Are You The Cyclist Who Caused My Friend's Crash?

My friend was riding home last night around 4:10 p.m. northbound on Clybourn between Larrabee and Halsted in the protected bike lane. Another cyclist rode up behind her, and trying to go around both my friend and a puddle, let her rear tire nip my friend's front tire, sending her crashing. The cyclist didn't stop. 

My friend was injured. Her fingers are jammed and swollen like sausages, she was bloodied from scrapes on both sides of her body, she can barely sit down, and has a bruise on the back of her head from where her helmeted head hit the ground. Her bike is totalled. Despite all this, her injuries haven't been bad enough that she thinks she needs medical attention yet.

The cyclist was a female rider with blonde hair on a blue mountain-style bike, listening to headphones. Obviously, this wasn't intentional, but she didn't stop and didn't help. That cyclist was lucky enough that the impact didn't cause her to fall, but my friend is in some real pain. Is this you? Does this description sound like this your friend? If that's the case, it would be great if you could reach out. And if you are just reading this and had nothing to do with anything, be safe out there.

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Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on September 8, 2016 at 4:53am

I'm so sorry this happened to your friend. I am very concerned she hit her head and has injuries. 

"Despite all this, her injuries haven't been bad enough that she thinks she needs medical attention yet."

I would disagree. Please try to convince her to seek medical treatment ASAP.

Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on September 8, 2016 at 5:11am
Sorry to hear about what happened to your friend. I think she be looked at by a medical professional. Her injuries sound bad enough to me. Offer to help take her to a clinic to get checked out.

Maybe the self-absorbed cyclist with the headphones was unaware, or afraid to take responsibility for her actions.

Hope your friend fully recovers. Yes, ride safe out there everybody.
Permalink Reply by Cheryl on September 8, 2016 at 5:58am

I'm so sorry this happened to your friend. I agree, she should get checked out just to make sure there's nothing serious. 

While the other cyclist probably didn't intentionally clip your friend, there are unfortunately some cyclists out there that pull in front of the person they are passing without leaving enough room. I was taught to get one car length ahead of the car I'm passing before moving back in to their lane; I think applying that to biking and using one bike length as a rule of thumb is a good idea. It's always worked for me.

Permalink Reply by Mark on September 8, 2016 at 8:01am

Also calling out On Your Left before passing another cyclist.

Permalink Reply by Cheryl on September 8, 2016 at 8:42am

Absolutely agree.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on September 8, 2016 at 6:01am

Please do encourage your friend to get medical attention as soon as possible. If she hit her head and is have that much pain from multiple body parts, it's really a smart idea. 

Permalink Reply by Jeremy Bloyd-Peshkin on September 8, 2016 at 6:17am

I'm so very sorry about your friend.

I'm not a medical professional, but I work in a lab that does a lot of research on traumatic brain injuries. It's opened my eyes to how little it takes to do damage to your brain. Helmets help keep you from getting killed in major impacts, but do fairly little to prevent TBIs (concussions). Please help your friend get checked. It's entirely possible she has a low-grade TBI and should at least be aware of it.

Permalink Reply by Sanya on September 8, 2016 at 6:21am

Thanks to you all for your concerns. She's going to figure out what's best as the day goes on. She came into work today, but she's hurting. I don't really expect to find the person who made this mistake, and I don't even know what to expect if we did, but at the very least it's a quickie PSA to the community watch out when you're going around someone, especially in a narrow spot. The protected bike lanes feel so safe from cars, it's easy to forget there are other hazards sometimes.

Permalink Reply by curt(is) locke on September 8, 2016 at 7:10am

Ears are an essential piece of my riding equipment. To ride with earbuds or headphones is to ride impaired. I have NO patience for this sort of self-involvement. Furthermore, I find it somewhat hard to believe that that the clueless cyclist could be completely unaware of the "nip."

A speedy recovery to your friend.

Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on September 8, 2016 at 8:27am

+1.  Being able to hear is absolutely critical when riding a bike.  Even when I drive, I always leave my window rolled down a little so I can hear the ambient sounds.  I don't understand the attitude that some of each category -- cyclists, drivers, and pedestrians -- have that the entire world revolves around their whims.

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