Saving Hawaii

Riding down the bike path of course. Some clown on a mountain bike blew onto the trail across my path and I hit him in the side. As I leaned over to check my wheel he jumped on a pedal and took off. Now I'm sitting here on the side of the bike path with a wheel that won't spin.

Thanks.

mstraus

Bummer. Not cool that he took of like that.

gregjones

I'm glad that you were physically able to check your wheel.

Sucks that your wheel didn't fare as well.

Maybe he's local and you'll get the chance to meet again.

FBinNY 

Technically this wasn't a hit and run since you T-boned him, and not the other way around.

Not saying you were in the wrong, or that the other guy wasn't rude and obnoxious. Just saying that the incident would be more properly called got hit, was OK and left.

Saving Hawaii

Legally a hit and run. You blow a stop and turn onto another road causing an accident, your fault. You take off? Hit and run.

ItsJustMe

It doesn't matter who is at fault. Leaving the scene of an accident that you were involved with is still illegal.

Leisesturm

I don't know... do DOT statutes apply off road? Illegal might be too strong a term for what the o.p. has described.

phoebeisis

Is is actually illegal to leave a no injury bike crash that didn't happen on a street?
Was this on a bike path trail or an actual street?

It is certainly CS to do what the crasher did-but illegal?

bigbenaugust 

Jerk.

Squeeze

I'm not an attorney or in law enforcement, but I tend to agree if this was an off road incident, although it would be interesting to know on whose property this occurred - city/county/state park with trails, little single-track cut-through between houses, a well-worn path on grass and over a curb into into a commercial property parking lot for a short cut to the next intersection, etc.

I mention this because someone backed into my car in a shopping center a couple years ago - while I was in the car, waiting to exit the parking lot. I called the police to get a police report because I always heard that's what you do after an accident. This wasn't hit and run - the guy was right there with me when I called and trying to do the right thing.

The 911 operator said something like, "Sir, you are on private property. This is not a police matter" and she did not send an officer to write up the report.

It would have been nice if the guy stopped and asked if the OP was okay and so forth, but I think it's possible that no crime occurred, and it's also possible that the other cyclist is on some other forum right now talking about how some guy failed to yield and knocked him off his bike this morning.

Best wishes to the OP and his front wheel, however. That's a crappy situation to be in.

Saving Hawaii

Paved MUP.

puckett129

Here in NY would not technically be considered a "leaving the scene" because no "motor vehicle" as defined by the NYS VTL was involved. That being said, leaving the scene has nothing to do with fault or who hit who as some here seem to imply. If the guy was going horizontally across a well traveled MUP in a reckless manner I could see some criminal charges that would fit, but good luck getting a cop to go that route. May be different if the mayor's kid got hurt. Are you the mayor's kid?

If nothing else, I agree with bigben... the guy is a jerk. Glad you're OK.

Eric S.

Awhile back a vehicle pulled up next to me and the passenger threw a 1/2 full paper cup ("Big Gulp") of soda on me. The driver wasn't smart enough to speed off too quickly so I was able to get the license plate number.

I called the police and the first thing I was asked was whether I was at an emergency room. No, I said.

"Well, if you're not injured there's nothing we can do."

Nice.

ItsJustMe

Neat, so as long as I'm on private property I can cause property damage and the cops don't care? What else can I get away with as long as it's on private property?

TransitBiker

In many places that guy would still get in legal trouble for what that guy did. I know here in tyler state park rules of the road apply on the MUP. In many places the path is also a driveway for residents in the park, though.

- Andy

wolfchild

Two bicycles colliding on an MUP is not a hit and run. There's no need to call cops and waste their time.
Last week I had a head on collision with another cyclist on an MUP, my front wheel cracked, his wheel cracked and his fork got bent. He left his damaged bike along the path locked it to a railing, I just trotted home for 2.5 KM and carried my bike on my shoulder.

wolfchild

If you not far from home then pick your bike up and carry it home and then get a new wheel and start rolling again.

wolfchild

Was there an actual STOP sign where the crash happened ??...Unless there is an actual STOP then nothing illegal happened.

-=(8)=-

I feel for you. Hope all ends up as OK as it can after this.
The MTB'rs in the park I commute through do that exact same thing. They don't even look let alone consider slowing.
Very frustrating.

scroca

Not questioning your advice, but just wondering: With your post more than 24 hrs after the incident, did you think he was still sitting there in need of your suggestion?

Saving Hawaii

There is actually, which he blew through.

Leisesturm

And? What. Are there not brakes on your bike? An insurance adjuster would have a field day with you. The other guy was riding a bicycle, if you cannot avoid hitting a bicycle you should really not make too big a deal about it. Learn from it and move on. That's what people did before there was Twitter and forums like this one. I just don't see how we are materially better off for being able to share every significant interaction with the whole world in a few keystrokes. This was a teachable moment but you are missing most of it because you want validation and you will mostly get it. The posts you should pay the most attention to, however, are the ones that have told you to HTFU and get on with your life. FWIW.

H

TransitBiker

+1

I am responsible for my bike & where it goes. I have brakes. If i see an intersection, i always stop & look. If i hit into person or property it is my fault in that situation. But then again i avoid MUP's like the plague & rarely see other cyclists when i do use one.

- Andy

fotooutdoors

So if you t-bone a car who pulls out at an intersection, you are at fault. I mean, your car has brakes after all. An insurance adjuster would have a field day with you.

Leisesturm

Actually, you would in fact share some of the blame for a car on car T-Bone. There is no excuse, however, for a bike on bike T-Bone. They would happen a lot more often is there was.