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Car hits biker video

Old 09-12-06, 12:17 PM
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Car hits biker video

My apologies if this has already been posted and discussed.

https://www.videohag.com/?p=29
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Old 09-12-06, 12:35 PM
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Another stupid ass driver going too fast and not paying attention.
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Old 09-12-06, 12:41 PM
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The driver probably wasn't paying enough attention, but if you watch through to the end of the video, some of the witnesses comment that the biker swerved out to go around the cop car. That sounds like a pretty dangerous maneuver to me.
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Old 09-12-06, 01:02 PM
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Originally Posted by thechrisproject
The driver probably wasn't paying enough attention, but if you watch through to the end of the video, some of the witnesses comment that the biker swerved out to go around the cop car. That sounds like a pretty dangerous maneuver to me.
Didnt the dude in the red car leave his door open?
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Old 09-12-06, 01:05 PM
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"She didn't see him"

No, really?

That video makes me sick. Cop did a job of handling it IMO (called paramedics then checked that the guy was still breathing).
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Old 09-12-06, 01:17 PM
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Originally Posted by oboeguy
"She didn't see him"

No, really?

That video makes me sick. Cop did a job of handling it IMO (called paramedics then checked that the guy was still breathing).
I hate that stupid "didn't see him" excuse too!

However, I think the cop did a fine job
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Old 09-12-06, 01:51 PM
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You guys must have missed the part where the passenger in the car said that the cyclist was riding up behind the police car, looking back and forth between the police car and the car that hit him, then tried to swerve into the lane. Stupid assed driver not paying enough attention to everthing around her? Sure. But also a stupid assed cyclist not wearing a helmet and not riding in a way that would allow drivers to see him and predict his behavior. Looks like a double-dumbass accident to me.
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Old 09-12-06, 01:53 PM
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This was the first clip in this past week's new COPS episode (see prior thread).

Glad someone finally posted it.

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Old 09-12-06, 03:59 PM
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Of course the driver didn't see him. The driver was a woman. That figures. She was probably doing something stupid ( like talking on a cell phone instead of watching her driving)
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Old 09-12-06, 05:29 PM
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Originally Posted by oboeguy
... Cop did a job of handling it IMO ...
Except for the part where he called the cyclist a pedestrian or pedestrian on a bike.

Glad the cop was there ...
Glad the videographer was there ...
EMS actually responded pretty quick too (assuming no video editing) ...
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Old 09-12-06, 05:38 PM
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Originally Posted by Crazy Cyclist
Of course the driver didn't see him. The driver was a woman. That figures. She was probably doing something stupid ( like talking on a cell phone instead of watching her driving)
Actually, it was probably inattentional blindness.

https://www.visualexpert.com/Resource...blindness.html
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Old 09-12-06, 05:46 PM
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Now that I watched the video... the cyclist apparently moved laterally (left, to go around the police car) without having the right of way to do so, suddenly moving right in front of the car that was overtaking him.

Did I miss something?
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Old 09-12-06, 05:51 PM
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This was a very bad accident, and I feel horrible for the cyclist who was hit but many factors seem to indicate that it was his fault and not the driver of the car who hit him:

1. The Police car and the red Camero are pulled so far over onto the shoulder that even with their doors open there is clearly enough room for a bicycle rider to pass them without having to leave the right hand lane.

2. The white car that hits the rider is all the way to the left in the left hand lane. The collision seems to take place almost in the center of the lane, and the rider lands in the left lane.

3. It seems to me that the biker is angled sideways rather than straight when the white car hits him.

4. In the second or two before the accident the camera briefly shows the road behind the Police cruiser and there is no cyclist coming from that direction.

I think it might be possible that the cyclist was on the sidewalk before he decided to cross the road at the place of the accident. The people in the interview did state that he lived down the block.

Here is what I think might have happened:
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Old 09-13-06, 08:50 AM
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Originally Posted by tippy
Except for the part where he called the cyclist a pedestrian or pedestrian on a bike.
Towards the end he mentions to a paramedic that the bike is quite a distance back on the road (couldn't make out exactly how far he said). He probably didn't realize there was bike involved until after he called it in and had time to look around a little more.
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Old 09-13-06, 08:52 AM
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Looks like there was another lane to the left. The biker may have pulled out around the other cars far in front of the white car that hit him. The driver was probably looking at the police at the time, and didn't look back at the road until it was too late. Not nearly enough evidence here to blame the biker. The lack of helmet is irrelavent in regard to assessing blame. It may have furthered his injuries, but that is it.
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Old 09-13-06, 08:52 AM
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Personally, unless there was info in the show that clarified what happened, I don't see how we can be so certain of the chain of events as to assign blame to the cyclist. He is out in the next lane, but I see nothing inherently wrong with that - perhaps he was just "taking his position" in the lane. As for the cop, he certainly is doing an adequate job in prioritizing his attention, calling for EMS and backup, but, I'm a bit disturbed by what appears to be his acceptance of the driver's statement (I think she is the driver) that alleges that the cyclist swerved out suddenly in front of her.

And, while I understand that he had to tend to the downed cyclist and secure the scene, it also bothers me that the entire party of occupants from the car that struck the cyclist was free to almost privately converse while the officer secured the scene.

I have no police training, so I cannot offer comment on the proper procedure to follow or whether this officer followed it - but it seems contradictory that the driver and the other female passenger seem to be asserting that the cyclist suddenly swerved into their path while the rear seat male passenger apparently observed the cyclist glancing back and forth in anticipation of the action he (the cyclist) would take to avoid the police car.

The cyclist was unable to give his account at the scene, but I would be very interested to hear his version of events. I don't for one moment accept at face value the statements of the driver or other occupants of the car who have a vested interest in deflecting blame from the driver and directing it onto the cyclist.

It's really not fair for me to comment negatively on the actions of the officer, either. Just because he didn't challenge the statements of the car occupants at the scene doesn't mean that he will not interrogate them more aggressively at a later time.

As to the question of whether or not the cyclist should have been wearing a helmet, I would say that the lack of one did not contribute in any way to the circumstances leading to this accident. It would appear that he escaped serious head injury, although from the video, one cannot be certain.

I would be very curious to know what conclusions were reached after a complete investigation into this accident.

Caruso
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Old 09-13-06, 08:53 AM
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Originally Posted by Cogsby11
3. It seems to me that the biker is angled sideways rather than straight when the white car hits him.

4. In the second or two before the accident the camera briefly shows the road behind the Police cruiser and there is no cyclist coming from that direction.

The guy was already on the hood of the car when it enters the camera's field of view so there isn't any way to tell where the cyclist was from the video.
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Old 09-13-06, 08:56 AM
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Originally Posted by Carusoswi
And, while I understand that he had to tend to the downed cyclist and secure the scene, it also bothers me that the entire party of occupants from the car that struck the cyclist was free to almost privately converse while the officer secured the scene.
He probably didn't want to leave the injured guy lying unprotected in the middle of a busy street.
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Old 09-13-06, 09:23 AM
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Originally Posted by withak
The guy was already on the hood of the car when it enters the camera's field of view so there isn't any way to tell where the cyclist was from the video.
As the cop is backing the driver to the curb, you can see some white posts on the side of the road and maybe a driveway or even possibly a MUP entrance, so I agree with another poster that since you can't see the cyclist coming along the road, maybe he rode into the street at that point.
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Old 09-13-06, 09:50 AM
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horrible.

Looks like the driver and/or cyclist were distracted by the pull-over spectacle that certainly was made much worse by the prescence of a C.O.P.S. TV-crew!
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Old 09-13-06, 11:17 AM
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There seems to be a lot of accidents from people who get distracted by cops as they look to see whats happening. They have laws that say you have to move out of the way when police, fire and ambulances are coming. Maybe there needs to be mandatory speed reduction laws when the police lights are flashing. The lower speed will help on focus. At the speed the cop says she was going, a look over at the cop for a second could be deadly.
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Old 09-13-06, 11:35 AM
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Let's see: trying to secure two potentially dangerous people, a potentially fatal accident, trying to watch the road so no other driver makes it worse, trying to keep the cyclist from moving, trying to watch the other car so they didn't flee, all while on camera........I think the cop earned his money that day.
Also, while they show the brief shot backwards--you see no cyclist--but you also see no cars....not enough info to assign blame to anyone.
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Old 09-13-06, 03:13 PM
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Originally Posted by withak
Towards the end he mentions to a paramedic that the bike is quite a distance back on the road (couldn't make out exactly how far he said). He probably didn't realize there was bike involved until after he called it in and had time to look around a little more.
Yeah, I was wondering about that too. Maybe it was a short way of saying what kind of a wreck to expect, for the guys bringing equipment -- it was between a car and a lifeform, so don't bring the jaws of life or a tow truck or anything, but do prep the paramedics for road rash and broken bones, etc.

It's interesting to see how a crash like that really happens. In my wildest imagination I wouldn't have expected the guy to be thrown up in the air, at an angle. But there it is, happening that way. Hmph. Physics.
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Old 09-13-06, 03:49 PM
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Originally Posted by Crazy Cyclist
Of course the driver didn't see him. The driver was a woman. That figures. She was probably doing something stupid ( like talking on a cell phone instead of watching her driving)
Spoken like a true sexist pig that misses the point entirely. What century are you living in?
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Old 09-13-06, 03:53 PM
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Car vs pedestrian is a perfectly good thing to say when calling an ambulance. The paramedics don't give a damn if you're walking or on a pogo stick, they just need to know that an unprotected body was hit by a car.
Now, if he put it in the police report as car vs ped, then that's an issue, for insurance and legal reasons.
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