Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - "Bike courier 'pummelled' by road rager awarded $22,500"

http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=73604304-e693-4c2e-9572-a63ea92750ff

buggin!

There were some weird things in that story, I think...

1) It was his second week as a courier, yet his lawyer says his livelyhood was affected... How could anyone even know if he was going to last as a messenger?

2) The driver was aquitted in 2001 (when it happened) of assault. The messenger didn't even attend the trial?

3) That pic - no way that he messengers on that specialized.

That said, it's good to see justice served. And I guess it's a bad idea to spit on the hood of a BMW while you're stopped at a light :)

You could be a messenger with that bike. You should see some of the crap that guys ride in Boston. I've seen guys on Huffy MTB's.

Oh, yeah. It is never a bad idea to spit on a BMW's hood, but only if the guy is an a-hole.

I've got two words for that kid.... U Lock

Wait is that two words or one word and a letter? Or does the letter not count at all... I'm going back to bed.

Yeah, I suppose you could... But I imagine after 4 years of doing it he'd at least have slicks.

And to go along with all of the bickering of late :

Shouldn't this be in advocacy and safety? Or mountain bike forum? :)

You left out the hyphen - it's only one word.

Def in the MTB forum. :)

You left out the hyphen - it's only one word.

Dammit. See, I should go back to bed.

No, you should make your coffee a little more Irish.

I hear that.

I assume you may be doing the same since you are in Minneapolis and it's like 6 AM. But you work 3rd shift right? Maybe Irish coffee minus the coffee?

You got it. Even have the crystal Jameson tumbler to drink it from.

I bought a one ounce measure (pewter, Jameson logo) off of ebay for my mornings (5-6pm for everyone else). No more than two ounces, less if two ounces falls within an hour of going to work. Or I'm really hung over (read - waking up still drunk).

I still think this should be in advocacy, probably minus most of my comments though...

Oh, yeah. It is never a bad idea to spit on a BMW's hood, but only if the guy is an a-hole.

I've got two words for that kid.... U Lock

Wait is that two words or one word and a letter? Or does the letter not count at all... I'm going back to bed.

I got chased by a bmw last month... after being wee bit naughty :D

Maybe I ought to have sued? I was sooooo scared. For about two minutes

Headlines should have been Cyclist Defends Self with Lock. This just in, a crazed BMW driver chased a bicyclist onto the sidewalk where he got his teeth knocked out by a two pound U-lock. Film at 11.

Check the Boston Globe headlines. I may be that guy one of these days.

hah. i would always be afraid of losing in court if i whacked someone with a u-lock. they would find something to bag the cyclist for and call it injust for the car. in tense situations, i just usually don't pay attention and let people get worked up in their car. it's rather amusing. the worst thing i have done is hit a hood or the side of a car when they don't see me. i can always bust a 180 and lose them i guess.

I am in no way condoning what the driver did. he's an a-hole, pure and simple. But I couldn't help chuckling over this description of the supposed attack by the messer (hockey-fighting couriers, yeah!! only in Canada, god love 'em):

Allan, the judge recounted, claimed he found himself in a pushing, pulling contest with Stadnyk, who was trying to pull his [Allan's] sweater over his head, a tactic used by fighting hockey players to blind and confine an opponent.