Comments for Struck in DC

Comment on Submission: Cyclist Struck at 16th and R St, NW by seo

seo — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 21:51:08 +0000

cabs will be the death of me. If they arent rolling stop signs into cyclists or making sudden turns into them, they are illegally dropping off rushed or beligerant unwary passangers in bicycle lane traffic. “anytime you see a cab you need to pay close attention…” sounds like someone hasn’t been out on a city street. Here in SF there are almost more cabs than other vehicles. There is always a cab in sight. I bike with “utmost caution” but still seem to have too many close calls with cabs. Blaming the victim is a useless excercise; every accident needs to be reported to the insurance of the car. EVERY ONE. If you get hit by an idiot cab driver breaking the law, call the police, file an accident report on the site, and file a claim against their insurance. There must be a relentless effort to hold drivers accountable.

Comment on Submission: Cyclist Struck at 16th and R St, NW by M

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 14:36:56 +0000

I think you are at fault here, actually. A cab stopped in the middle of the block should be a huge red flag for you to slow down considerably and stay entirely out of the door zone. It was really imprudent for you to fly down the street so quickly and not stay out of the cab’s way.

Was it legal for the cab to stop in the bike lane? I don’t know. Should the passenger have looked behind before opening the door? Definitely. But it is 100% predictable that cabs and passengers WILL do both things, frequently, and you should adjust accordingly.

In short, any time you see a cab you need to pay close attention and bike with utmost caution.

Comment on The Story of a Bicycle Crash, from Street to Court by Kevin

Kevin — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:17:13 +0000

Do you have any idea where in DC official code it states that an officer is not supposed to give a citation without speaking to the “offender” and/or seeing the accident personally? I was crossing the street at a crosswalk (supposedly, technically against the light), was hit by a car that was at a dead stop when I began crossing, and was taken to the ER for injuries sustained. I was informed en route by the EMT that I was given a ticket for walking against the light, but the officer never spoke to me or took my statement. In fact, I have been trying to get in touch with the officer who responded for months now, but to no avail. Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated.

Comment on Submission: Cyclist Struck at 403 New Jersey Ave NW by Scott

Scott — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:40:13 +0000

Why were you riding in the door zone?

Comment on Submission: Cyclist Struck at 16th and R St, NW by mattashburn

mattashburn — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 15:26:26 +0000

I’d say there are at least two violations:
-Hack violation / Fail to pull to curb to discharge passenger (31 DCMR 822.16,17)
-Passenger opened door in unsafe manner (18 DCMR 2214.4)

The details are a little unclear, so there may other violations. For example, did the passenger exit on the curb side, or driver’s side?

Comment on Submission: Cyclist Struck at 16th and R St, NW by Evan Wilder

Evan Wilder — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 15:25:00 +0000

I hate stories like this Seems like there should be some repercussions for this happening.

When you passed the taxi were you in the bike lane or did you switch to the main car lane?

I always avoid pulled over taxis and pass with plenty of distance since you never know which doors will open.

Comment on Submission: Cyclist Struck at 5th and D, NE by jindc

jindc — Thu, 12 May 2011 15:10:27 +0000

There isn’t a stop light at the corner of 5th & D sts. NE.

Comment on Submission: Cyclist Struck at Van Ness St and 40th Pl NW; Received $150 Ticket by Aaron Z.

Aaron Z. — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 18:04:30 +0000

I just wanted to bring in a quick update to this incident, since I did have my court date recently. The ticket was dismissed owing to, among other things, the fact that the wording of the ticket was “failure to adjust speed to avoid a collision” and yet the officer did not have any information about my speed at the time of the collision in his report.

My interpretation is that the judge saw the ticket as grossly wrong and figured out a way to dismiss it.

Comment on About by E Rose

E Rose — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 12:51:48 +0000

Hello, just a quick question, does the Police in Washington DC not keep a record of all personal injury collisions on the roads which would cover both pedestrians and cyclists? Why not ask for this historic data and then you could map the past compared to more recent times and show if junctions (intersections) are worse or not.
My guess is that you find very few patterns and clusters for cyclist collisions although Pedestrian collisions are likely to be more frequent.

Comment on Can we eliminate death and serious injury from our roadways? by Susan Meehan

Susan Meehan — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 12:13:34 +0000

Living in the Dupont Circle area, I see cyclists all the time, and welcome their presence. I have been keeping a running total of cyclists with helmets on and cyclists without helmets. Right now, it’s somewhere around two-thirds without helmets. This is not good at all, and I give you the following reason for my concern.

I had a friend who was in a bad bike accident many years ago while crossing Key Bridge. He was hit by a truck and slammed into one of the Jersey barriers near where the exit for the Whitehurst Expressway is located. He was not wearing a helmet. As a result of his head injuries, he developed amnesia for twelve years, and eventually died. True story.

I cannot urge cyclists enough to always, always wear helmets. Knowing who you are is more important than how your haircut/hairdo is going to look worse once you arrive at your destination and take off the helmet. Even one such story is too great a tragedy; think how your family would be affected if you were to be so badly injured when you didn’t have to be. No bike accident is worth taking a chance and riding helmet-less. I would NEVER get onto my recumbent without first strapping on my helmet. My white hair may get mussed up, but if I had an accident, at least my 72-year old brain would have a better chance. Vanity shouldn’t trump safety ever, ever. You are too precious to a lot of people to make it worthwhile to take such a risk. Please listen to this DC granny – in this case, I believe I’m speaking for your family!