2 bike collision this morning 7/20 on 14th bridge

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  • July 20, 2016 at 1:36 pm #918418
    mohonk
    Participant

    This happened about 8:45 am on the bridge a little past the curve on the VA side. A cyclist heading into DC tried to pass a slow going cyclist and hit oncoming cyclist in opposite lane. Both were thrown to the ground but one woman took awhile before getting back on her feet. It was hard to tell who was the responsible party and I was more focused on seeing if the woman needed assistance, which she declined.

    There needs to be a sign warning to slow down as bikers exit the bridge on to the Mt. Vernon. This is a very blind curve, and it doesn’t help that brush is growing on the sides that make it even blinder. Cyclists should not be passing anyone there or on the DC end, only on the straightaway of the bridge and when it’s safe to do so.

    There are signs on trails in DMV warning to slow down but I haven’t seen any warning not to pass. How and who do I petition to to get this done?

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  • July 20, 2016 at 1:40 pm #1055520
    Tania
    Participant

    Few things make me want to carry tennis balls (or rocks) to throw at people more than passing on blind curves. It’s such a jerk move.

    July 20, 2016 at 1:51 pm #1055521
    rcannon100
    Participant

    Saw the aftermath. The front tire of the VA bound bike was a complete pretzel. That accident had force.

    July 20, 2016 at 1:56 pm #1055522
    mohonk
    Participant

    @Tania 143350 wrote:

    Few things make me want to carry tennis balls (or rocks) to throw at people more than passing on blind curves. It’s such a jerk move.

    I think I can understand the mindset behind it. We all get psyched when we get out on our bikes and find a good pace to ride. The adrenaline and endorphins are flowing and you want to maintain that pace because it feels great. But courtesy and common sense have to come to the forefront of your mind when the conditions and traffic changes. Besides being dangerous I think this behavior promotes a bad image of cycling to the larger community of joggers and walkers who also use these trails and walkways.

    July 20, 2016 at 2:04 pm #1055523
    mohonk
    Participant

    @rcannon100 143352 wrote:

    Saw the aftermath. The front tire of the VA bound bike was a complete pretzel. That accident had force.

    Yes I saw that too. I hope that woman was okay. You have to consider that a person after an accident may not have the presence of mind to recognize that she needs medical help, especially if a concussion happened.

    July 20, 2016 at 2:11 pm #1055524
    mello yello
    Participant

    I spoke to the VA bound cyclist to ask if he was o.k. or needed assistance, around 9:20 or so… he’d been bleeding a little from a cut on his face. He said that someone came around the curve going way too fast, but that hey, these things happen. Nobody else was there, so I’m guessing the other cyclist is the woman mentioned previously.

    I am not a supporter of the attitude that “these things happen”… that does not have to be the case if we all can recognize dangerous situations and take basic precautions… like waiting until you’re off the narrow bridge and onto Ohio Drive before passing a CaBi / slower cyclist. Most do, but enough don’t that it’s regularly dangerous. This is part of why I go up Ohio Drive to Memorial Bridge.

    July 20, 2016 at 2:54 pm #1055526
    Fairlington124
    Participant

    @mohonk 143353 wrote:

    The adrenaline and endorphins are flowing and you want to maintain that pace because it feels great.

    Such a selfish mindset. I feel sorry for the oncoming cyclist who was in a serious accident just because someone felt too good to slow down.

    As I’ve stated before, I’m not even a daily rider but I shake my head every single time I see a cyclist make a dangerous move just to keep his or pace.

    July 20, 2016 at 3:14 pm #1055527
    Subby
    Participant

    That’s a bad spot, to be sure. Not sure how much bang for your buck you would get with a sign though. Probably more effective working to get that foliage cut way, way back so you have better lines of site.

    The other issue there is the transition from trail to bridge. Trying to remember if there is any paint down the middle of the trail – probably wouldn’t hurt to resurface all of that too – it’s pretty bad and doesn’t help with folks trying to maintain their line.

    July 20, 2016 at 3:36 pm #1055529
    mello yello
    Participant

    @Subby 143358 wrote:

    That’s a bad spot, to be sure. Not sure how much bang for your buck you would get with a sign though. Probably more effective working to get that foliage cut way, way back so you have better lines of site.

    I think this was on the other end of the bridge (DC side), where the trail empties onto Ohio Drive by the Jefferson Memorial… at least that’s where the injured cyclist I saw was… where there are plenty of sight lines but the nature of the curve and lining up for the sharp curbed access ramps makes spacing tricky. A climbing cyclist wouldn’t have any way of avoiding an unexpected downhill passer while heading up the ramps to the trail.

    July 20, 2016 at 3:46 pm #1055531
    KLizotte
    Participant

    Just a reminder to anyone that stops at such an accident to provide help: take lots of photos, ask for eye witness contact info, and give your contact info to the injured parties. People immediately after an accident aren’t in a state of mind (or body) to collect all the evidence for a court case or health insurance claim.

    This advice was given by Bruce Deming, the bike lawyer.

    July 20, 2016 at 3:49 pm #1055532
    mohonk
    Participant

    @mello yello 143360 wrote:

    I think this was on the other end of the bridge (DC side), where the trail empties onto Ohio Drive by the Jefferson Memorial… at least that’s where the injured cyclist I saw was… where there are plenty of sight lines but the nature of the curve and lining up for the sharp curbed access ramps makes spacing tricky. A climbing cyclist wouldn’t have any way of avoiding an unexpected downhill passer while heading up the ramps to the trail.

    No this was on the VA side (unless we are talking about another accident). Both points on the DC and VA side are similar in their grade but the VA side is worse because of the curve.

    July 20, 2016 at 3:54 pm #1055534
    mohonk
    Participant

    @KLizotte 143363 wrote:

    Just a reminder to anyone that stops at such an accident to provide help: take lots of photos, ask for eye witness contact info, and give your contact info to the injured parties. People immediately after an accident aren’t in a state of mind (or body) to collect all the evidence for a court case or health insurance claim.

    This advice was given by Bruce Deming, the bike lawyer.

    That’s good advice except I would feel uncomfortable taking photos at the scene. That might be misconstrued as being ghoulish behavior, especially if someone was on the ground and hurt.

    July 20, 2016 at 3:56 pm #1055535
    KLizotte
    Participant

    @mohonk 143366 wrote:

    That’s good advice except I would feel uncomfortable taking photos at the scene. That might be misconstrued as being ghoulish behavior, especially if someone was on the ground and hurt.

    Not if you explain why you are doing it. Having just broken a bone in a biking accident a couple of weeks ago, I definitely would have appreciated the assistance.

    July 20, 2016 at 4:00 pm #1055538
    scoot
    Participant

    @mello yello 143355 wrote:

    I am not a supporter of the attitude that “these things happen”…

    Me either. #CrashNotAccident

    Doesn’t matter if it’s bikes or cars.

    July 20, 2016 at 4:05 pm #1055539
    BTC_DC
    Participant

    @mohonk 143348 wrote:

    This happened about 8:45 am on the bridge a little past the curve on the VA side. A cyclist heading into DC tried to pass a slow going cyclist and hit oncoming cyclist in opposite lane.

    From this it sounds like the fault of the cyclist heading uphill…passing into a blind curve. Though also prudent for VA bound riders to take it easy around this curve, especially if otherwise not able to stay in their lane.

    There are a few spots like this in that general area where I see riders going uphill passing into blind curves with no idea whether a fast downhill cyclist is just around the bend: south end of Gravelly Point path by the parking lot, bottom of the North airport bridge, just north of the crystal city spur at the start of that bridge, top of the long decline towards the car ramp from Aviation Circle onto GW Parkway, and a few of those curves as you continue on along the airport parking, and so on as you head south (or on MVT).

    There are so many such spots, and with all the blind-curve passes you see going into those spots it is surprising that this does not occur more often.

    July 20, 2016 at 4:40 pm #1055543
    mello yello
    Participant

    @mohonk 143364 wrote:

    No this was on the VA side (unless we are talking about another accident). Both points on the DC and VA side are similar in their grade but the VA side is worse because of the curve.

    I think this may have been a second accident then… the rider appeared to be repairing a flat, had removed himself to the vehicle barriers along the sidewalk behind the Jefferson. I didn’t think his wheel was destroyed… and said that someone had hit him coming around a curve too fast, by which I inferred they were barreling down the hill towards Ohio Drive…

    Who knows… could be the same crash.

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