Advocacy & Safety - Orlando cyclist hit twice

A pedicab driver riding home at 2:00 a.m. this morning was hit by two hit-and-run drivers. He's in critical condition. The driver that caused the accident turned himself in an hour after the crash. Here's a link. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-bk-hitandrun040108,0,5532834.story. The comments (which are typical blame-the-biker crap) include one from someone who says he knew the vitim, and said he was a pedicab driver. Video at this link http://www.wesh.com/news/15758961/detail.html?rss=orl&psp=news shows that the bike landed right in the middle of the bike lane.

Orlando is a rough city for cyclists. This is sad news.

Thanks for the post. Do the bars close at 2 a.m. in Orlando, as they do in many other cities across the U.S.? Was alcohol a factor? fatigue?

Thanks for the post. Do the bars close at 2 a.m. in Orlando, as they do in many other cities across the U.S.? Was alcohol a factor? fatigue?

In the commuting forum there is a thread on this... apparently the car driver has a prior DUI, and in this situation contacted the police some time after the collision... speculation is that the driver needed a couple of drinks to "steady himself" which were to cover the fact that he had already been drinking... apparently a common scenario in hit and run cases.

Mind you that this is speculation... NOT FACT.

this is the commuting thread... http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=403278

The penalty for DUI is much harsher than the penalty for hit & run. Therefore, the rational thing for a driver with an elevated blood alcohol level is to leave the scene. If the penalty for Hit & Run is made more severe than the penalty for DUI, Hit & Run should become less common.

The penalty for DUI is much harsher than the penalty for hit & run. Therefore, the rational thing for a driver with an elevated blood alcohol level is to leave the scene. If the penalty for Hit & Run is made more severe than the penalty for DUI, Hit & Run should become less common.

That's why they actually changed the law in Wisconsin, so now there is no incentive to leave the scene of an accident even if you are drunk.

I was in Orlando last weekend.

Everything is spaced out in massive scale... Texas sized !!!

What the hell were these people thinking?

The penalty for DUI is much harsher than the penalty for hit & run. Therefore, the rational thing for a driver with an elevated blood alcohol level is to leave the scene. If the penalty for Hit & Run is made more severe than the penalty for DUI, Hit & Run should become less common.

I didn't know this. That is pretty messed up. I'm constantly surprised at how personal accountability goes right to zero when people get in a car.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/media/photo/2008-04/37392321.jpeg

Nice mug shot, he's got an Adma Sandler kind of thing going there.

If a person "freaks out" and goes into "shock" as the result of an accident, then maybe he doesn't have what is required to drive on the roads.

If a person "freaks out" and goes into "shock" as the result of an accident, then maybe he doesn't have what is required to drive on the roads.

How should we test for this? I'm sure the majority of the population would have some kind of reaction to having been in a vehicular accident.

How should we test for this? I'm sure the majority of the population would have some kind of reaction to having been in a vehicular accident.
For most of the population, the reaction would be to stop and find out if everyone's ok. Only a very small percentage would try to save their sorry butts by running away.

For most of the population, the reaction would be to stop and find out if everyone's ok. Only a very small percentage would try to save their sorry butts by running away.

Not so small from what we read here.

For most of the population, the reaction would be to stop and find out if everyone's ok. Only a very small percentage would try to save their sorry butts by running away.

I'm not so sure about that. People try to weasel out of all sorts of things if they think they can get away with it.

There are certain areas in the US that should be bicycle Nirvana, Orlando is one of those, and it makes me sad when I hear stories like this.

Not so small from what we read here.
The numbers we read here are in what, the tens or hundreds per year? Compare that to the (hundreds?) of thousands of accidents every year where people do stop. It is so easy to become jaded when you participate in discussions that primarily focus on the negatives.

I'm not so sure about that. People try to weasel out of all sorts of things if they think they can get away with it.

It's obvious you and I have different perspectives on the ethics of others. I still assert that MOST people will stop for accidents. If you disagree, that's your choice.

It's obvious you and I have different perspectives on the ethics of others. I still assert that MOST people will stop for accidents. If you disagree, that's your choice.

In Ohio they have started calling them "Hit-Skips"; I guess "Hit and Run" was to inflamatory or something. There seems to be about one news story a week about such an accident in Columbus. I guess thinking about it, they aren't the majority of accidents by any means, but they are a healthy proportion.

They seem to happen late at night on deserted streets, which leads to my assertion: for many people if they think they can get away with it (no witnesses) they will try. Now certainly it also has something to do with the type of person who is out driving around at 2 AM on a Saturday morning, but still seems unnecessarily callous and inhumane to hit someone and leave.

How should we test for this? I'm sure the majority of the population would have some kind of reaction to having been in a vehicular accident.

You're correct that it would be hard to test for ahead of time, but this guy was just tested, and got a "FAIL". Pulling his license would be just the ticket.