BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Bike was wedged under car, for miles? Nasty, why didn't they release the woman's name?

Yeah, I just read this...my God...horrible.

jesus... what is wrong with people!? we are human beings for god's sake. how can you be so callous? i hope she gets life in prison, but she'll probably just get 10 years

she'll probably just get 10 years

That would be much better than 6 months for leaving the scene of an accident, but "investigators" concluding that the cyclist was engaged in dangerous behavior for riding after dark and the motoriist isn't at fault. Sadly, something like that is often the outcome of bike/vehicle accidents.

Very frightening..

I often get home and realize that I look like an idiot with 3 flashing lights and use my headlight to make my way into my house. I ride during rush hour through the north hills to get home, can't be too careful with safety gear.

Does riding at night in general constitute as being "dangerous behavior"? or does that mean he was riding without reflectors etc?

Does riding at night in general constitute as being "dangerous behavior"? or does that mean he was riding without reflectors etc?

I probably should have been clearer--I'm not offering any specific comment on this horrible accident. I don't know if the rider had lights etc. It's just that if you read around the Internet about bike/car accidents, it's pretty easy to find stories where a cyclist was hit by a car and the accidident investigators, sometimes even the courts, attribute liability to the cyclist for being on "too busy a road" or riding at night etc.

On the other hand, there are probably lots of cases where the right thing happened. I hope that this will be case in this incident. Certainly they are in some trouble for leaving the scene of the accident.

"According to police, the car was heavily damaged and still had the bicycle wedged beneath it." (WTAE news online report)

There's hit-and-run, and there's hit-and-drag-for-four-miles-seriously-damaging-your-car. That's all separate from whatever led to the cyclist getting run down in the first place.

There are several things that don't add up in this story. They drag the bike for like 20 minutes, and then abandon the car? Then the driver and the passenger split up. He walks away, heading somewhere on foot, she flags down a motorist and goes home? I can't help by think that there were drugs or alcohol involved (and I don't mean the bike rider.)

I wonder if bike accidents are like car accidents, in the sense that a large percentage of car accidents are said to occur within blocks of your own home.

I feel sorry for this kid, and his family.

By the way, for folks not familiar with this area, this is not far from the Butler Freeport Community Trail (bike trail).

Friday night, 11:00 pm., running from the scene, I'm no CSI, but definitely alcohol. Too sad, such a young person. I hope this a'hole does some time and never drives again. Maybe it will put his ass on a bike, but that would be too good for him.

They would have to be wrecked beyond belief or complete morons to do something like this. What a terrible event.

frightening and totally fucked up.

a little late follow up on this story: 2 charged in hit-run that killed bicyclist in Butler in November

GOOD that they got busted! THAT is horrible!

Drugs or alcohol aside, I don't think that careless drivers need anything to be oblivious to cyclists or even cars if they're not paying attention.....

Yesterday I got wedged almost-twice by cars while commuting to work. The one in the morning on the Penn Avenue sharrow a car decided at the last minute to turn right and almost hit me (didn't they see me riding on their right for like 3 blocks and stopping at red lights with them???!!!). They didn't even see me and just kept going....

Later on the way home via Smallman, at a stop sign, similar story... I'm on the right, driver decides to do last-minute right turn, and I had to break with both hands and feet to avoid hitting the car.... this time the driver realized what happened and stopped for a second after turning, probably realizing what a dumb ass they were....

In neither case they had their right-turn light on... and what strucks me too, can they freaking see my bright orange helmet??? That's why I got a bright helmet! So people can see me!

And ONE more....

Last year I was going to work via-Liberty Ave and approching the red light towards 16th St Bridge, when all the sudden a blue-van starts pulling closer & closer to me. The side-view mirror brushed my left-steering handle bar and part of my hand-glove (I used to hold the steering from the 'sides' before), so I tried to ride as close to the sidewalk as possible while leaning on the car thinking it would stop -but didn't, it then got so tight I ended up jumping off the bike to-the right towards the sidewalk while pulling the bike with me..... I almost fell over but was able to catch my balance at the last minute while dropping the bike. In the end I ended up twisting my right ankle, with bruises on my right calf when the pedal hit me, plus a scratch on my right calf, plus bruising my inner-tight around the crotch area while attempting my jumping-dismount. It happened so fast-yet-slow motion, I was kind of shocked so didn't even get to yell at the driver who never actually stopped. I actually think he never really saw me or the sidewalk.... anyhow, before I thought too much about it or let fear settle in, I got back on the bike and back to the street after the red light.

SORRY.... I know that this post is not about me, but this is disturbing, what happened to this poor guy and his family.....

(I had a brother who was hit by -our- school buss too when I was a kid... driver didn't see my brother, and he also kept going, dragging him below until the bus kids yelled at him to stop).... needless to say my brother died.

So, yeah..... careless %@#%%^&**@ drivers everywhere