Bike-Cab Collision Caught on Camera on the News

"CBS News Footage Shows Cab Driver Had A Red Light At Time of Collision With Chicago Bicyclist"

While filming a news story about train delays at Union Station, CBS 2 News in Chicago inadvertently captured a bicycle crash between a cab driver and a Chicago bicyclist at the intersection of Canal Street and West Adams Street on Friday, February 25, 2017. CBS 2 later ran a segment on the ten o'clock news and online entitled "Anatomy Of A Bike Crash: Who's At Fault?" Just prior to the collision, the bicyclist was riding northbound on Canal Street and the cab driver was driving westbound on Adams Street. The segment showed the crash video in real time which, like most crashes, happened unexpectedly and suddenly. Keating Law Offices has been retained by the bicyclist to represent him in this matter.

Initially, the video seemed to suggest that the bicyclist may have entered the intersection on a red light while the westbound cab driver had a green light. However, a closer analysis of the video and a site investigation by Keating Law Offices of the timing sequence of the traffic signals shows that at the moment of the impact the bicyclist had a green light and pedestrians had a "Walk" signal on Adams Street. The video correspondingly demonstrates that at the moment of impact the westbound cab driver had a red light at Canal Street.

The CBS video starts at 00:57 and runs in descending order to 00:00. Below is an image from the CBS footage (00:54) of the bicyclist in the intersection of Canal Street and Adams Street just prior to the impact. The cab is in the background but is obscured by CBS reporter in the foreground in this image.


See video and complete article.


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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Stephen P. on March 2, 2017 at 7:55am

If you goto the CBS website, at moment 0:40, the biker has clearly entered the intersection and the do not walk sign is illuminated.  I suspect the cabbie also had a red light because the City of Chicago lights seem to have a brief second where both lights are red.  Unfortunately, I don't think the biker is totally innocent here, hopefully he learns from this but he seems to think accidents with cars are inevitable.  

Permalink Reply by Patrick on March 2, 2017 at 8:14am

If you slow the video down you will also see a pair of headphones fly off the cyclist head when he got hit... =/ 

Permalink Reply by petemoonman on March 2, 2017 at 8:23am

Cabbie had no Drivers License!

Permalink Reply by HumanPoweredTransportation on March 2, 2017 at 8:36am

the cab company, or at least the insurance company, is going to have to pay up for this one.

Permalink Reply by Patrick on March 2, 2017 at 8:26am

Not a surprise haha 

Permalink Reply by Irvin Steinert on March 3, 2017 at 8:08am

Looks to me like both cyclist and cabbie were cutting it close. Probably a best practice to not time the lights and also expect that aggressive drivers will try to "make the light" at high speeds. I think the cabbie is at fault for sure but I also feel that the cyclist could have slowed down a little before entering the intersection. I only ride in the suburbs and don't know if that is practical to do in the city (given the number of intersections that one must deal with). If it isn't then what sort of additional infrastructure would help mitigate these issues?

Permalink Reply by HumanPoweredTransportation on March 3, 2017 at 10:08am

What would mitigate these issues? SLOWING DOWN the motor vehicles. The speed limits in most cities is just too high. In areas busy with people on bicycles, people walking other traffic, and even in calmer neighborhoods, 20 is plenty, maybe an official 25mph speed limit on some of the main strips with cross walks. Cars are super convenient, but we have grown to accept that every "traffic engineer" really they should be "transportation engineer" decision is about providing the best possible Level of Service for the motor vehicle user, often such a goal makes conditions less safe or convenient for all other road users including transit (which cities also subsidize).

In this case a lower speed limit, narrowing traffic lanes, many are super wide 11, 12 feet. Narrow down the lanes, if only with paint at first. bumping out the curbs at corners can create more sidewalk space or space for street trees. The trees also act as visual barriers narrowing the perception of the space of the road, slowing traffic. Raised crosswalks (esp. midblock) or speed humps. 

Specifically for this intersection, the lights could be TIMED FOR 20MPH and this could be announced. Even though the speed (upper) "limit" might still be 30 (and hopefully lowered), the lights can be timed for 20mph WITH signs that tell drivers this.

Better enforcement of existing laws. Driving without a license like this illegal cabbie should be a really severe penalty--for driver AND company. If police had better enforcement they would have possibly pulled this driver over sooner, potentially taking them off the road.

Permalink Reply by Irvin Steinert on March 5, 2017 at 10:25am

speed bumps, i like that

Permalink Reply by Alex Z on March 6, 2017 at 3:46am

Great points, all.

Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on March 3, 2017 at 10:33am

Amsterdam style riding. Fa la la la LA...

Permalink Reply by JAYMO on March 6, 2017 at 1:12pm

I had a similar scenario happen to me on my way home from work this evening.  Heading south down Wells at Huron.  I was stopped with my foot on the ground waiting for green.  Looking left I see the light turn yellow.  I look straight ahead and wait for green before I lift my foot.  One pedal stroke after green a cab comes through right in front of me at 40(?)mph.  I turn right and get his cab number and company.  He had a fare in the back which may have been my only hope had I been hit.    

How would you handle this scenario?  I have the cab number and company name.  Is there a third party I could contact?  

Just as a follow up, this forum is pretty great.  I dont post much but I read it every week.  It really helps hearing everyone's stories and advice.

Thanks for reading.   

Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on March 6, 2017 at 2:04pm
http://gridchicago.com/2012/calling-311-to-report-dangerous-taxicab...

https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/bacp/provdrs/consumer/s...

I would first thank 'my lucky stars'. (I always wait till the crazies clear the intersection before I ride on.)
You can report the cab # to the city. (I wish uber - lyft vehicle's were more prominently marked for easy id.)
This would probably be the most effective way to deal with this cab driver.
Then you should report it to the cab company for their usual ho-hum response.

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