Bikepacker67

An off-duty firefighter who was riding his bike to work amid the transit strike was struck and critically injured Thursday morning by a private bus in midtown Manhattan.

Fire officials identified the victim as Matthew Long, 39, a son of Michael Long, the Conservative Party state chairman.

Long was riding to work from his Manhattan home to the fire department's training academy on Randalls Island when the accident occurred, authorities said.

The bus, hired by the Bear Sterns investment banking firm to shuttle employees during the strike, was northbound on Third Avenue at about 6 a.m. when it made a right turn and struck the cyclist, police said.

Long was taken to New York Weill-Cornell Medical Center where he was in critical condition, said Ken Bohan, a Fire Department spokesman. The off-duty firefighter suffered multiple fractures and internal injuries.

The bus involved in the accident is owned by Allen AME Transportation and is affiliated with the Greater Allen AME Cathedral in Jamaica, Queens, which is run by the Rev. Floyd Flake, an influential clergyman and former Democratic congressman.

"I really can't discuss it,'' said a woman who answered the phone at the company. "I don't know anything.''

No charges were filed; the accident remained under investigation.

scarry

No suprise there.

Bikepacker67

Now this is the thing... how can the driver say he didn't see him? If he right hooked him, he must have passed him first.

Sprocket Man

Why did they put these bits of information into the article? How many articles have you seen where they actually name the owner of the company that owns the vehicle as well as the owners political affiliation? Seems like the writer wants to turn this into something political - a cheap shot if you ask me.

timmhaan

yeah, it's obviously trying to drum up controversy. i'd be curious to check out the original link.

anders

Bikepacker, you did not include a link to this article or any information about where you got it or did you write it?

zip22

https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/23/nyregion/23hit.html

Bikepacker67

Sorry 'bout dat!
See Zip's link above.

Thanks Zip.

I-Like-To-Bike

The above quotes are not from the NYT article and apparantly were dreamed up by the OP.

It did say;

Richard Gallo, a lawyer for the bus company, said he planned to contest the summons because a woman who he said had witnessed the crash countered the official version. "The bus didn't strike the bicyclist," Mr. Gallo said. "The bicyclist struck the side of the bus."

The article did not describe the summons. It also gave a more in depth description than just his father's political connections. The article described the fireman bicyclist's background including his rescue work in the WTC on 911 and he is from a family of NYC firefighters.

Next time, include the URL or at least quote enough of the entire piece to provide an accurate summary, refrain from misleading the easily misled.

dobber

Shoot first, ask questions later, right?

Bikepacker67

Nope... they weren't 'dreamed up' by the OP.
Apparently there are two different articles:

https://1010wins.com/topstories/local...356140318.html

Bikepacker67

Grrrrrrr... I usually DO. It was an oversight on my part.
OK???

Daily Commute

This quote (from the NYT article) is just weird:


P.S. There was nothing misleading about the OP. Just a quickly-corrected honest mistake that didn't mislead anyone.

I-Like-To-Bike

Sure its OK. Oversights/Omissions in the name of an advocacy/safety agenda are name of the game on the BF.

randya

This is of course complete BS, to be expected from a lawyer.

teiaperigosa

driver are not only not accustomed to 'looking-for' us...but the extremeness of the 'driver mentality'(a heirarchical road competition of size and prowess) so coerces them to , even unconsciously, not give a fuk about us. because when it comes down to it...if my hummer is bigger and tougher than your fiat, I've got the right of way...and bicyclists?...bicyclists who?

ironic...considering the discussion around shady reporting because.... unfortunately, isn't this what the conservative nexus attempts to ingrain in us

Blue Order

Exactly what happened, no doubt. The bus passed the cyclist, right-hooked him, and the cyclist struck the side of the bus.

teiaperigosa

really...duh! right?

randya

I don't disagree that this is what happened, but it doesn't make the cyclist at fault, which is what the bus company lawyer is arguing, or at least insinuating.

teiaperigosa

I think blue-order is saying that that is exactly what happened...as in, how else would the bicyclist have crashed into a bus that cut him off to make a right turn

randya

So we all agree, except with the lawyer's legal spin.

Blue Order

Right. The bus is clearly at fault. However, keep in mind that the bus company lawyer isn't being sleazy, he's ethically bound to be a zealous advocate for his client. The cyclist needs his own zealous advocate-- either the D.A., or his own lawyer. The bus company lawyer is taking a set of facts about the right-hook and putting them in the best light for his client. I think this can potentially backfire for him, because he's as much as admitting that the bus right-hooked the cyclist. If that's a violation of the traffic laws in NYC, the bus company is screwed, and the best advocacy the lawyer can offer his client will be to make a reasonable settlement before it gets to a jury.

dobber

Unless the bus had been stopped or moving slowly with the cyclist overtaking on the right. But examining every possible scenario wouldn't allow us to point guilty fingers.

Blue Order

Do you mean (in this scenario) that the bus was ahead of the cyclist, either stopped mid-turn, or turning slowly, and the cyclist rode into the bus as he overtook it on the right?

HoustonB

One morning on my regular commute I found myself passing a line of slower moving traffic whilst riding between the vehicles and the curb. My route took both me and the traffic around a corner, the radius of which reduced as the corner was turned. One rather scary moment worthy of note that totally changed my decision making process has to do with the presence of a bus approaching the apex of the corner at exactly the same time as myself. We can be pretty certain that the driver had no idea that I was present. Potentially bad news for me were the railings at the edge of the sidewalk that prevented me from getting/falling onto the sidewalk and away from the bus. The gap got smaller and smaller, with me at the sweet spot exactly half way between throw-out-the-anchor and light-the-rocket.

I consider myself very fortunate to have escaped with no injuries, no damage to either vehicle and no spontaneous deposits in the bike shorts. My point being; I could have been killed and I would have been responsible.

It is unlikely that anyone on this forum has access to all of the facts regarding the bus (driver) and the cyclist to be able to state with any degree of certainty which has the greater degree of responsibility.