chicago hit and run last night
 

ok. so i was riding home last night at around two in the morning. at the halsted/fullerton/lincoln intersection someone in a silver SUV ran a light and took a left turn right into me. i was thrown pretty far, luckily there was an ambulance waiting at the light...next thing i knew i was on my back and being braced by the emt. i kept asking if someone had caught up with the driver, got his info and whatnot-both the emt and a couple pedestrians said they had. so to the hospital for xrays, etc. then when they were getting ready to discharge me this cop came in to file his report. i was in a bit of a daze so i put the finished copy in my pocket and cabbed it home. this morning i read the report and it says, "no vehicle id, hit/run." there must have been thirty people there, how could the driver just drive off? now i'm waiting for a friend to pick me up and bring me to the ER because my arm keeps falling out of the socket...what the f..k?

Apparently two prime issues were "the f..k": (1), a driver who was too cowardly to face the consequences of his/her actions, or was in much too much of a hurry to stop and render aid, and (2), a group of witnesses that did not include at least one Alpha, the person who steps forward in an emergency and at least attempts to do all the proper things a worthy citizen should. Any wonder I dream fondly of bringing back the pillory?




I can't tell you how queasy that makes me. Good luck, hope you recover quickly and completely!

i guess what i'm also wondering is what sort of legal action i might be able to take given that i was actually told by an EMT that the driver that hit me had been detained. i'm wondering if the cop that filed the police report was just making it easier for himself-less paperwork, the SUV driver gets off ok, me, the uninsured bike rider, well who really cares...i'll go wait in line down at the county hospital. i'm a little upset and i feel like i can't do a thing.

and thanks rob

Is there any way to contact the EMT? Perhaps he has the driver's info, and the cop for whatever reason didn't get / record it...

Heal fast!

-chris

People take no responsibility for their actions anymore. It spreads from the most common man up to heads of State. It's not surprising, just too bad that nobody happened to think of getting the guys license number, or they might not have been able to if he/she sped off without even slowing down.

That's odd - sorry to hear about it. What I mean by odd is that if people had said yes they had the info, the report should have included it. I'd defnitely try to track down the EMT and see if they have it. It might have gotten lost in the shuffle.

Heal fast.

Yeah, see if you can find the EMT. I hope your recovery is quick and characterized by minimal complications.

That is F-ed. My eyes are now a little more wide open.

Damn, and I was just telling people in SF how cool Chicago is.

2 AM on a Saturday night. Chances are the driver was drunk. Stopping would have likely resulted in a DWI arrest in addition to the accident liability. No excuse, of course - just the probably reason for not stopping. The closest people like that should get to an automobile is stamping out license plates for the state.

If it was 2AM perhaps it was too difficult to make out the plate? Also, I'd imagine the witnesses would be more fixated on watching you flying across the street than on the truck driving away.

I once saw a flatbed semi run the car right behind me off the highway. He didn't see it or something. I told the police and they didn't seem too interested to hear about it and told me to move on. I was about the 10th story they took, so I'm sure there were conflicting accounts and they'd started to make up their minds already. Meanwhile the flatbed left the scene. I'm pretty sure that girl's insurance company held her 100% responsible for totalling her car. Easier for the police, easier for the insurance.

bkr

That's a terrible situation! Do you remember exactly what the situation was- what street was the driver on, what direction was he travelling, did he run the red or was he in opposing traffic? That kind of stuff? It wouldn't hurt to know something about the scene in case he gets caught.

That's a sucky intersection. I was just telling a visitor today from DC about that intersection and asking her to be careful. I guess I was a little bit right. :( I hate those 5 way intersections. Half the time, they don't make sense! Everyone, please be careful when you're entering these 5 way intersections- there are always some fools out there that just can't get it, and that's when accidents happen!

Koffee

wow...I ride through that intersection several times a day...

sorry bro...good luck..keep us posted.

Yea, but he's not trying to sell his services. They always slow down for you. People know a discount deal when they see one.

you could try putting up some signs around the junction- "did anyone see the accident on Thursday? " type thing and maybe even offer a small reward for info leading to apprehension of the perpertrator- at least it might put the wind up Mr SUV when he drives past thinking the man hunt is on.

Downtown Koffee Brown is dead right about that intersection, particularly at 2 on a Friday night. The bars on Stinkin Lincoln (all 1500 of them) gave last call and now everyone's racing to the 4 o'clock bars for a last bit of punnishment. Did the LATE ride through that stretch at that time: rampant maddness; young kids that still think they're in college.

Probably not much you can do to find the guy, but if you've got any details at all, post them so we can all keep our eyes open. I'll take a ULock to a headlight on a whim any day.

I ride past the new Cook County 2-3 times a week, what's it like inside?

Sorry you're in pain, get well soon.

That neighborhood sucks. Today I was riding up Clark about two block south of Wellington. A cabbie, in all his infinite wisdom of driving, starting crunching over on me. This move could only be interpreted in one of two ways: either as complete disregard or as intentional. I screamed at him and he continued in front of me, slowed down, and did it again, and then again. Finally, he pulled around a corner, still managing to get in my way before I could pass him and scream at him a third time. Just what the hell is appropriate to yell at these f-ers? What can possibly sum up the moment correctly, directly and to the point?

i like ******bag.

funknut

*****bag

buttslut

want more?

Yea, they work. But as far as being genuinley communicative... I only wish I could express these ideas but also something productive, such as: buttslut-you-are-scaring-the-piss-out-of-me-with-your-disregard-for-my-life. Know what I mean?...create some empathy in addition to the angst.

Yell at them:

"Dear Sir,

You are a halfwit and an ass. Your presence here is a nuicance enough in itself, but when one factors in your behavior you become downright intolerable. Cease and desist being an utter waste of flesh and water, lest I slash your tires and defecate on your forehead.

Sincerely,
[your name here]"

I have always dreamt of referring to myself as "[your name here]," and now I can.
(edit: get well soon oddorder)

Perfect. I will xerox this and past it to the inside of my visor.

If one of the cabbies tries to crowd me in, I jump in front of them and pull a critical mass on 'em. If they have disregard for my life and well-being, then I always like to show them that I can do exactly what the law says I can do in times like this- take the lane.

Koffee

I take the lane myself - the other day since my mini-ulock was in the back pocket and this SUV was purposely messing with me, I pulled it out, showed it to him through the window, made a motion and he gave me my space.

is there any chance the driver never saw you? an suv turned into me once just like that and i rode up to him and pounded on his door. the guy was completely surprised at what i was doing - he never even saw me.

anyway, hope you get that arm looked at. that sounds disgusting.