Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - chicago hit and run last night

ok. so i was riding home last night at around two in the morning. at the halsted/fullerton/lincoln intersection someone in a silver SUV ran a light and took a left turn right into me. i was thrown pretty far, luckily there was an ambulance waiting at the light...next thing i knew i was on my back and being braced by the emt. i kept asking if someone had caught up with the driver, got his info and whatnot-both the emt and a couple pedestrians said they had. so to the hospital for xrays, etc. then when they were getting ready to discharge me this cop came in to file his report. i was in a bit of a daze so i put the finished copy in my pocket and cabbed it home. this morning i read the report and it says, "no vehicle id, hit/run." there must have been thirty people there, how could the driver just drive off? now i'm waiting for a friend to pick me up and bring me to the ER because my arm keeps falling out of the socket...what the f..k?

Apparently two prime issues were "the f..k": (1), a driver who was too cowardly to face the consequences of his/her actions, or was in much too much of a hurry to stop and render aid, and (2), a group of witnesses that did not include at least one Alpha, the person who steps forward in an emergency and at least attempts to do all the proper things a worthy citizen should. Any wonder I dream fondly of bringing back the pillory?




now i'm waiting for a friend to pick me up and bring me to the ER because my arm keeps falling out of the socket...


I can't tell you how queasy that makes me. Good luck, hope you recover quickly and completely!

i guess what i'm also wondering is what sort of legal action i might be able to take given that i was actually told by an EMT that the driver that hit me had been detained. i'm wondering if the cop that filed the police report was just making it easier for himself-less paperwork, the SUV driver gets off ok, me, the uninsured bike rider, well who really cares...i'll go wait in line down at the county hospital. i'm a little upset and i feel like i can't do a thing.

and thanks rob

Is there any way to contact the EMT? Perhaps he has the driver's info, and the cop for whatever reason didn't get / record it...

Heal fast!

-chris

People take no responsibility for their actions anymore. It spreads from the most common man up to heads of State. It's not surprising, just too bad that nobody happened to think of getting the guys license number, or they might not have been able to if he/she sped off without even slowing down.

That's odd - sorry to hear about it. What I mean by odd is that if people had said yes they had the info, the report should have included it. I'd defnitely try to track down the EMT and see if they have it. It might have gotten lost in the shuffle.

Heal fast.

Yeah, see if you can find the EMT. I hope your recovery is quick and characterized by minimal complications.

That is F-ed. My eyes are now a little more wide open.

Damn, and I was just telling people in SF how cool Chicago is.

2 AM on a Saturday night. Chances are the driver was drunk. Stopping would have likely resulted in a DWI arrest in addition to the accident liability. No excuse, of course - just the probably reason for not stopping. The closest people like that should get to an automobile is stamping out license plates for the state.

If it was 2AM perhaps it was too difficult to make out the plate? Also, I'd imagine the witnesses would be more fixated on watching you flying across the street than on the truck driving away.

I once saw a flatbed semi run the car right behind me off the highway. He didn't see it or something. I told the police and they didn't seem too interested to hear about it and told me to move on. I was about the 10th story they took, so I'm sure there were conflicting accounts and they'd started to make up their minds already. Meanwhile the flatbed left the scene. I'm pretty sure that girl's insurance company held her 100% responsible for totalling her car. Easier for the police, easier for the insurance.

bkr

That's a terrible situation! Do you remember exactly what the situation was- what street was the driver on, what direction was he travelling, did he run the red or was he in opposing traffic? That kind of stuff? It wouldn't hurt to know something about the scene in case he gets caught.

That's a sucky intersection. I was just telling a visitor today from DC about that intersection and asking her to be careful. I guess I was a little bit right. :( I hate those 5 way intersections. Half the time, they don't make sense! Everyone, please be careful when you're entering these 5 way intersections- there are always some fools out there that just can't get it, and that's when accidents happen!

Koffee

wow...I ride through that intersection several times a day...

sorry bro...good luck..keep us posted.

wow...I ride through that intersection several times a day...

sorry bro...good luck..keep us posted.

Yea, but he's not trying to sell his services. They always slow down for you. People know a discount deal when they see one.

you could try putting up some signs around the junction- "did anyone see the accident on Thursday? " type thing and maybe even offer a small reward for info leading to apprehension of the perpertrator- at least it might put the wind up Mr SUV when he drives past thinking the man hunt is on.

Downtown Koffee Brown is dead right about that intersection, particularly at 2 on a Friday night. The bars on Stinkin Lincoln (all 1500 of them) gave last call and now everyone's racing to the 4 o'clock bars for a last bit of punnishment. Did the LATE ride through that stretch at that time: rampant maddness; young kids that still think they're in college.

Probably not much you can do to find the guy, but if you've got any details at all, post them so we can all keep our eyes open. I'll take a ULock to a headlight on a whim any day.

I ride past the new Cook County 2-3 times a week, what's it like inside?

Sorry you're in pain, get well soon.

That neighborhood sucks. Today I was riding up Clark about two block south of Wellington. A cabbie, in all his infinite wisdom of driving, starting crunching over on me. This move could only be interpreted in one of two ways: either as complete disregard or as intentional. I screamed at him and he continued in front of me, slowed down, and did it again, and then again. Finally, he pulled around a corner, still managing to get in my way before I could pass him and scream at him a third time. Just what the hell is appropriate to yell at these f-ers? What can possibly sum up the moment correctly, directly and to the point?

i like ******bag.

funknut

*****bag

buttslut

want more?

i like ******bag.

funknut

*****bag

buttslut

want more?

Yea, they work. But as far as being genuinley communicative... I only wish I could express these ideas but also something productive, such as: buttslut-you-are-scaring-the-piss-out-of-me-with-your-disregard-for-my-life. Know what I mean?...create some empathy in addition to the angst.

Yell at them:

"Dear Sir,

You are a halfwit and an ass. Your presence here is a nuicance enough in itself, but when one factors in your behavior you become downright intolerable. Cease and desist being an utter waste of flesh and water, lest I slash your tires and defecate on your forehead.

Sincerely,
[your name here]"

Yell at them:

"Dear Sir,
<text and the like>
Sincerely,
[your name here]"
I have always dreamt of referring to myself as "[your name here]," and now I can.
(edit: get well soon oddorder)

Yell at them:

"Dear Sir,

You are a halfwit and an ass. Your presence here is a nuicance enough in itself, but when one factors in your behavior you become downright intolerable. Cease and desist being an utter waste of flesh and water, lest I slash your tires and defecate on your forehead.

Sincerely,
[your name here]"

Perfect. I will xerox this and past it to the inside of my visor.

If one of the cabbies tries to crowd me in, I jump in front of them and pull a critical mass on 'em. If they have disregard for my life and well-being, then I always like to show them that I can do exactly what the law says I can do in times like this- take the lane.

Koffee

I take the lane myself - the other day since my mini-ulock was in the back pocket and this SUV was purposely messing with me, I pulled it out, showed it to him through the window, made a motion and he gave me my space.

ok. so i was riding home last night at around two in the morning. at the halsted/fullerton/lincoln intersection someone in a silver SUV ran a light and took a left turn right into me. i was thrown pretty far, luckily there was an ambulance waiting at the light...next thing i knew i was on my back and being braced by the emt. i kept asking if someone had caught up with the driver, got his info and whatnot-both the emt and a couple pedestrians said they had. so to the hospital for xrays, etc. then when they were getting ready to discharge me this cop came in to file his report. i was in a bit of a daze so i put the finished copy in my pocket and cabbed it home. this morning i read the report and it says, "no vehicle id, hit/run." there must have been thirty people there, how could the driver just drive off? now i'm waiting for a friend to pick me up and bring me to the ER because my arm keeps falling out of the socket...what the f..k?

is there any chance the driver never saw you? an suv turned into me once just like that and i rode up to him and pounded on his door. the guy was completely surprised at what i was doing - he never even saw me.

anyway, hope you get that arm looked at. that sounds disgusting.

is there any chance the driver never saw you? an suv turned into me once just like that and i rode up to him and pounded on his door. the guy was completely surprised at what i was doing - he never even saw me.

NOT AN EXCUSE.

hey all, thanks for the responses. i figured now that i'm a little more with it i'd post exactly what happened.

i was heading south down lincoln, making a turn south on halsted. the light had just turned green for me. there was a lot of traffic because i believe there was some street festival or some foolishness going on. there was a line of folks lined up to make that left hand turn onto fullerton, from when the light was green on halsted. traffic was pretty jammed up on fullerton.

you know how in chicago, being that we have few left hand turn signals, everyone just gets way out into the street and waits until its a red light...then they go.

thats what happened. but traffic on lincoln had alread started moving while cars were still waiting to make a left. i went through the intersection and at the same time some SUV drive gunned it onto fullerton, right where i was. i think i remember it being a blonde woman driver. she hit square on the entire left side.

i was told i bounced off the hood, denting it, then flipped on my back onto the street. my bike landed about twenty feet away from me. i didn't get knocked out and the first thing i kept asking everyone is, "did someone get the driver's info." by both a couple pedestrians and the EMT that apparently saw the whole thing happen, i was told they had. finally when the police report was handed to me at five in the morning it said there was no vehicle ID. so if anyone's got anything to help me out here, it'd be really appreciated.

i'm a little hopped up pain meds so if this is illegible i apologize. the folks down at cook county (now stronger) pulled my shoulder out and jammed it back in yesterday. ride carefully everyone...thanks again.

There may be a couple of typos, but illegible is far from the truth.

Just remember to try and keep as many of those pain pills as you can for 'recreational' use...

...will do HereNT.

but i just want to add on a serious note. for something that was completely the driver's fault, i feel horribly helpless. why is it that when something like this happens its always the attitude of the cops to make it seem like your fault. seems like not only is the driver to blame but the police are completely negligent.

...seems like not only is the driver to blame but the police are completely negligent.

sucks huh? this women left you for dead and they just leave it at that. you have every right to be pissed off and then some. sorry.

So sorry to hear about this!

It just reminds me how much i absolutely despise SUVs and their ilk! For pete's sake, why in the world do we have them in Chicago??? Is there something I'm missing here? To do what, go up Vrodolyak's old toxic landfill??? In my view, you should have a special reason (i.e., license) to qualify to purchase an SUV. Otherwise, there's no frickin need for 'em.

They are completely unsafe all the way around--it seems like the driver of an SUV must have an automatic deduction of 30 IQ points--seriously!!

Just the other day, I was heading southbound on Western, stopping at a light on Addision; when it turned green, I proceeded to go and had to immediately slam on my brakes, as the SUV imbecille in the right lane didn't even notice that I was part of the traffic and proceeded to "make his right".

Luckily, I just scrapped my leg with some minor bleeding.

I hope you (or some other witness) can track down this imbecile who did that to you!
--Nav

oddorder, I'm not sure if you own a car or not, but if you do, check your auto insurance to see if you have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. If you do, file your medical claims through your insurance company with the police report indicating hit/run and it should be covered. You might also be able to get something for pain/suffering, but that generally involves more artful negotiation or a lawyer who takes a huge chunk of the settlement.

Sorry to hear about the accident and heal quickly!

whoa...what a swift clean up. thanks omipotent partyleader :)

BS moderation, really. Per that moderators rule, this whole thread should be moved to advocacy.

But, really, it's apply the rules as the ruler sees fit. Why be fair?

I must of missed that ?

Anyway Odd I hope the best in your recovery and share the same lack of faith in humanity and especially cops as you do and for good reason. I wonder if maybe they were just humoring you at the sceen by saying they got the guys info. If you were really out of it and getting a little wild about it then maybe they just said that. Anyway Try to talk to that emt. If the dent was big enough on the SUV then it will be repaired too so maybe some PI work will help you out. I hope they catch this sucker and you see some justice take place. Glad to hear your alright...

ok...the paper-pushers behind the chicago fire department (the ambulance that took me away) are about as helpful as the chicago police department. i'm just going to leave this at this-i've got two hundred bucks (it ain't much but its all i can afford) to anyone who can get me the liscense plate number that ***** that ran me down saturday night. email me: evenorder@yahoo.com

If you have a description of the car, could you call the local car repair stores in the area? That SUV must have maintained some damage and needs to be fixed. Maybe you can track them that way.

Isn't there even one witness on the report? The police are supposed to take the name of the witness(es) if any are present. At least, that's what I always thought.

Koffee

there isn't one witness on the police report. apparently the ambulance company, in this case chicago fire department, files a separate report so its possible that there is either a witness report on there or even a vehicle ID. unfortunately, the good folks from the chicago fire department won't be able to get me that report until next friday.

i suppose i do have a slight description of the vehicle-small sized SUV, maybe one of those BMW ones, grey. if i remember correctly while i bounced off the hood it was blonde woman driving it. who knows though. local repair shops are a good idea, might be a time-taking process but i'm sitting around anyway.

thanks. anyone got any pointers on bending a fork back? its really a slight bend...

anyone got any pointers on bending a fork back? its really a slight bend...
I have a spare 700c Kinesis blue AL threaded fork if you want it. Not a good idea to 'bend' a fork back into place, unless you hate your jaw and face.

... someone in a silver SUV ran a light and took a left turn right into me. i was thrown pretty far, luckily there was an ambulance waiting at the light...


Here in Detroit we wouldn't call what happened to you lucky. It's not like you won the lottery or something.

Hope you are back on your bike soon.

Dan

all these stories about bike and car incidents scare me on here. luckily, i am living in copenhagen right now and the hierarchy on the streets seems to be: bikes --> pedestrians --> cars with the taxis of course always thinking they are on the top shelf.

i hope your healing process is not too bad and the bastard gets their day.

Just a thought... when I get to the 5 way intersections, if I have to turn, I jump into the pedestrian crosswalk. The law states that I can, so I do. Then when the light turns green, I just cross with pedestrians and avoid that inevitable rush for turning after the light turns red with the 3- 5 cars that rush into the intersection before the oncoming traffic for the green light. Oddrider, I hope this makes sense.

5 way intersections really suck. The Chicago police department should be required to stand in all 5 way intersections and direct traffic. There are too many accidents there, and they are crazy. How 'bout that 5 way intersection at Lincoln, Ashland and Belmont, for instance?

Koffee