How to be a Good Samaritian
If you ever witness a crash, related to dooring or not, take some advice from this short but great article out of Boston.
To The Bicyclist Who Was Doored, The Driver Who Doored Her, And The...
- First, the way the driver behaved after the accident was unacceptable. And it really suggests only one thing: an honest lack of understanding of the law regarding motorists’ responsibility to bikers and bike lanes.
- I think the lessons learned from this experience are two-fold, and this goes to both motorists and bicyclists alike: Familiarize yourself with Massachusetts law regarding bikes, bike lanes and motorist responsibilities, and for goodness sake don’t avoid doing what’s right just because it’s inconvenient.
Have you ever encountered a similar situation here in Chicago?
@lookchicago
"Look, Doors Kill"
Views: 440
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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Good points and lessons to remember. Our culture is to put the blinders on and get wherever we're going uninterrupted
Regardless of what other things are on your plate, its important to remember that its important to take ownership of situations when you can. Don't fall into the "its someone else's problem" state of mind.
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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on
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Good article. As someone who's been doored and been too stunned to act in my best interests, I'd suggest to any witnesses who want to be good Samaritans that they offer whatever physical assistance they can, call 911 if the person needs it, and be a witness. If you can't stick around, at least write down your contact info, as well as details about the accident, such as a description of the driver and car, and license plate #. If you get the victim's contact info, ask later if they need a witness statement from you.
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Permalink Reply by Aaron Bussey on
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Great feedback Anne - I wish everyone could avoid ever having to deal with this kind of situation, but keeping these simple things in mind if ever needed can be immensely important.
@lookchicago
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I've had a couple of situations when I was riding alone and was dazed enough from a crash not to get useful info. I ended up regretting it later.
I share your wish that no one should have to deal with this, but unfortunately crashes keep happening.
Aaron Bussey said:Great feedback Anne - I wish everyone could avoid ever having to deal with this kind of situation, but keeping these simple things in mind if ever needed can be immensely important.
@lookchicago
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Permalink Reply by Melissa on
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Have you ever encountered a similar situation here in Chicago?
Yes and here's what I learned.
If you witness a crash:
- Call 911. Request an ambulance. (Even if there is no gushing blood or protruding bones. Some injuries take longer to set in.)
- Note every detail (time, location, weather, license plate numbers, direction of traffic, who had the right-of-way, vehicles, etc.)
- Wait with the victim. Even if they seem okay.
- Make sure that a police report is created.
- Exchange info. Offer to serve as a witness. Give them the numbers of these guys, who also have good advice.
Last summer I witnessed a crash for the first time at a popular intersection in Boystown. I watched as a man on a bike crossed at the light and got blind-sided by a driver on a cellphone in an SUV. The cyclist flew through the air, hit the pavement, and rolled.
Several people rushed over to him but soon left because he was fully conscious and looked to be perfectly fine. I stuck around for the next hour solely because I'd taken to reading the Chainlink Forum and hearing everyone's personal accounts will teach you that a crash is a bigger - and more prevalent - problem than may first appear.
The driver pulled over, checked on the victim, and drove away. Unbelievable. The police and the ambulance took a ridiculously long time to arrive. In the hour that passed, it seemed strange at first for me to hang around, but it turned out that the guy really did need a lot of help. Water. Ice. Locking up the bike. Crash resources. Reporting all of the details to the police while he was carted away in excruciating pain from whiplash. And just plain, old moral support while he sat on the curb, dazed throughout the whole thing.
At 6:00 pm the cop told me this was the fourth bike crash or dooring he alone had responded to that day! Since then I've suspected that all the crash stats and trackers we have skew far lower than is accurate.
The driver's insurance company contacted me repeatedly, solely concerned with who had the green light at the time of the impact. Never mind the cell phone. Never mind the hit-and-run.
Don't fly through lights, people! Use your brakes and wear a helmet. And respond to crashes even if everything seems to be fine.
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Permalink Reply by Joseph Beemster on
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Melissa, Excellent article and great work on your part. Our club, the Wheeling Wheelmen, have had accidents involving motorized vehicles, one of which is in litigation. The accompanying riders always stay with the injured rider in any kind of an accident just to make sure everything is OK. Joe
Melissa said:Have you ever encountered a similar situation here in Chicago?
Yes and here's what I learned.
If you witness a crash:
- Call 911. Request an ambulance. (Even if there is no gushing blood or protruding bones. Some injuries take longer to set in.)
- Note every detail (time, location, weather, license plate numbers, direction of traffic, who had the right-of-way, vehicles, etc.)
- Wait with the victim. Even if they seem okay.
- Make sure that a police report is created.
- Exchange info. Offer to serve as a witness. Give them the numbers of these guys, who also have good advice.
Last summer I witnessed a crash for the first time at a popular intersection in Boystown. I watched as a man on a bike crossed at the light and got blind-sided by a driver on a cellphone in an SUV. The cyclist flew through the air, hit the pavement, and rolled.
Several people rushed over to him but soon left because he was fully conscious and looked to be perfectly fine. I stuck around for the next hour solely because I'd taken to reading the Chainlink Forum and hearing everyone's personal accounts will teach you that a crash is a bigger - and more prevalent - problem than may first appear.
The driver pulled over, checked on the victim, and drove away. Unbelievable. The police and the ambulance took a ridiculously long time to arrive. In the hour that passed, it seemed strange at first for me to hang around, but it turned out that the guy really did need a lot of help. Water. Ice. Locking up the bike. Crash resources. Reporting all of the details to the police while he was carted away in excruciating pain from whiplash. And just plain, old moral support while he sat on the curb, dazed throughout the whole thing.
At 6:00 pm the cop told me this was the fourth bike crash or dooring he alone had responded to that day! Since then I've suspected that all the crash stats and trackers we have skew far lower than is accurate.
The driver's insurance company contacted me repeatedly, solely concerned with who had the green light at the time of the impact. Never mind the cell phone. Never mind the hit-and-run.
Don't fly through lights, people! Use your brakes and wear a helmet. And respond to crashes even if everything seems to be fine.
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Joseph Beemster said:Melissa, Excellent article and great work on your part. Our club, the Wheeling Wheelmen, have had accidents involving motorized vehicles, one of which is in litigation. The accompanying riders always stay with the injured rider in any kind of an accident just to make sure everything is OK. Joe
Melissa said:Have you ever encountered a similar situation here in Chicago?
Yes and here's what I learned.
If you witness a crash:
- Call 911. Request an ambulance. (Even if there is no gushing blood or protruding bones. Some injuries take longer to set in.)
- Note every detail (time, location, weather, license plate numbers, direction of traffic, who had the right-of-way, vehicles, etc.)
- Wait with the victim. Even if they seem okay.
- Make sure that a police report is created.
- Exchange info. Offer to serve as a witness. Give them the numbers of these guys, who also have good advice.
Last summer I witnessed a crash for the first time at a popular intersection in Boystown. I watched as a man on a bike crossed at the light and got blind-sided by a driver on a cellphone in an SUV. The cyclist flew through the air, hit the pavement, and rolled.
Several people rushed over to him but soon left because he was fully conscious and looked to be perfectly fine. I stuck around for the next hour solely because I'd taken to reading the Chainlink Forum and hearing everyone's personal accounts will teach you that a crash is a bigger - and more prevalent - problem than may first appear.
The driver pulled over, checked on the victim, and drove away. Unbelievable. The police and the ambulance took a ridiculously long time to arrive. In the hour that passed, it seemed strange at first for me to hang around, but it turned out that the guy really did need a lot of help. Water. Ice. Locking up the bike. Crash resources. Reporting all of the details to the police while he was carted away in excruciating pain from whiplash. And just plain, old moral support while he sat on the curb, dazed throughout the whole thing.
At 6:00 pm the cop told me this was the fourth bike crash or dooring he alone had responded to that day! Since then I've suspected that all the crash stats and trackers we have skew far lower than is accurate.
The driver's insurance company contacted me repeatedly, solely concerned with who had the green light at the time of the impact. Never mind the cell phone. Never mind the hit-and-run.
Don't fly through lights, people! Use your brakes and wear a helmet. And respond to crashes even if everything seems to be fine.
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Melissa got it right. Any time you see an accident, write down everything you can, stay with the victim, and persist with the cops and the insurance companies and everyone else. We can all do this for each other. and then forward all details to Kass and other bike-haters.
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