about whether the report is legit?
It’s more I suspect he forgot where he posted this or he is checking his email very infrequently.

I will make a copy of this for the Advocacy & Safety forum, as well as Commuting. There's no problem with cross-posting in a situation like this one. To the OP: You will want to check all 3 threads, as they will diverge once I make the copies. I wish you well in your information search.

Wow - I hope he makes a speedy and full recovery :(

I second embarrassing the local police until they do something, whether by going up the chain of command or news outlets. Regardless - it's a serious crime committed and for them to not pursue is criminal.

Is there a question about whether the report is legit?

You can contact me directly at westown@earthlink.net if you want the police report on my brother or I can send you contact info of the peole who dragged him off the road. We have been busy using all the awesome advice posted by this great group of cyclists and mounting our campaign. Calling the mayor, Chief of police and every group and agency we can. We have heard from 100 enraged cyclists and friends and plan to take it to the media as suggested if we don't get at least one cop on his case to look into the information. I will keep you updated and sorry for the delay. And, I say we all elect the HUMAN CAR president, he has been a huge help. Christoph1

Thanks for the update!

You can contact me directly at westown@earthlink.net if you want the police report on my brother or I can send you contact info of the peole who dragged him off the road. Christoph1

Here is the information and police report number. This went off to the MPD in DC
today from the injured party. my brother Travis.

Chris
__________________________________
Commander Hilton Burton
Metropolitan Police Department, 4th District
6001 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20011
Dear Cmdr. Burton,

I write to ask the MPD to vigorously investigate a hit and run incident that occurred a week ago, while I was commuting home from work on my bicycle. Despite the fact that three witnesses identified most of the license plate number and the make and model of the car, the driver has not been found, I am concerned that a very dangerous driver who could cause serious damage to others will not be brought to justice.

On Wednesday, July 11, between 6:45 and 7:00 p.m., I was traveling north on 14th Street in the bicycle lane with right of way. As I approached the intersection of 14th and Taylor Streets, NW, a car pulled into the bicycle lane just a few feet in front of me. I was unable to break or swerve and collided with the front left side of the car, flipping over the handle bars and hood of the car into the traffic lane on 14th Street. The driver immediately left the scene of the accident. I was able to identify all of the numbers on his Maryland Chesapeake Bay license plate as 85670 (two other witnesses reported it as 86570), but was unable to identify the two letters stacked on top of each other on the right hand side. Witnesses also confirmed that the car was a Honda Accord, dark green or blue. The driver was African American who appeared to be in his 20s, 30s, or 40s.

Police report #093729 was taken by Officer E. Green (badge number 4213), who was very concerned. However, he told me that without knowing what are the two stacked letters the license would be difficult to trace. I’ve since checked with the Maryland MVA and there are only three possible letter combinations for Chesapeake Bay license plates: CB, BY and CA. When I followed up with Officer Green this Tuesday, July 17, he told me that he had checked plates with CB and BY and that they had not panned out. He also told me that the case has been forwarded to the “Hit and Run” unit in MPD headquarters.

Given what was reported about the vehicle and license plate number (three, at most six, possible combinations), the driver should not be that difficult to find. The car would also have a dent in the front left side.

The incident was very frightening, but I survived it with some torn tendons and muscles in my leg. I am very concerned, however, that someone who is a danger to cyclists and pedestrians has not been apprehended. After posting the incident on several bicycle listservs, I have received a strong message of concern from the bicycle community. If DC is to encourage bicycle and pedestrian traffic, vehicle drivers must know that traffic and safety laws will be rigorously enforced. I urge you to pursue and resolve this case. In particular, I would urge the MPD to be in touch immediately with Maryland police authorities, who would have a common interest in finding this driver. I would also appreciate knowing who will be the lead officer in the hit and run unit in charge of this investigation.

Sincerely,