Cyclist Hit, Potentially Killed Not Dead In Brighton (Updates Below)
Written by Boston Biker on Mar 15 I am getting reports that someone (larger guy with blue bike) was hit and maybe killed by a camry running a red light while on a cellphone on Stratmore St in Brighton, the report I got was that there was a lot of blood and that the cyclist didn’t get up. Does anyone know anything about this? I will continue to update this post with details.
To all the drivers out there, pay attention, your moment of inattention might transform you from a motorist to a murderer. To all the cyclists out there, keep your head on a swivel, paying attention is always a good idea.
EDIT: I called the cops,
They informed me that the person was in fact struck by a car, but DID NOT die. Which is great. I can only hope they heal up fast. If anyone wants more info they need to go to the police headquarters on Ruggles and request the info, as they apparently don’t give out more details over the phone for some odd reason.
EDIT 2: Jesse (thats his name) Is ok! (see comments below).
You can also follow his progress at rehab here. We all hope you heal up fast.
Add to Reddit. Tags: Brighton, cellphone, crash, run red light
Posted in news | 22 Comments »
22 Responses
to “Cyclist Hit, Potentially Killed Not Dead In Brighton (Updates Below)”
Sorry, comments for this entry are closed at this time.
By teeheehee on Mar 9, 2010 | Reply
Damn.
By teeheehee on Mar 9, 2010 | Reply
This is what I’ve found so far, it’s reporting Swansea: http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/22788348/detail.html
By teeheehee on Mar 9, 2010 | Reply
Or is that something completely different?
By teeheehee on Mar 9, 2010 | Reply
Also: http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO137366/
By scott on Mar 9, 2010 | Reply
“The case is still under investigation, but at this point it doesn’t appear that either driver is at fault.” = Bullshit.
“the teen…was wearing headphones at the time of the accident.” = guilty!
“The woman driving the car that struck him was apparently so traumatized she had to be taken to the hospital.” = innocent and pitiful.
great unbiased reporting channel 7.
By mtalinm on Mar 9, 2010 | Reply
but headphones are stupid hope he had a helmet on but somehow doubt it
By mikiel on Mar 9, 2010 | Reply
Unfortunately, this isn’t even the accident that was being referenced. I.e. “Strathmore St. Brighton”
By mikiel on Mar 9, 2010 | Reply
Strathmore Road, rather.
By scott on Mar 9, 2010 | Reply
why are headphones stupid? as long as the volume isn’t too loud, its the same as listening to the radio in a car.
and why do you doubt they were not wearing a helmet? it didn’t mention that in the report.
and it didn’t mention that the child was traumatized after being hit by a car AND THEN a bus.
and it also didn’t mention what the driver was doing at the time. was she on the phone, texting, drunk, license expired, wearing headphones?
the reporter only writes that the VICTIM was wearing headphones, which infers he’s to blame for the accident.
two cycling accidents in one day. sad.
By Dub on Mar 10, 2010 | Reply
Seems like no one’s getting the details solidified; I’ve heard/read several stories, all of them vague at best. Any new developments?
By mtalinm on Mar 10, 2010 | Reply
but you are at considerably higher risk of being hurt in a collision when on a bike, and if your ears are stuffed with headphones you hear less well. studies show that pedestrians, cyclists, and the blind are more likely to be hit at low speeds and in intersections by hybrid vehicles. reason? probably because they can’t hear them coming. similar principle.
my guess is that someone wearing headphones is probably not wearing a helmet. I hope I’m wrong, but I bet I’m not. every time I hear about someone getting seriously hurt when not wearing a helmet, I feel very sorry both for the injury and for the fact that it could have been prevented or at least reduced.
I simply don’t understand people who defend the decision to ride without a helmet, though i know that doing so is legal for those in MA older than 16.
as for the story, my guess is that they interviewed the driver and not the kid, which is why they got the slanted story. I wouldn’t necessarily leap to the conclusion that they were trying to victimize the biker.
By Mikiel on Mar 10, 2010 | Reply
the way i look at not wearing helmets, like they don’t in copenhagen and amsterdam, is that it doesn’t change the fact that there are reckless drivers out there.
doing so serves to ignore the dangerous issue at hand. instead is says “both biking and driving are potentially fatal activities, so wear some pads,” rather than finding solutions for avoidable accidents and changing infrastructure. wearing a helmet isn’t going to prevent an accident.
in those cities, there are considerably fewer cycling-related deaths per capita, but far more cyclists. why? because the cycling and social environments are safe enough, and cyclists are given enough respect on the road, that there are fewer fatal collisions.
that being said, i am getting into the habit of wearing a helmet on faster, longer rides but almost never do in rides under a few miles.
the possible headphone issue is a little different, as the cyclist might have been able to avoid the accident if he were, say, swerving through the road and didn’t hear the car coming behind him. but still, if he was riding legally, the fact that he was wearing headphones has little bearing on the accident. ( i wouldn’t usually do this either…)
generally, it misrepresents the cyclist by saying he could have avoided the accident, rather than saying the motorist, or at times, the obsolete design of the roadway, caused it.
By eric on Mar 10, 2010 | Reply
I hope this guy survives whoever he is and whatever he was wearing. I would not let my kids ride in Boston especially in the age of texting.
[Amsterdam has more bikers because it’s reclaimed from the sea — it’s completely flat. I imagine they’re just as bad about texting. Probably worse because Dutch is such a bizarre language.]
By m2mayer on Mar 10, 2010 | Reply
Dang. I live on Strathmore in Brighton and bike daily. I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, and still can’t find anything on the news sites.
In other (good) news, it looks like Google Maps just activated bicycling directions in Boston, and a bicycling map in the “More” box…although it needs work. The bike lanes and routes don’t seem quite right in some areas.
By teeheehee on Mar 10, 2010 | Reply
Here’s to hoping Justin survives and heals. The reporting does seem a bit biased, however one of the videos I saw had an eye-witness of a teenager who lived near the accident and he said the rider didn’t look both ways when he came through the intersection. I hope we get to know the Justin’s side, if for anything to learn that he’s cognizant and on the mends.
If you’re going to be adamant about listening to music while cycling, try something like these which keep your ear canal open so you can hear what’s going on around you – it’s not the same experience as noise-cancelling audiophile headsets but it works well enough and doesn’t obstruct your senses from helping to detect danger around you.
Even propped up on the saddle your head is several feet off the ground, which is enough distance to gain a lot of head-damaging force in the event of a fall from standing perfectly still. Most accidents happen to people within two miles of their homes, so even for shorter rides I add the head gear.
I hope in the case of “no news is good news” that nothing happened in Brighton.
By Boston Biker on Mar 10, 2010 | Reply
So I am unable to find any details about this, but do know it happened (it went out over the bpd text alert system), I just hope this person whoever he is, and the young man struck in swansea heal up and survive.
I have a lot of thoughts on the discussion here, and will most likely put them all into a larger post at some point.
Be safe out there people, cars bite.
By Greg on Mar 10, 2010 | Reply
Uh Eric, ever been to Amsterdam? It’s also windy as heck which is a lot bigger deal that a hill or two. Hills end. (Being a biker from Seattle I know something about hills 🙂
Folk ride in cities like Bergen (hilly), Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Bern (hilly) because they’ve got good infrastructure and laws and driver attitudes that support cycling. Which means sad stories like these are much much less likely to have to be told. That’s the key thing, really.
I lived in Boston, and Boston would benefit tremendously from becoming a great cycling city – it just needs folks to realize that and make the change.
But as long as people see stories like this one they’re going to be reluctant to get out there on their bikes.
(Amazingly enough, though, even in the US the health benefits of cycling add more years to your life on average than the risk of crashes takes away.)
By teeheehee on Mar 10, 2010 | Reply
All I can find is on CrimeReports.com’s site.
Crime Type: TRAFFIC
Date: 2010-03-09 12:12:00
Address: STRATHMORE RD & SUTHERLAND RD
City, State: BOSTON, MA
Police Narrative: Time: 12:12 PM
M/V Accident
By teeheehee on Mar 12, 2010 | Reply
Good to hear they survived. Best news I’ve heard this week.
By Jesse on Mar 14, 2010 | Reply
Hi all, this was me who got hit on Tuesday the 9th. I’m alive, but suffered pretty serious injuries that will take a couple months to heal completely (and with significant pain during rehabilitation).
As a bit of proof: I was riding a blue Trek hybrid bike and wearing a yellow helmet (which saved my life).
Unfortunately I can’t flesh out any details for you all since I was concussed and don’t remember anything within 24 hours before and after the accident.
If anyone actually witnessed this accident, I would *greatly* appreciate it if you got in touch with me. I’m in a rehabilitation center now, but have internet access and can communicate.
Thanks very much.
By Jesse on Mar 14, 2010 | Reply
And of course, I forgot to include my email address, which is [email protected].
By Boston Biker on Mar 15, 2010 | Reply
Jesse
We are all very glad you are ok! Thanks for checking in! Heal up fast, and good luck with rehab.