Sunday morning cyclist hit

April 6, 2014 (EVANSTON, Ill.) -- A Wilmette woman is in custody after she hit a car, a woman on a scooter and a cyclist Sunday in north suburban Evanston.

Evanston investigators say the path of destruction began around 10:00 a.m., after the suspected driver hit another car on the corner of Ridge Avenue and Davis Street.

Authorities say the 63-year-old woman fled the scene and crashed into several parked cars at Chicago and Keeney.

Police say the woman continued driving and struck a woman on a motorized scooter in the 600 block of Chicago Avenue.

The female on the scooter suffered minor injuries and took herself to a hospital.

Witnesses say the suspect driver had a third and final accident in the 700 block of Main Street, where she hit a man riding a bike. The cyclist was taken to Presence Saint Francis Hospital with minor injuries.

Several bystanders saw the aftermath including shop manager Cheryl Nester Detweiler, who had just arrived at work.

Cleveland Burkitt took cellphone pictures of officers arresting the driver, and said the woman nearly slammed into him as he drove in the 4600 block of Main Street.

Officers say the suspect drove three more miles to a neighboring suburb with a bashed car and windshield. An unmarked squad car spotted the damaged car in the 4600 block of Main Street, near the border of Evanston and Skokie.

Police said the woman's car was surrounded by Evanston and Skokie officers, and she was taken in to custody. Charges are pending against the woman, who had minor injuries from the incidents.

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Permalink Reply by Bart Longacre on April 9, 2014 at 5:11am

I'm the biker, and I just want to say thanks to everyone for their thoughts and wishes through this process.   Evanston Police Department were great, and it is really clear that their goal is to get this driver off the streets.  I spent a good part of Sunday in the ER in the room beside that driver, and can only say that she clearly should not be driving ever again.  I got to hear them put the cuffs on her, and as satisfying as that feeling was, it pales in comparison to the comfort I received from strangers, friends, and especially my wife who was out of town and got back to Chicago faster than any of us thought possible.

Throughout the process I have been found great kindness, compassion and  advocacy from  numerous individuals.  The ER and ICU staffs at Presence St. Francis are a cooly efficient bunch, and deserve tremendous respect for all they do.  Evanston PD is going to do everything in their power to remove this driver from the road.  

I won't go into my physical condition much, except to say that I look pretty scary.   If you want to see a reason to wear a helmet, look at that driver's windshield and my face and you'll see why.   Let's all hope EPD and the county attorney succeed in getting this driver off the road.

I was humbled yesterday to speak with the attending trauma physician who was there when I was brought in on Sunday.  Violence, hatred and misunderstanding are all within easy reach of anyone who wants to pick them up and wield them---it's much harder to see the world as it is in all its ugliness and to choose peace and compassion. I'm really proud of how this thread never became one of those cars vs bike rants (which have their place, sadly), and thanks to everyone for their well-wishes.


Permalink Reply by Michelle Milham on April 9, 2014 at 5:15am

Glad to see that you are up and typing. :)  Hope you continue to heal well and that the process of getting a dangerous driver out from behind the wheel goes smoothly. 

Bartolo said:

I'm the biker, and I just want to say thanks to everyone for their thoughts and wishes through this process.   Evanston Police Department were great, and it is really clear that their goal is to get this driver off the streets.  I spent a good part of Sunday in the ER in the room beside that driver, and can only say that she clearly should not be driving ever again.  I got to hear them put the cuffs on her, and as satisfying as that feeling was, it pales in comparison to the comfort I received from strangers, friends, and especially my wife who was out of town and got back to Chicago faster than any of us thought possible.

Throughout the process I have been found great kindness, compassion and  advocacy from  numerous individuals.  The ER and ICU staffs at Presence St. Francis are a cooly efficient bunch, and deserve tremendous respect for all they do.  Evanston PD is going to do everything in their power to remove this driver from the road.  

I won't go into my physical condition much, except to say that I look pretty scary.   If you want to see a reason to wear a helmet, look at that driver's windshield and my face and you'll see why.   Let's all hope EPD and the county attorney succeed in getting this driver off the road.

I was humbled yesterday to speak with the attending trauma physician who was there when I was brought in on Sunday.  Violence, hatred and misunderstanding are all within easy reach of anyone who wants to pick them up and wield them---it's much harder to see the world as it is in all its ugliness and to choose peace and compassion. I'm really proud of how this thread never became one of those cars vs bike rants (which have their place, sadly), and thanks to everyone for their well-wishes.


Permalink Reply by Steve Courtright on April 9, 2014 at 5:30am

Thanks, Bartolo, for checking in to let us know that you are on the mend.  Chapeau to the ER docs, to the EPD, and all those taking action.

I admire your conversation about the need for compassion.

I would still encourage you to retain a good attorney.  The system that we live in requires us to share risk with others.  When an event happens like this one, the system should consider those who have been harmed.  Just my opinion.

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on April 9, 2014 at 5:38am

We're all grateful that you're still alive, Bartolo.  Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on April 9, 2014 at 6:03am

Bartolo - I'm glad that you're feeling well enough to respond and that you survived that crash with your compassion intact.  Sending healing thoughts.

Permalink Reply by yaj 7.4 on April 9, 2014 at 6:15am

I started this thread because my cycling group rode by your mashed-up bike on Sunday afternoon.  I'm so relieved you're ok.  Thank you so much for writing.  I echo our other chainlinkers - best wishes for a speedy recovery.  

Permalink Reply by dan brown on April 9, 2014 at 8:55am

ditto. thanks Jen

yaj 7.4 said:

I started this thread because my cycling group rode by your mashed-up bike on Sunday afternoon.  I'm so relieved you're ok.  Thank you so much for writing.  I echo our other chainlinkers - best wishes for a speedy recovery.  

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on April 9, 2014 at 8:58am

Thanks for updating us and also wishing you a speedy recovery.

Bartolo said:

I'm the biker, and I just want to say thanks to everyone for their thoughts and wishes through this process.  

Permalink Reply by Drewbacca on April 9, 2014 at 2:36pm

Thanks for stopping by, it's a relief that you are able to post in this thread. I hope you are also back on a bike soon!  

Permalink Reply by Craig Williams on April 11, 2014 at 10:24am

Thank you for teaching us compassionate response to such an aggressive incident.  May you continue to receive the blessings of family, friends and community and be back on a new bike soon.
 
Bartolo said:

I'm the biker, and I just want to say thanks to everyone for their thoughts and wishes through this process.   Evanston Police Department were great, and it is really clear that their goal is to get this driver off the streets.  I spent a good part of Sunday in the ER in the room beside that driver, and can only say that she clearly should not be driving ever again.  I got to hear them put the cuffs on her, and as satisfying as that feeling was, it pales in comparison to the comfort I received from strangers, friends, and especially my wife who was out of town and got back to Chicago faster than any of us thought possible.

Throughout the process I have been found great kindness, compassion and  advocacy from  numerous individuals.  The ER and ICU staffs at Presence St. Francis are a cooly efficient bunch, and deserve tremendous respect for all they do.  Evanston PD is going to do everything in their power to remove this driver from the road.  

I won't go into my physical condition much, except to say that I look pretty scary.   If you want to see a reason to wear a helmet, look at that driver's windshield and my face and you'll see why.   Let's all hope EPD and the county attorney succeed in getting this driver off the road.

I was humbled yesterday to speak with the attending trauma physician who was there when I was brought in on Sunday.  Violence, hatred and misunderstanding are all within easy reach of anyone who wants to pick them up and wield them---it's much harder to see the world as it is in all its ugliness and to choose peace and compassion. I'm really proud of how this thread never became one of those cars vs bike rants (which have their place, sadly), and thanks to everyone for their well-wishes.


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