dlester

https://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20...9943&NoCache=1

Crash sends bicyclist to hospital
By Mike Bonnicksen
World staff photographer
Posted March 12, 2009
Wenatchee Police Officer Jill Shaw pulls a damaged bike into her patrol car at about 3:45 p.m. Wednesday after an accident at the corner of Valleyvue Road and Western Avenue in Wenatchee. Phillip Rich, 29, Wenatchee, was delivering newspapers on a bicycle about 3:15 p.m. when he ran a stop sign and broadsided a car driven by Kathlyn E. Jessup, 61, of Wenatchee, according to Wenatchee Police. The man was taken by ambulance to Central Washington Hospital, where he was treated for a head laceration and a possible broken ankle, police said. His condition was not known this morning.

aenlaasu

I wonder if he's trying to blame it on the driver of the car that he didn't observe road laws?

cod.peace

I don't have a copy on hand, but I recall a statistic from "Effective Cycling" that something like 83% of bike accidents resulting in injuries were solo accidents, i.e. not the fault of other vehicles (be they cars, bikes, etc)

sstorkel

There are similar statistics for motorcycle accidents, so it would surprise me if the trend for bicycles is similar. The most common multi-vehicle accident involving motorcycles was a car turning left in front of the motorcyclist. The most common explanation from car drivers involved in car/motorcycle accidents was "I didn't see the motorcycle". Again, it wouldn't surprise me if bicyclists face similar problems...

baron von trail 

Those are the operative words, right there.

It has been my experience, lessons learned from the days when I was prone to ignoring the rules of the road, that one cannot be 100% observant at all times. In other words: When we aim to blow a stop sign, odds are pretty high that you will miss something.

Wogster

In this case though the information we have is that the biker ran the stop sign and T boned a car. Whether this is the whole story or not, we don't know. I've seen cyclists do stupid things, I've seen car drivers do stupid things, I've seen them both do stupid things in the general vicinity of the other, the issue is that either way the cyclist pays for it.

Four scenarios, where the story is incomplete, only the first will be admitted by a car driver.

1) Cyclist not paying attention, doesn't detect car, runs stop sign, crash....
2) Car driver is pootling along, cyclist decides they have enough time to get there before the car, car speeds up, crash.
3) Car is speeding along, slows down just before entering intersection, cyclists thought car would clear before they got to it, crash.
4) Intersection screened by snowbanks, cyclist thinks it's clear, and decides to go through, car hidden behind snowbank, pops out, crash.

The cyclist in the hospital may not remember the exact events, either way, the car driver is always telling the truth.

jferna

interesting... when a multi-car crash involves two drivers of different age groups, the older one is always telling the truth, too... kinda funny uh?

Wogster

Um, yeah, the ONLY exception is when the younger driver has a daddy that is a big shot lawyer.....

jferna

hmmm... well i speak from experience: i once was driving through a highway underpass. the light ahead of me was red, so i started to stop. then the light turned green before i got to it, so i continued into the intersection, and then bam, i was hit by a suburban who ran the red light... my small car (a ford probe) was totaled. the reporting office was rude to me, and the other driver (he looked like he was in his mid forties) tried to say i ran the light. the office almost bought his story, expect there was a couple in a car going the same direction as the other driver, and they witnessed him running the light and stuck around to tell the officer. with the couple's statment on the report, it took maybe four days for the insurance companies to decide the other driver was at fault. a friend of the family, who as is a lawyer, said i was lucky that the couple witnessed the accident and stuck around to report it.

baron von trail 

When I was 18, oh so many moons ago, the proverbial "old lady" pulled out in front of me. I smashed right into her door. She then proceeded to blame me, even began yelling at the cop, going on and on about "those darned teenaged drivers".

Well...to my surprise, the cop actually stood up for me. He said. " No mam, this is not the fault of a teenaged driver, it is the fault of an irresponsible old woman driver."

I about choked.

BTW: I can't imagine that conversation happening today.

sstorkel

When I'm riding a bicycle or motorcycle, I know two things with absolute certainty: 1) car drivers are stupid, and 2) motorcycles and bicycles are invisible to the average car driver.

Knowing these things, I assume that it is my responsibility to prevents accidents... even if, legally, I am not required to do so. I'm always amused when my riding buddies start to rant about cars blowing stop signs, turning left in front of them, forcing them off the road, etc. I expect this type of behavior as a natural part of riding, I ride accordingly, and (knock on wood) I rarely have close calls with cars...

Mazama

I've seen enough examples of bikers going the wrong way down a street, on the sidewalk, blowing signs and signals, not using proper lighting (night), and believing that they have the right of way just because they are a bike. Might makes right. Read the directions.

Wogster

It depends on where you ride too, in areas where bicycles are not expected, drivers do not see them, seemingly even if the bicycle is towing a large road sign that is flashing "CAUTION BICYCLE AHEAD" alternating in red, green, blue and amber lights. However in places where bicycles are expected, like around universities, they suddenly become visible....

If you take a defensive driving course, one of the first things they teach you, is to assume the other guy, given the opportunity is going to do something stupid. I find this applies equally if you driving a 100 tonne truck or a 10kg bicycle.