WI legislator runs red light - hits cyclist

O

OneEye

100 W
Joined
Jul 19, 2007
Messages
223
Location
California - central valley
Ouch. Saw this article in the news this morning. Looks like the cyclist had timed the light perfectly and had a decent speed entering the intersection. The light had clearly changed as the bus starts moving before the cyclist enters the intersection. Fortunately, the injuries are described as "non life threatening", but that's clearly not a good way to start your morning. Poor guy is probably going to be laid up for a while.

http://news.aol.com/article/video-shows-wisconsin-lawmaker-fred/650758
 
looks like the cyclist may not have been paying attention either. He didn't even brake.


HUGE run on that red light, it was green for the cyclist for more than two seconds.
 
Ouch. One of my practices on my motorcycle is to use cars as blockers when I cross intersections to avoid the possibility of such occurances. I could accelerate briskly and expose myself to the unseen cross traffic, but having a few tons of collision barrier next to me seems to appeal to my survival instincts.
 
That guy survived?? Wow. Lucky.

A few years ago on my motorcycle I was making a left and almost got killed by an armored truck speeding through the red. He was actually the third car running the intersection, and he must have been going at least 20 over in a 35. I saw the first two cars run the red and turned after them. Lucky for me he was so terribly late to the intersection I was almost TOTALLY through by the time he got there, and he was able to swerve and miss my rear wheel. It did cause the douchebag to smash into a brick wall and spill coolant and oil all over the place though. Police had to file a report because he happened to smash a city utility box, not because he almost killed me. Niiice. No harm no foul no citation.
 
Something tells me that if this linked article has a comments section, within a dozen posts, there will be some asshole claiming that it was the cyclists fault, since he once observed a cyclist roll through a stop sign back in 2006.

Amirite?
 
I hate reading the comments sections when a cyclist is hit by a driver clearly at fault. Too many tools out there who somehow feel the cyclist is at fault. This would have been even more deadly if a compact car had entered the intersection at speed and been T-boned by that SUV. You wouldn't see comments saying "That'll teach you to ride on the sidewalk" and "Cooper Mini's should be banned" if that video were posted.
 
Well, it happened to me, but on a much, much less dangerous scale: low speed T-bone.
You all know that story. And the cops just let her go. And I have a twisted up new LIME,
soon to be for sale to one particular, guilty, policeman.

Back to topic: have not read the first post's link or seen the video.

In the USN we sailor boys had an expression we used daily: "R H I P",

meaning: "rank has its privileges". The legislator, even if =he= were at fault,
is liable to get off scot-free. That's how "justice" too often works here.

But this is not that sort of case. I don't know the facts. But two people, for sure, know the facts.

There are no clean hands in Muddville today. Everybody has struck out.
 
That's a hard one to watch. Assuming the car was never stopped, the guy on the bike should have seen him coming, but then, maybe he did, and could do nothing about it. The comments section is even more sickening. Hopefully most of the offensive comments were made by bored 12 year olds.

I like ride like I'm sure every car is going to run the light or stop sign, and do love to put some guy in a car between me and the ol left cross. I try to drive the car the same way, and never trust anybody, but I seem to always be a lot more wary on the bike or motorcycle.
 
Hopefully those comments are people taking on the alt persona from behind the screen. People who think like that in real life.. man, those are some sick murderous people.
 
OlympicMnt

05:47 PMSep 02 2009

Bicyclists are always in the way. They think they own the road. They don't pay license fees or taxes of any kind and all they do is slow down traffic. Rep. Fred Clark has my vote! If we all re-elect him we should convince him to make it legal to knock people on bikes of the road, over the hood, over the railing of a really high bridge, into oncoming traffic, under a big truck, into the back of a bus, into the path of a speeding train, etc.. My goodness! The possibilities are endless!!! I could continue but I will leave that up to anyone else who has an idea!
Click to expand...

Typical comment
 
a bike courier was just killed in toronto was outright murdered the driver...ex-attorney general of ontario and after being charged and spending the night in jail he gets released without a bail hearing ??? special arrangements were made...wtf
proof even ex-government employees are above the system
 
OK. Have seen the video. My thoughts are my opinions based on deductive logic.

It is a city bus. It is fitted by the city with an always-on digital video recorder,
to protect the city from tort suits and such.

Legislator made error. We all have run red lights.
Cyclist made error. We all know to NEVER presume that green light means "OK";
we must always have full vision and expect that unexpected.

Two people were at fault.
Legally, the legislator caused the accident.
The cyclist merely made error, and is 'innocent'.
Legislator apologizes. Insurance makes cyclist whole again, as possible.

Moral: ALL vehicles in the future should, by right of common sense and cheap-now technology,
have ALWAYS ON digicams, on the dashboard, fisheye lens. CAN be turned off by Citizen driver, if he wants to speed and
have no "record" of his action.

But if Citizen sees or gets into an accident, he/she can voluntarily give the police, then and there, the memory card from their recorder.
Police then and there, give the motorist/cyclist an equivalent blank card, or COPY the Citizen's card, then and there. Take name.
No need for Citizen to have to get involved and testify in court (people hate to get involved, names known; you see that in my ReidWelch YT video number four
" gas station robbery miami " will get you to that often-seen video. See the OTHER full-witness; HE saw all that I saw (but did not get on camera), and HE waggles his hands
"no, I don't want to be involved", and HE evaporates. Bad Citizen!

IF we all carried camera phones and car cameras all of the time, criminals would not run red lights and hit pedestrians so often and just keep going.
And this is what the future will bring: not "Big Brother", but, instead, a whole society of "little brothers", all looking out for each other and their sisters,
and vice versa...old ladies with pocket cams in purse. Point and SHOOT. Robber thinks twice before robbing. Driver thinks about red lights, instead of zoning
out, yakking on cell phone.

New camera on its way to here (see the Flip camera thread nearby). It will be an adjunct camera, and in a year, will be so old-school, as to be available used, for like,
fifty bucks. Put such a thing on your bike, and record every ride. This stops the "he said she says" nonsense that resulted in my recent bike T-bone accident, being DISMISSED
by corrupt cops who melted at the Little Girl Driver's story. She hit me; said so...but to the po-po? She and they cooked up a scenario: reid just faw off his bike. Yeah, right.
IF I'd had my cam mounted and running that four AM (it was a well lighted spot), I'd not tell them then, that I have 'em all in the bag of liars. And I would, and perhaps will,
sue Little Girl and take her house and car away. I am fed up, mad as hell, at the CORRUPT nature of the average human. I won't take it any more. Neither should any of you,
become patsies for prevaricators. VIDEO it all!
 
Another case of population density getting over a critical limit. Note the word "density".

15 years ago down here in Oz the amber light meant "stop if you can before the light going red, if unsafe to stop abruptly then procede through. It is illegal to enter an intersection while the light is red." Most drivers complied.
Now, even though the law is unchanged, people assume that the amber light means "speed up so that you get through the intersection" and the red light means "floor it so that you get through the intersecton before the crossing traffic enters the intersection".

I can't count the number of times when I have gone through on the yellow thinking "phew, I just made it" I look in my rear mirror and see not one, but more often two or three cars that followed me through after the light has gone red. :roll:
These people are just downright STUPID!
It's the "ME" generation thing again. "MY documents, MY Pictures, MY Videos, Iphone, Ipod, Iview".
ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME

I am so important that I can ignore red lights.

I am so important that everyone must give way to ME.

The idea of the social compact is fading away because of the self centred lifestyle that is being foisted onto us by Microsoft, Apple and marketers.

Community. Will we ever experience it again? :|
 
johnrobholmes said:
looks like the cyclist may not have been paying attention either. He didn't even brake.


HUGE run on that red light, it was green for the cyclist for more than two seconds.
Click to expand...
Little Girl here, Mister, from Fibber's show below, don'cha know?

I just betcha', Mister Holmes, that Mister Legislator was busy talkin' on his cellular phoney, just as busy as any ol' legislator can be!
I just betcha', Mister Holmes, that you are a Sherlock too! I know you are! I read all you stories on Daddy's library shelf;
I just sit on that shelf with all the great books there, and read all about all of your great doings!

And, there I learned, that in Florida, State of the Cell Phoney Drivers, that, a few years back, there was a law-bill introduced to our Republican
legislature...an' you know what, Mister Holmes? Those Republicans and Democrats, too, they shot the "don't talk and drive" bill
right down before it went up into the air, like a bird. It DIED. Wonder why I don't use a cell phoney? Because, Mister, I might
fall off of my tricycle and get run over by a Hummer H2 driven by one of my Mommy's friends, also on a cellular phoney,
that's why!

Thank you, Mister Holmes. You are a Super Good Man.
Wanna buy a box of cookies? Only a dollar for you;
the money is for our up-coming school picnic.
I am taking the Yellow Bus with the rest of the gang.
Mrs. McGee is driving, and she keeps both hands on the wheel;
the steering wheel, not the bus wheel.

I love you, Mister Holmes....you are the best Detective, ever!
Extra box of cookies for you, for only twenty five cents more,
if you want 'em.

Little Girl

(of Fibber McGee and Molly)
 
This will lower your blood pressure by ten or twenty points.

This is for married men of all eras.

You meet the whole gang, including Little Girl.

http://www.archive.org/details/FibberMcGeeandMolly1946
Please to turn off the lights and play episode twenty four:
The Wedding Anniversary (forgotten by you-know-who).

And the traffic today, oh my!

______________

Now, back to our regularly scheduled opining over "shite happens". :wink:

But, please, on a quiet night, with your woman, please to play that episode, or play any of them,
lights turned low. Then, go to bed, and make nice dreams of your own come to life?
 
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