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Video: Cyclist hit by car and lands on feet
Bikes are an awesome way to get around, but there's an ongoing and widespread problem cyclists everywhere face: drivers. Austin, for instance, is home to plenty of avid bike-riders. Some friends of mine rely solely on their bikes to get around and the complaint I hear most often is that many drivers just don't pay attention and put cyclists in dangerous positions in cities everywhere, not just Austin. Nonetheless, bikes are handy--especially for travelers looking to see a city in a new way.
This video depicts a cyclist being struck by a car in Seattle. Fortunately, the cyclist was quick on his feet (literally) and not injured. Check out the footage and take some notes... you never know when you may need to follow suit and react as quickly as this guy.
[Thanks, Seattle Bike Blog]
Filed under: Biking, North America, United States, News
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 10)
Vikas May 26th 2011 10:50AM
Did anybody watch this video? The light was red as the bicyclist was riding across the intersection. At least from what I see the driver has the right of way, so the bicyclist should be paying attention as they are technically jaywalking. The author of this post should ask his friends how often they follow the rules of the road as they relate to bicyclists.
In Chicago the majority of cyclists tend to follow no rules at all and end up putting themselves, drivers, and pedestrians in dangerous situations. They will run lights and stop signs when they feel it is safe, ride on sidewalks when convenient, cross lanes of traffic with little concern for the flow of traffic, this is just a fraction of the dangerous things that the bicyclists do here and I doubt Chicago is unique.
Scott May 26th 2011 12:56PM
It looked to me like he was crossing in the cross walk while the walk light was on.
derrick May 27th 2011 6:20AM
Yes the walk light was on. Its called a "Cross Walk" for a reason. He is supposed to walk his bike across the road when in a "Cross Walk". People are so dumb.
Imright May 26th 2011 7:16PM
I guess your eyes are bad? The crosswalk sign clearly changed from do not walk to walk BEFORE the cyclist even began to cross. The light must have been red for a good 5 to 10 seconds. The chick driver simply was not paying attention; thus your entire statment about how bad cyclist are in Chicago should now be turned into how bad women drivers are nationally. j/k A male driver could have done the same thing in this situation but statistically speaking it is not surprising it was a woman.
lillo6 May 26th 2011 6:57PM
Actually he was crossing on a green walk sign, though he should be pushing his bike across as is appropriate if using a crosswalk, he did not cross against the light.
cac May 26th 2011 11:41PM
Watch the video again and look at the pedestrian cross signal. The Cyclist did have the right of way....
kathyl May 26th 2011 7:26PM
Unlike some have said, he was not in the crosswalk. He was going between cars and jumped out in front of the the car that hit him, who haddn't even reached the intersection yet. The cyclist is at fault. As someone that works in Seattle, I have to contend with cyclist who don't follow the traffic laws every day. NO, I'm not driving, I'm walking. They will ride in the street until the light turns red and then RIDE accross the crosswalk to cross the intersection. This is creats a dangerous situation for pedesterians who are on the sidewalks and crosswalks. I've also been hit by a cyclist who ran a stop sign while I was in the crosswalk. I wasn't hurt but he fell off his bike and messed it up. Then he threatened to sue me because he bent the wheel. He backpeddled when I pointed out that he had hit a pedestrian in a crosswalk and would be found at fault.
KD May 26th 2011 8:05PM
Absolutely the bicycles fault. Once you get on your bike in the crosswalk you are no longer a pedestrian. He no longer has the right of way.
Ej shep May 26th 2011 11:22PM
This rider was in violation of the law; Texas law/ ordinance plainly states that cyclist will walk their bicycles in pedestrian areas, i.e sidewalks, crosswalks, etc. And beyond that how did the rider expect the driver of the auto to see him/her when the line of sight was blocked by the vehicle in the adjacent lane. I'm an avid cyclist and motorcycle rider; we as riders need to respect the law and be observant of traffic and not expect that everyone sees us.
Vikas May 26th 2011 8:27PM
I was in error, I didn't see the 2 or 3 frames where you could see the walk sign. It appears the motorist ran a red light. However, the cyclist shouldn't have been riding across a crosswalk and strayed well outside the crosswalk.
I take nothing back about the total disregard for the rules of the road by bicyclists in Chicago and I imagine other big cities.
Susan May 26th 2011 8:35PM
you are absolutely right. Whatever the situation was in the crosswalk, the biker went thru one lane of moving traffic, and emerged from between 2 cars into a lane of moving cars. No way that driver should have been considered responsible for hitting someone who rides in front of a moving car. The biker must have a death wish !
I can read May 26th 2011 8:44PM
Can you people read? It clearly states that is "depicts" a bike rider getting hit...it was staged for educational purposes!
M May 26th 2011 9:25PM
I agree with scott, the "walk" light was lit. Even though the rule we teach our children is to get off the bike and walk it across the street, the cyclist had the right of way in this situation. However, had he been walking his bike across the street instead of riding it, this whole thing could have been avoided.
Bill May 26th 2011 9:50PM
He did have the walk light but he wasn't really in the cross-walk. That being said, he would have still been hit if he was in the cross-walk.
A May 26th 2011 9:59PM
The light was red. He did NOT have the right of way and had the motorist been injured, or hit those two people on the sidewalk trying to swerve, he would have been at fault. Typical bicyclist who scoffs at traffic laws, yet expects drivers to "share the road" and "look out for bicyclists." Fine. I'll do that when bicyclists obey the traffic laws and look out for stop signs, pedestrians, cars that have the right of way and don't ride into cross traffic like this douche nozzle.
Jay May 27th 2011 7:12AM
Yup the light was green. One car was speeding and probably coming to a stop at the stop light. One car looks like its blocking the cross walk for some reason. I never seen such disorder before.
Joe May 26th 2011 10:40PM
I agree with Scott. The "walk" signal clearly turned from "don't walk" to "walk" indicating that the silver VW's light was red and she must have ran the light when she hit him. It may have been a little silly for the bicyclist to shoot out from between stopped vehicles into an open lane without checking, but nevertheless, it appears that he had the right of way and the car either ran the red light or at least failed to yield to a walk signal.
reedshelby May 26th 2011 11:12PM
Why do say Chicago when the story clearly says it is in Seattle. The biker looked back at the video camera in the beginning and it appeared to be a set up to me.
Hello May 26th 2011 11:30PM
Vikas, your an idiot. Watch the video again and pay attention. You can clearly see the walk light was on. I am sure your the one that hit that biker. God I hate morons like you who say stupid things. Go kill yourself for being so stupid.
malam May 27th 2011 12:32AM
Its not jaywalking if you are in the crosswalk...