Holy CRAP!

Sep 12, 2006 By RL Policar Posted in The Archives Tagged with Commute by Bike

Watch this video of the show COPS and you’ll see a bicyclist get hit by a car.

0 thoughts on “Holy CRAP!”

Vaughn says:

September 12, 2006 at 7:40 pm

GEEZ! No helmet, either. Hope he was ok!

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Randy Policar says:

September 12, 2006 at 7:58 pm

That car must have been flying! Did you hear how loud and how long the tires were screaching?

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Dan says:

September 12, 2006 at 7:59 pm

Damn!

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Lani says:

September 12, 2006 at 11:18 pm

Ouch!!!

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Morto says:

September 13, 2006 at 6:52 am

Wow – that made me feel ill.

I really hope that guy was OK, but I’m thinking he wouldn’t be doing to well after that sort of a collision without a helmet 🙁

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Chris says:

September 13, 2006 at 7:25 am

I don’t think you have to be going that fast for the tires to squeal like that. The cop said they were going about 45, which sounds right. And the thud when he hit the window should be expected when a 180 pound object is hit by a car.

The driver wasn’t at fault if the cyclist didn’t have the proper safety equipment, which would certainly include a helmet and should include a rearview mirror. This one can be written off as two people who just had their day turn crappy.

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Bill says:

September 13, 2006 at 9:34 am

The driver wasn’t at fault if the cyclist didn’t have the proper safety equipment??? Are you nuts? So if I don’t wear a helmet to ride my bike to the corners store it is okay for cars to run me over?

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Johnny5 says:

September 13, 2006 at 2:43 pm

The way the cop, who was wearing sunglasses, was shading his eyes whenever looking in that direction leads me to believe the rubber necking driver (assumption on my part but judging by all traffic, if there are flashy lights people crane necks to catch a glimpse) also had some glare issues to contend from the sun’s position. Happens when traveling Westbound on I 40 here in the fall. The sun blinds drivers. Even makes stop lights invisible.

Had the cyclist been wearing a helmet and more lights than the new year’s eve ball drop, I don’t think he’d been seen clear enough from a car moving probably legal speed limit but too fast for the conditions. Meaning, if you can’t see clearly ahead, you should slow down.

Driver is at fault in my opinion. Cyclist should have been wearing a helmet.

I cringe every ride home that that will be my fate. I head westward home. The cars zip by at 60-65 mph on a 55mph 4 lane. Yeah I have a wide shoulder, but cars pass others in it all the time.

Like they all say, it’s not a matter of if we get hit, but when. Be careful out there.

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Nick says:

September 13, 2006 at 5:22 pm

I gotta step in here – the ‘should have been wearing a helmet’ thing annoys me to no end. At best, that guys probably has some broken bones, maybe a rib, possibly some internal bleeding, and it looks like he either broke his nose or lost some teeth. A helmet will prevent none of that. Helmets are going to save your head from a low speed fall where you fail to catch yourself or tuck your head, but if you get hit by a car at 45 miles an hour, you’re in trouble, helmet or no.

It’s smart to protect your head, yes, but don’t confuse the thing with a cloak of invincibility. I mean, why not argue for full body armour and a neck brace on every ride?

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Johnny5 says:

September 14, 2006 at 9:43 am

Helmets saved me on a 55 mph impact. Helmet was creamed. My head, fine. My opinion is helmets save lives. It’s no guarentee, that’s for certain, but why risk it?

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Rob R. says:

September 14, 2006 at 2:41 pm

Whether he was wearing a helmet or not has nothing to do with the accident.

Did he suddenly swerve into the other lane to avoid the cars that were on the side of the road?

Was the auto driver going to fast or not paying attention?

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Nick says:

September 15, 2006 at 8:39 am

Don’t get me wrong – I wear a helmet too, it’s smart. But let’s not pretend the guy would have been fine had he been wearing one.

The reason all this helmet prostheletizing gets me angry is that there’s a law currently under consideration here in New York City to make helmet wearing compulsory. Cities and states that have done this in the past have seen a dramatic reduction in bicyclists. Many people would rather not bike than wear a helmet – strange, but true – and I believe that the only thing that will make bicycling safer is more riders out there, helmet or no.

So please, everyone, stop acting shocked that people ride without helmets. Just live and let live. When you encourage the idea that biking without a helmet is unsafe, you’re actually encouraging an idea that makes bicycling less safe for the rest of us.

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Phil says:

September 15, 2006 at 10:57 am

I just have to mention–that officer handled everything very, very well. Sometimes when you watch COPS and something totally unexpected like this happens, you can just tell how well their training and experience kicks right in to high gear.

Here, I think the blame can be shared–if there’s an obstable (police car) in your way while biking, you can’t just blindly pull out around it when vehicles going over twice as fast as you are approaching from behind. It seems like a pretty boneheaded move without at least a peek over ones shoulder.

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Holy CRAP!

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