Great Lakes - Initiation into the battered cyclist's club...

Sorry i have to vent somewhere. I had an accident on algonquin rd. during my commute by a driver that was trying to "teach me a lesson". He first pulled along side me yelling all kinds of obscenities then floored it to get in front of me so he could jam on the brakes. I was doing a good 22 mph at the time, needless to say i ended up on his trunk at which point he floored it again so i would eat the pavement. Now my left hip is the size of a grapefruit, so is my left elbow and wrist. luckily a witness chased after him and got his plates. So he will be arrested and charged. What could have possibly been going on in his head to try and kill or seriously injure me, i WILL go to court against this guy though. To not only purposely hurt someone but to then take off, i could never understand that mentality. According to the cop this is not, by far, the first time he's been arrested.

Duuude. Yeah, take it to court. Wow!

JC, please let me know if there is anything I can do to help. PLEASE NAIL THIS SOB! That is attempted homicide in my opinion. Get all over the police and DA and push to have this ******* nailed!

Give the witness a big pat on the back. I would certainly like to shake his hand. Too many losers in this world don't stand up against evil and he did.

Some folks need killing.

Cast, are you actually quoting someone else's quote complaining about signature quotes ... LOL!

Holy crap. That's absurd.

This SOB needs to get taken off the road. Hard.

Keep repeating in every sentence when talking to the authorities ... "when he tried to KILL me " ... (include the emphasis please)

MJH ... we need you

Wow... I'm sorry what happened to you. I hope this guy is going to be locked away for a long time and bubba can tear him a couple of new a-holes.
Also, make sure his insurance (if he has insurance) is going to get milked so you can buy yourself a nice condo down the road.

Or go the southside Chicago and find a problem solver for hire. :innocent:
It definitely would be better for society with this guy off the streets for good if you know what I'm saying.

Bummer about your injuries, but smoke the scum. Pin his ass to the wall.

At the very least I think we have reckless driving, assault & battery with a deadly weapon (car) and leaving the scene of an accident.

Nail that sucker. Please keep us posted on the details as this develops. I'm sure we'd all love to hear the results of this, and I'm sure we can all learn a lot from your experience. Glad you're reasonably OK, could have been much worse. Do you know exactly what he will be charged with yet?

So sorry to hear that you have to go through all this, but very glad that someone got his I.D.

Document your injuries, then heal well.

as far as i know the police said he'd at least be charged with reckless driving. I went over exactly what happened with the officer and he said they are gonna examine the car for any dents or marks i may have left. i am being advised to go to the hospitals in case i want to sue later but i know i am just bruised up. I am a naprapathic physician and know that i am not seriously injured enough to require hospital care. i will keep it updated here. as a sidenote my crappy xero wheels actually didnt crack. my helmet is destroyed though so i must have hit my head at some point.

Even though you are a naprapathic physician, at least have a colleague check you out and write a report about your condition. It will be one more piece of objective evidence against the driver you can admit in court. The more evidence to prove your case the better. This driver needs to be off the road.

as far as i know the police said he'd at least be charged with reckless driving. I went over exactly what happened with the officer and he said they are gonna examine the car for any dents or marks i may have left. i am being advised to go to the hospitals in case i want to sue later but i know i am just bruised up. I am a naprapathic physician and know that i am not seriously injured enough to require hospital care. i will keep it updated here. as a sidenote my crappy xero wheels actually didnt crack. my helmet is destroyed though so i must have hit my head at some point.

Wha? Dude, i'd go see a doctor and document all the injuries just so I can sue his pants off later on.

Jc33-

Got your pm but it won't let me respond. Call me cell, 630-864-7830

I'd see a doctor and get something in writing. I was hit by a car in January, and though I was ok, but my finger was broken, which I discovered later.

Mjh is the south side problem solver. Werd

This is horrible. We're heading that way tonight. Where at on Algonquin?

You the man MJH2 ... thanks for stepping up. I'm buying for you tonight if you're there.

Mjh is the south side problem solver. Werd

This is horrible. We're heading that way tonight. Where at on Algonquin?

It happened at algonquin and tollview rd which is on the south side of algonquin headed east. mjh2 i'll give you a call thanks

Dang Dude! Hope you're all right!

Keep us updated!

How bad is your bike? Did you take pics? Have you contacted and Atty?

You the man MJH2 ... thanks for stepping up. I'm buying for you tonight if you're there.

he's a no go for tonight. He has to 'work'. I'll drink his though.

Sorry man! Be sure to go to the hospital!!! It needs to be documented.

Got to get that guy off the road and into road rage deprogramming! :eek: Hope you heal up soon.

I don't know how you guys do it up there in the nw subs.

My MIL lives on Lake-Cook across from Deer Park, SIL in Lake Barrington Shores, and BIL on Indian Trail Rd. Every time we come up for a visit I am amazed at the road and traffic conditions.

I have enough problems with the occasional a**h**** here in the corn fields and black top roads downstate. I'm afraid if I lived up in there I'd just hang up the bike!

LOL Psi ... only if MJH2 bequeaths his share to you :)

When you get examined by your physician, take your helmet.

This is terrible but unfortunately not the first time this has happened.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=455272&highlight=%2Bphysician

You and your lawyer may want to contact the victims or their attorneys.

Get a medical exam. You need to document everything you can (medical report, pictures of injuries, witness statements, police report, damage report on bike, save your helmet) because you are gathering evidence for a matter that will go to court. Best of luck on your recovery.

Even if you recover fully from what you believe is minor bruising, police, state's attorneys, and judges may consciously or subconsciously discount the seriousness of an attack when a victim does not seek medical attention, which may mean that no charges are initially placed or that it results in a small fine or suspended sentence.

helmet pics

thats awful, thankfully someone went after him and he was easily caught. I'd definitely go see a doctor, if only to get a document of your condition.

JC, I sure am glad you appear to be OK but please crucify this SOB to protect the rest of us. I too recommend getting checked out completely. You won't be paying ...

That is so wrong. As others have said: see a doc, heal up, and get that driver off the road!

edit - your helmet looks like it got smacked in 3 places.

BTW, did you see this crazy story (http://bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s1-3-583-19000-1-P,00.html) about a cyclist suing over a driver rage incident ... and the driver was a deputy sheriff!

the guy was arrested last night and corroborated my story except that he states he didnt have the intent to injure me and he got scared when he saw me bouncing off the concrete, which is why he floored it and took off. Yeah...right. No way in hell he would do what he did and NOT be trying to hurt me. He's charged with two counts failure to yield and 1 count leaving the scene of an accident. hopefully his license will be revoked. IMO he was trying to kill me.

the guy was arrested last night and corroborated my story except that he states he didnt have the intent to injure me and he got scared when he saw me bouncing off the concrete, which is why he floored it and took off. Yeah...right. No way in hell he would do what he did and NOT be trying to hurt me. He's charged with two counts failure to yield and 1 count leaving the scene of an accident. hopefully his license will be revoked. IMO he was trying to kill me.

He'll pay a fine ($250-500 or so) and more than likely keep his license (depending on his drivers abstract/history). Just the way the system works or better yet, doesnt work. Best bet is civi litigation, but even there you're not looking at pocketing too much.

the guy was arrested last night and corroborated my story except that he states he didnt have the intent to injure me and he got scared when he saw me bouncing off the concrete, which is why he floored it and took off. Yeah...right. No way in hell he would do what he did and NOT be trying to hurt me. He's charged with two counts failure to yield and 1 count leaving the scene of an accident. hopefully his license will be revoked. IMO he was trying to kill me.

Details....the guy's name and address. It should be on the police report. It will be interesting to see who this MF is. Also..what type of car?

Details....the guy's name and address. It should be on the police report. It will be interesting to see who this MF is. Also..what type of car?

I agree. The charge against the driver is public record. Considering his act, no "courtesy" of privacy should be given to him.

Kimber and MJH2 ... is there nothing else we can do to FORCE the official to properly nail the SOB?

Please let us know what we can do! (I'm also interested in his address ...PM me):notamused:

Please DON'T post this idiot's info..... I would hate to see someone take matters into their own hands....

I second the option of a civil suit. I had to sue an idiot who caused a car accident in HS (I was 16 and had my licence for all of 2 weeks!). I wasn't hurt, so I just went after her for the damages to my $400 car.

You need a new helmet ($100), You need your bike assessed for damage ($200) and any repairs/ Replacements ($???). Take this knucklehead to court (small claims if only) and make life just a little bit miserable for him. Don't get nasty, just tweak the tigers tail.

JMHO

So the guy stated that he intentionally hit the brakes, but didnt intend to hurt you. Right. I guess he's done this a few times to know to say that he didnt have the intent to injure, I think thats where he's avoiding the serious charges that he deserves.

Please DON'T post this idiot's info..... I would hate to see someone take matters into their own hands....

I second the option of a civil suit. I had to sue an idiot who caused a car accident in HS (I was 16 and had my licence for all of 2 weeks!). I wasn't hurt, so I just went after her for the damages to my $400 car.

You need a new helmet ($100), You need your bike assessed for damage ($200) and any repairs/ Replacements ($???). Take this knucklehead to court (small claims if only) and make life just a little bit miserable for him. Don't get nasty, just tweak the tigers tail.

JMHO

The info I requested is not so that people can get nasty. It is to see if the guy is a elected official, in charge of children (school, etc), works in public sector, etc. Maybe notify the news papers, etc. A little pressure goes a long way. I do not advocate people taking matters into their own hands. The address info is to ensure the correct person in case google shows this idiot as an elected official.

Edit: BTW, I had to help bury my sisters husband because people did not want to bring to light the violence tendencies exhibited by the guy that murdered my brother-in-law. The person that could have brought this to light said, "I did not think he really meant those things he said". I have no problem making sure others know that this guy cannot control his anger.

(I'm also interested in his address ...PM me):notamused:

Time for pitchforks, laterns and a noose?

When the legal system fails ... heck yea. Does that apply in this case ... probably not for me personally.

If this piece of human filth killed my daughter pulling the same stunt and the legal system did nothing ... ummm .... me thinks so!

Maybe I missed something. Who died? Besides, how has the system failed? It just got started.

Sorry, trying to make a couple points, IMO of course.

1. The legal system is often wrong and usually unfair.

2. If that failure is severe enough, and the level of guilt strong enough, do I think it's OK to correct the legal system's failure? Yes I do.

Does that help?

Kimber and MJH2 ... is there nothing else we can do to FORCE the official to properly nail the SOB?

Please let us know what we can do! (I'm also interested in his address ...PM me):notamused:

Possibly, yes.

But, it's really up to jc to determine how to handle things. There's not really anything anybody else can do to influence this specific situation. It's also not jc's job to bear the cross of the collective cycling community.

I think that a lot of the energy in this thread could be best used to change things in other ways. Join cycling advocacy groups. Get involved in educating the public about cyclists on the roads. Maybe try to go speak at HS driver's ed classes.

It's been shown, time and time again, that a decent educational structure will do more good in avoiding future legal situations than will negative consequences.

Sorry, trying to make a couple points, IMO of course.

1. The legal system is often wrong and usually unfair.



Disagree.

It's that we only hear about things when they go wrong. There is no story to tell when everything works the way it should.

WOW, why wasn't that guy hauled away in cuffs? This guy will get off with a hand slap, the courts are clogged with cases, there's no room at Cook County Jail, be prepared for disapointment. When you try to file a civil case, no lawyer will take this case without a retainer....

I am all for my rights as a cyclist, I do want to live. Anyone riding on these major arteries in the NW Suburbs of Chicago is living on borrowed time. The motorists are crazy, drunk/drugged, talking on cell phones, eating food, quite often all four at once. I assume the only reason the local motorists miss me is because they didn't see me...Some unfortunate soul was killed while riding on Roselle last fall north of I-90.

Disagree.

It's that we only hear about things when they go wrong. There is no story to tell when everything works the way it should.

And I couldn't disagree more.

The legal system (not specifically criminal/defense) is broken. Between incompetent jurors and incompetent/corrupt judges, and worst of all, no loser pays provision, our legal system is largely BROKEN!

MJH2 and Kimber,

Is there anything the rest of us can do to try to put more heat on this scumbag? Call DA? Go to the papers? Raise cash for your representation or his civil suit?

John Kass at the Trib?