News of the Weird or "Is no where safe?"

[creadinger]

Throw. The. Book. At. Her.

Just read the comments and eyewitness accounts. Wow, now I’m even more pissed and more worried for the cyclist’s health. Likely got on the trail at Hunter Mill, driving at least 40mph but some say that is a conservative estimate. People were diving into the bushes to avoid getting nailed.

[Vicegrip]

Just this am was discussing a bike ride with the wife and she commented that she only likes the MUPs as she does not like to be around cars.

[jnva]

Reminds me of this:
http://youtu.be/o5_TS8i9N1Q

At 8:30pm, though there were probably a lot more people out walking. It’s a miracle nobody was killed.

[jpaulwhite]

There’s a piece in the Post about this http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/suspected-drunk-driver-hits-bicyclist-on-trail-in-virginia/2013/06/02/0a767e04-cbac-11e2-8845-d970ccb04497_story.html If I had been on the trail and saw a car coming at me doing 60 I would have hit the bushes too! Bananas!!!!

[bobco85]

It’s terrible that this person would choose to drive a car when she was drunk, enter a multi-use path that had cyclists and joggers on it, hit a cyclist, then tried to drive off (hit-and-run). She (on top of jailtime) should have her driver’s license revoked for at least a couple of years.

Also, not sure if this should be on another thread, but in Arlington on Saturday morning (around 11) a woman jogging on Four Mile Run got stabbed. Just crazy that it happened in broad daylight. http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/06/woman-stabbed-along-four-mile-run-trail-89547.html

[mstone]

@bobco85 53790 wrote:

It’s terrible that this person would choose to drive a car when she was drunk, enter a multi-use path that had cyclists and joggers on it, hit a cyclist, then tried to drive off (hit-and-run). She (on top of jailtime) should have her driver’s license revoked for at least a couple of years.

Well, jail time is always good, but you can’t take away a person’s driver’s license–that’s like a civil rights issue, because people can’t work or even live without a car.

[Terpfan]

@mstone 53791 wrote:

Well, jail time is always good, but you can’t take away a person’s driver’s license–that’s like a civil rights issue, because people can’t work or even live without a car.

Even on a bicycle, I don’t think this woman shouldn’t be allowed on the MUPs.

[KLizotte]

@bobco85 53790 wrote:

Also, not sure if this should be on another thread, but in Arlington on Saturday morning (around 11) a woman jogging on Four Mile Run got stabbed. Just crazy that it happened in broad daylight. http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/06/woman-stabbed-along-four-mile-run-trail-89547.html

What’s scary is that he is still out there. No news of police finding him.

[jpaulwhite]

Pic of the suspect. http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/261837/158/Mehak-Chopra-was-driving-while-intoxicated-and-hit-a-65-year-old-man-on-a-bicycle-

[PotomacCyclist]

Map of the path that the driver may have taken, along with locations where she nearly hit the father and daughter, and struck the elderly cyclist.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/driver-who-allegedly-struck-bicyclist-on-trail-granted-bond/2013/06/04/64e38daa-cd23-11e2-8845-d970ccb04497_story.html

The prosecutor compared her use of a car to a gun. So it appears that the prosecutors will treat this case with the seriousness and attention that it deserves.

As for other disturbing trends, I’ve noticed the commenter on the WUSA9 article frequently advocates outright violence against cyclists. In this case, Stephen Link even appears to be happy, or unconcerned, that a father and daughter were also nearly run over by the drunk driver. And he is calling a 65-yr-old a “punk” who deserved to be run over, merely because he was riding a bicycle. I’ve noticed other comments from that person on various bike-related stories, all of them calling for violence. People need to watch out for this guy. (As for posting his name, well, he used his name on a public site and has posted comments calling for violence against innocent members of the public. I have no problem reposting his name in this situation. There is no expectation of privacy when he himself posted his name on a popular news site.)

http://www.wusa9.com/comments/261837/158/Police-say-Mehak-Chopra-was-driving-while-intoxicated-and-hit-a-65-year-old-man-on-a-bicycle-

[PotomacCyclist]

Have to wonder if maybe the drunk driver was “smoking” alcohol. I had never heard of the practice until I just read this article:

http://healthland.time.com/2013/06/05/smoking-alcohol-the-dangerous-way-people-are-getting-drunk/

[dasgeh]

@PotomacCyclist 54239 wrote:

Have to wonder if maybe the drunk driver was “smoking” alcohol. I had never heard of the practice until I just read this article:

http://healthland.time.com/2013/06/05/smoking-alcohol-the-dangerous-way-people-are-getting-drunk/

Of course bike stuff is involved…

Seriously, though, I’m glad I got through my party years in the 90s, where the worst we did is listen to boy bands.

[Dirt]

I can totally understand how an intoxicated…. or even a sober, but somewhat clueless driver could make a left turn onto the W&OD from Gallows.

[bikesnick]

@Dirt 56465 wrote:

I can totally understand how an intoxicated…. or even a sober, but somewhat clueless driver could make a left turn onto the W&OD from Gallows.

Interesting. Google Street View even shows a van coming out of the trail!

[bobco85]

@bikesnick 56470 wrote:

Interesting. Google Street View even shows a van coming out of the trail!

I did not want to believe you, and then I saw it:

[ATTACH]3186[/ATTACH]

[Author]

Posts