Bike to Work Day: The Discussion

[winlock]

I need to share a sobering story from bike to work day. My wife and I were heading out for dinner in Fairfax around 7pm last night, when we witnessed a truck literally run over a cyclist. The cyclist was going west on Rte 236, and the truck pulled out from a side street near Burke Station Rd without seeing him, possibly because he was on his phone. We were first on the scene before the ambulance arrived and it was terrible. The young man in his 20’s was screaming in pain from the tire tracks on his back, and we tried to keep him still. There were bits of his purple bike to work shirt rubbed into the pavement. We are hopeful that he will recover, since he could move his legs and remained conscious. However it was beyond sobering, as we have contemplated biking to work many times. As a civil engineer, I am going to renew my efforts to create safe bike lanes, and hopefully can still find the courage to get out there on my bike. Drivers please wake up and realize the life and death responsibility here.

[eminva]

I am very sorry to hear this news. I do hope the cyclist is able to recover from his injuries. What a sad coda to an otherwise good day. I appreciate that you will be a witness for the challenges that bicyclists face in your profession.

Liz

[Mark Blacknell]

Winlock, I want to offer a belated thanks to you for coming to the aid of your fellow man. A lot of people find that sort of thing too much to deal with, and find reasons to pass on by. I haven’t heard any additional information about the result of the crash, but I do know that Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling are aware of the incident, and trying to find out more. I do think it’s great that this is inspiring you to get more involved with bike advocacy, and suggest getting in touch with the folks at FABB.

[KLizotte]

Does anyone know the status of the cyclist that was hit on route 236 in Fairfax last Friday (Bike to work day)? Haven’t found anything online.

[Joe Chapline]

@KLizotte 3827 wrote:

Does anyone know the status of the cyclist that was hit on route 236 in Fairfax last Friday (Bike to work day)? Haven’t found anything online.

Article in Fairfax City Patch yesterday: http://fairfaxcity.patch.com/articles/ice-cream-truck-runs-over-cyclist-on-bike-to-work-day

[acc]

Thank you for posting the link, I have been concerned about the cyclist and am greatly relieved to know his injuries are not life threatening.

I am grateful WABA, FABB, and the League of American Bicyclists exist. Through them I found bike safety classes and took them. I would have gotten into a lot more trouble without those classes. The instructors were professional, knowledgeable, and friendly. You cannot ask a stupid question in their classes, trust me, I’ve tried. I showed up at the first one without a clue about fitting a helmet, inflating a tire, or understanding hand signals. They were very patient and gave intelligent explanations without making me feel stupid. I appreciated that.

The other aspect of riding that helped me stay safe has been riding with other people through the Potomac Pedalers. They have a new website and are easy to find online. There is a ride for everyone regardless of skill level or experience. I was very nervous about riding with them the first time. I did not think they would be very accepting of a middle-aged woman who hadn’t ridden a bike in 30 years. They were great, taught me so many things about biking and are terrific people to get to know.

Keep riding, be safe, have fun.
ann

[KLizotte]

Thanks for the accident update link. Hard to tell exactly what happened but it certainly sounds like an awful accident. And to think the driver must encounter kids all the time!

[Author]

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