April Critical Mass Hit-and-Run Crash
My friend remains hospitalized after suffering a hit-and-run crash while biking home from April's Critical Mass. I'm hoping to speak with anyone who witnessed the crash or may know who hit her.
She and her boyfriend were riding north on the Lakefront Path near 39th Street after the ride. A large group of cyclists quickly passed the two of them. One of the cyclists sped between her and her boyfriend and clipped her, knocking her to the ground head-first. The assailant looked back and saw her fall, and continued on without stopping.
She suffered from a fractured skull, bleeding in her brain, and a severe concussion. An ambulance took her from the lake path to Northwestern Memorial, where she is still being held and will remain for rehabilitation for another two weeks while she recovers her speech, walking and cognitive abilities. Thankfully, she was wearing a helmet - the injuries could have been much worse without it.
My friend and I value the community that surrounds critical mass in Chicago. She wishes to send many thanks to those who stopped and helped after the crash. People stopped traffic on the bike path, helped lock up the bikes, helped flag down and direct the ambulance, and reminded us of why this community exists - to spread goodwill, foster connections, and remind the city to have a little more fun. We want people to know what happened. This act of recklessness can never supersede the basic values we share when participating in the ride.
Views: 1929
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Bill Nedza on
-
As for the "large group of cyclists" - approximately how many, and were they all riding as you would in paceline, what time and date did it happen, and do they remember the make-up of the group, such as all roadies, men/women, team uniforms, etc.? I don't even know, if you were to find the person who clipped her, what could come of it, but regardless you still want to know how it was.
Best wishes for a full and speedy recovety.
-
Permalink Reply by Chicago Bike Law Firm on
-
Terrible situation, inexcusable behavior. Best wishes for a full recovery.
-
Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on
-
It would not be a surprize if they were the Tour de France wanna bees. A friend of mine told a how one of those told a downed rider on the LFP "I hope you got hurt!" LAME
-
Permalink Reply by yai danche on
-
That is really terrible and I hope she makes a full recovery. This should make people think twice when they are making close passes at high speeds.
-
Permalink Reply by S on
-
This is in rather poor taste. Someone got seriously hurt, apparently through no fault of her own and you use the opportunity to make a bunch of anti-helmet comments and sort of imply that it might be her fault?
clp said:She suffered from a fractured skull, bleeding in her brain, and a severe concussion....
How was this possible, if she was wearing a helmet? It just goes to show, wearing a helmet is not a guarantee that no serious injury can happen. And the helmet possibly, can intensify and worsen the injury by increasing the head-mass, diameter, and inertia as you fall. IOW natural reflexes to protect and "tuck in" the head cannot work because of that big, bulky helmet.
Something to think about anyway....
-
Permalink Reply by Marcusn on
-
Please folks, remember we're all exposed out there. This incident being caused by another cyclist makes it all the more clear that threats can come from almost anywhere.
My hope is your friend makes a complete recovery, and her biking enthusiasm isn't marred in any way from this (might be the longest part of the recovery).
-
Permalink Reply by dana on
-
That is awful. I have SERIOUS doubts that that group of cyclists was from any of the local Chicago racing teams. Most everyone I've encountered during my first season of racing rides extremely safely on the lakefront path, as we're all aware that it is NOT a place for training or going super fast, particularly at rush hour or in the dark. The riders on the local teams would be more likely to be the ones who stopped and help, and many of the racers have been known to pull over to help someone who has had a flat, a mechanical, or god forbid an injury.
and here's a shameless plug for my helmet article on tinyfix.
http://tinyfixbikegang.com/the-bicycle-helmet-debate-now-with-science/
your talking points are outweighed by science.
-
Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on
-
Great place to argue about helmets asshole.
clp said:She suffered from a fractured skull, bleeding in her brain, and a severe concussion....
How was this possible, if she was wearing a helmet? It just goes to show, wearing a helmet is not a guarantee that no serious injury can happen. And the helmet possibly, can intensify and worsen the injury by increasing the head-mass, diameter, and inertia as you fall. IOW natural reflexes to protect and "tuck in" the head cannot work because of that big, bulky helmet.
Something to think about anyway....
-
Permalink Reply by Bill Savage on
-
Best wishes for full recovery--and, yet again, this sort of thing is why I avoid the LFP. Just too many riders, too fast, some too reckless, some too clueless.
-
Permalink Reply by Michael J Blane on
-
I believe that there's a 15 mph limit on park district / forrest preserve paths. (but I might be mistaken)
Marcusn said:Please folks, remember we're all exposed out there. This incident being caused by another cyclist makes it all the more clear that threats can come from almost anywhere.
My hope is your friend makes a complete recovery, and her biking enthusiasm isn't marred in any way from this (might be the longest part of the recovery).
Groups
-
Chicagoland Beer Explora…
203 members
-
Wednesday Night for Mort…
1 member
-
Great Lakes Ultra Cycling
270 members
-
Major Taylor Internation…
1 member
-
Critical Mass discussion
261 members
© 2008-2016 The Chainlink Community, L.L.C.
Powered by
