Monday, August 30, 2010
Community Midnight Ride Hit and Run
Posted by Mary Cashiola on Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 1:33 PM
I've heard two accounts this morning of a hit-and-run during the middle of Saturday night's popular Midnight Classic Bike Tour.
Apparently, around 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning, a male cyclist was approaching the intersection of Madison and Cooper and was waved on by the police officer directing traffic.
The cyclist was then hit by a dark-colored vehicle traveling on Madison at about 30 to 40 mph. The driver did not stop.
Eyewitnesses say the west-bound lane of Madison was blocked off by police, but no one was in charge of the east-bound lane. (UPDATE: From other reports I've gotten, it seems the officer had east-bound traffic stopped, but no one was directing west-bound traffic and the light at the intersection was green.)
The cyclist was taken to the Med, but that's about all I know right now. Check back for more details.
Comments (15)
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I was a minute or two behind the person who was hit. I didn't see it happen, but when I rode by, he was laying about 30 feet away from his bike which was in the middle of the intersection. Several cops were kneeling around him and one cop was yelling at the riders to keep moving. It was a very unsettling situation given the nature of the ride. I haven't seen anything in any local papers or on the web about the ride or this accident and am just hoping the person who was hit is ok.
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Thanks for the article. I, too, was in the ride and have been searching for news of this accident. Praying for the rider!
I participated in the ride. I did not see this accident but was alarmed at the lack of police presence at very major streets or intersections. On the stretch of Poplar between Cooper and McLean, there was no police presence whatsoever - we riders were basically hoping that a car wouldn't drive up behind us and kill us. There weren't cones or any indication to drivers to stay out of the right lane. However, there was a very unecessary major police blockade at the corner of Walker and Patterson. Craziness.
I was actually disappointed with some of the intersection. Not enough volunteers directing traffic. There were time when I was riding and didn't know if I should stop or go. Cops waved us through, but cars didn't want to slow down.
Great Ride, but there were some things that could have made it safer.
There was plenty of police support, but sometimes not in the right spot.
Volunteers did not seem to have authority and sometimes not know which way riders would go.
Turn were not well illuminated making it difficult to know if there was a turn.
All intersections should have had flashing red lights in all directions. I think some had yellow lights.
Safety was pushed to the curb. Helmet use was not enforced and should have been. there was a guy riding by me most of the ride without a helmet and was riding crazy and almost got hit a few times.
I was there on foot, attempting to cross Madison Avuenue when the cyclist was hit. East bound traffic was stopped by the police. There were no police or barricades on the west bound side. East and west bound traffic had green lights. The police stopping east bound traffic motioned for us to cross Madison (north corner at Madison and Cooper). The victim landed in front of us. The car that hit him never stopped or put their brakes on. The car traveled west on Madison at a high rate of speed. This was a huge mistake on someone's part. It is infuriating that this had to happen.
Another ride participant here. My thoughts are with this downed rider. My best wishes for a speedy and full recovery.
Although I didnt see the accident I can understand how it happened. I have to agree with other comments that safety was not an important factor in the ride. I lost count of the bikes on the streets with no lights or reflectors. I counted at least 12 riders with no helmets. There was no uniform intersection control. It was always guess-work on the part of the rider as to how to handle each intersection we came to.
The rider's name is Vince. He has broken ribs, a broken pelvis andother injuries. He is facing a long road of recovery. I was riding a few minutes back, my son watched it happen directly in front of him.
A nighttime urban ride is dangerous. NYC's 5-boro ride is massively controlled. How about a daytime river parks ride, Greenbelt to Metals Museum, in fall or spring instead?
I am so glad to know that Vince is alive and recovering. Thank you for posting his status. My prayers and thoughts are with he and his family.
I think John and Jeff are on the right track. I didn't ride this year but I have in years past. Honestly I don't think you can have an accident free event after dark. I do think you can take better precautions. I have seen accidents in this event before, only one involving a vehicle. I have not however seen them at an intersection that is being policed. The officers should have checked 3 times, especially in a bar district, before waving the riders through. We are lucky and very thankful that Vince made it through as well as he did. He's an avid rider and a good example of why they should force you to wear a helmet. We should also be glad that it wasn't a pack of riders that the driver hit because I don't think we would have been so lucky. Get well soon Vince!
when i read about the event, i stopped and reread the details. Even went to another link because i thought i must have misunderstood. could not believe this was being done at midnight. MPD is BUSY at that time of night chasing criminals. Just seemed like poor planning, and from what has been said very poor execution.
why couldn't this have been done with safety in mind, especially in terms of when and where? also see the comments about no helmets, no lights...etc. they shouldn't have been allowed to enter the ride. as that is illegal.
come on - you folks are smarter than this!
this ride can be done safely at night. the course needs to be marked in places where traffic is a problem. the place where he was hit is a prime example, as is north parkway where we got narrowed down to two (traffic laden) lanes and no street lights were working (because of construction). they need to develop some hard rules about what makes a safe course and adhere to them without exception. For example, either we stop at lights or not. Different police officers had us doing different things and not all lights had cops. I have ridden this for two years and the same problems exist for both years. they really need a safety overall. we won't be riding again until they do.
I rode this event several years ago, and it seemed to be a little better organized and controlled than the descriptions posted, although the volume of riders and logistics involved made accidents more likely to occur on the ride. It seems to have degraded since then. Sounds like poor planning, poor coordination, and poor execution. Typical Memphis. Safety should be the primary concern in any ride. Granted, accidents can happen even in the most organized ride, but this one sounds like negligence. Someone mentioned - "The car that hit him never stopped or put their brakes on. The car traveled west on Madison at a high rate of speed. This was a huge mistake on someone's part." It is also against the law! That person left the scene of an accident.
Best wishes to Vince and his family and prayers for a speedy recovery.
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