A cyclist sustained massive head injuries in a collision with a Lexus in downtown Seattle last night, and police have apparently already absolved the driver.
At about 4:40 p.m., police say, a driver was traveling southbound through the intersection at 5th Avenue and Olive Street when the Lexus collided with a male cyclist. Police haven’t indicated which direction the cyclist was traveling.
Medics arrived on scene and transported the cyclist to Harborview with life-threatening head injuries. Even though the incident is still under investigation, police are already blaming the cyclist. A post on SPD’s blog about the incident notes that “It is possible that the bicyclist may have proceeded through a red light without yielding.”
it was the cyclist’s fault. he ran a red light, and that has now been conclusively determined. He brought this on himself, and I feel for the driver of the car who did absolutely nothing wrong and now has sue for the damages to his car.
@49.
Bring it on Willy and see how well your measley sacks of skin, fat, and bone contend against our steel.
Despite what any of you say as to who was wrong, whether or not you feel sympathetic for the people involved, or despite your own opinions on this tragic accident just try to remember that this cyclist who was critically injured has family and friends that are now grieving over whether or not he’s going to make it. I’m one of them. People make stupid mistakes all the time, and even if this was his fault it doesn’t change the fact that it’s terribly sad that a young man’s life is hanging in the balance. For all of you who “don’t feel bad for this guy”, have a heart.
@2 It is a crime to run a red light.
@48 You can call me crazy all you want, but I don’t feel bad for someone who cruises through red lights on a busy intersection. Why should I care when this person obviously had no regard for their own personal safety and the safety of the people around him?
Every day tragic accidents befall good people through no fault of their own. I really can’t bother to feel for someone who causes their own calamity.
@54 – that’s why we walk through them in the U Dist.
@55: “Why should I care when this person obviously had no regard for their own personal safety and the safety of the people around him?”
How about “human compassion?”
You’re crazy because you thank that caring/empathy is a zero-sum game, which means you don’t really understand it at all in the first place.
@rotten666 by your reasoning none of us deserve any sympathy. Your reasoning also has little to do with someone who is critical care and has just been in a traumatic accident. We all do stupid things, we don’t all pay dearly for them.
You ride a bike, you’re eventually going to come off your bike, so helmets are the clearest sort of life insurance. Head injuries are beyond bad news. Helmets are sexy to me.
@55- Pathetic. I wonder if you’d have the same response if it was YOUR loved one who was critically injured, even IF it was their fault. Somehow I seriously doubt it. It’s easy to take that stance when you don’t know the person.
@57- well put:)
@everyone
everyone that is flaming the cyclist for running the red light are complete idiots. Yes he may have ran the light but why flame someone for making a mistake. im sure all of you have broken the law at least once. Everyone makes mistakes and some unfortunately have tragic outcomes.
The cyclist I have known for 25 years now and may actually not make it through this. Think about the family and friends before you are so F*@#ing quick to reprimand. I pray with all my heart he survives this. The damage done to the ohh so great Lexus is nothing compared to losing a life.
@20 @57 @60 your about the only decent one here.
If the cyclist was going west on Olive (wrong way) he would not have seen the red light.
I am with you 100% Rskyy. (I posted #53 & #60)I am disgusted at the fact that so many people can be so heartless and make more of a stink about damage done to a lexus than to a human being. He’s a great person and he and his family deserve compassion and POSITIVE thoughts. We are all praying for him and hope that he comes through with a full recovery. He and his family & friends will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers.
Since I see this conversation going the same stupid, emotionally fallacious direction that these conversations about horrible cyclist accidents seem to go every single time, I’ll state the following as simply as possible.
Everyone makes mistakes.
Some mistakes are more dangerously dumb than others.
Smart people do make dumb mistakes.
This cyclist is probably not a bad person.
He did, however, make a horrible, possibly stupid mistake. Vehicles were stopped, his street had a red light, and even if he didn’t see the latter, he definitely saw the former, and he should have taken the visual cues therefrom and slowed down or stopped.
Hopefully, he lives and takes this lesson with him through the rest of his days, if he can get back on a bicycle again.
Let’s not let defensive anger in sympathy (ironic in itself) distract from the fact that we could all learn something positive and constructive from this horrible accident.
Observe traffic signals, cyclists. Pay attention to stopped vehicles. They’re probably stopped for a good reason.
Undamaged Bike + life threatening head injury = no helmet.
So he’ll have two traffic tickets waiting for him coming out of the hospital.
And just given my experience as a delivery driver downtown, it’s safe to say that he ran the red light. Once they are up to speed, cyclists in this town are not fond of stopping for anything at all.
I keep coming here looking for an update on how the cyclist is doing. It was such an awful sight. Keep hoping it’s not as bad as it looked.
Any word?
@63
Thank you so much for your support and thoughts on this.
@66
The cyclist has not improved. The reason there is no dmg done to the bike is because he tried to bail off it and save himself. however he hit the rear tire of the vehicle. it doesnt matter if there was a helmet on or not. they only protect up to a certain degree of impact.
@ 67 Regardless of running red light or helmet wearing, I hope the cyclist pulls through, having been severely hurt in a (me) bike- (them) motor vehicle accident myself.
Although rapid improvement in his condition would be welcome, don’t get discouraged. A friend of mine in an eerily-similar accident to mine (motor vehicle turning left fails to yield to cyclist going straight) was in very poor shape for months and has made a dramatic recovery. Expect a miracle!
Those of you that prefer can go back to your regularly-scheduled alternate flaming of cars and bikes.
I hope the Lexus is ok. As for the cyclist, here’s a preview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJiwmm4-0…
It’s been a couple weeks now. Any new word on how the cyclist is doing?
he is still in a coma-like state. he is breathing on his own which is good. F-U to all you people talking shit about someone who could die!
maybe we should create seperated bike-lanes so cars and bikes don’t have to cross paths, like they do in many European countries. biking to work should be applauded and commonplace. it reduces your carbon footprint and is more healthy.