This is the kind of story I love.
Last January, I mentioned a San Diego-area collision that looked about as bad as they get, as a confused 75-year old driver rear-ended a cyclist, running him over and leaving him pinned beneath the car.
While paramedics were able to get him out alive, the news was not good, as I wrote at the time:
According to the paper, doctors say he will be a paraplegic if he survives.
Eleven months later, Grant Fisher not only survived, he walked — yes, walked — into his office to go back to work.
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It wasn’t a good weekend for pro cyclists as Spanish Olympian and professional mountain biker Iñaki Lejarreta was killed in a collision with a car while training in Spain. And American pro rider Andy Jacques-Maynes suffers a fractured scapula and possible fractured collarbone when he becomes the victim of a hit-and-run.
On the other hand, Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins says getting knocked off his bike was a blessing in disguise.
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Evidently, bike shops are dropping like flies, despite the boom in biking.
A forty year old Riverside bike shop — one of just two in the city — is evicted to make way for a McDonald’s; so much for fighting the obesity epidemic. And the Newhall Bicycle Company is shutting its doors at the end of this month after 8-1/2 years.
But the news isn’t all bad, as Oceanside’s Pacific Coast Cycles wins the Adventure Cycling Association’s award for bike shop of the year.
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Maybe USC isn’t so bike-unfriendly after all, as they offer a free shower for bike commuters. Good piece from KCET on why L.A. suffers from city and soul destroying sprawl. The first phase of the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk opens. A Burbank councilman clearly doesn’t get it, saying you don’t want to put bike lanes in where they will conflict with traffic. The Pasadena Star-Tribune looks at Monrovia’s Stan’s Bike Shop and new owner Carlos Morales.
California had more traffic fatalities than any state other than Texas in 2011. Turns out that Newport Beach mall shooter was taken down by bike cops, who can usually beat motorized units to the scene if they’re nearby. A San Diego cyclist suffers a fractured spine and — thankfully — non-life-threatening head injuries after reportedly running a red light and getting hit by a car. A La Quinta cyclist is badly injured in a hit-and-run. One hundred Imperial Valley kids will be getting new bikes this Christmas; so will 250 Simi Valley children. New bike lanes aren’t really why traffic is backing up in San Jose. San Francisco plans to boost bike parking requirements. San Anselmo improves safety for cyclists and pedestrians at a key intersection.
What to do when you see another rider crash. The latest Bikeyface cartoon illustrates bike laws nationwide. Introducing a new combo bike light and horn; I had something like that decades ago on my brother’s hand-me-down Schwinn. Turns out an Idaho Congressman never attended USC — and he was never a pro cyclist, either. Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel dedicates a new protected bike lane, while a political writer says separating the city’s cyclists and drivers is an admirable goal, but he’s not sure it’s possible. A Massachusetts doctor makes house calls by bike; I know what you’re thinking — what’s a house call? Lance Armstrong’s co-writer says she’s not mad at him, despite the lies, while former world-beater Alexi Grewal says don’t just Lance too harshly because everybody doped in those days, he just did it better. South Carolina is getting the nation’s first bicycle city; no really, when can we move?
Turns out that cardboard bike helmet is actually stronger than standard bike helmets; thanks to George Wolfberg for the heads-up. No charges for a Canadian driver who right hooked a ninja cyclist. It doesn’t happen often, but yes, it does happen, as an 80-year old British man is killed in a collision with a bike rider; no word on how the collision occurred. More must be done to keep London cyclists safe. A UK rider says regardless of comments to the contrary, cyclists remain at great risk. The fatal dooring of a cyclist reveals a gap in British law. Bicycling tops government-funded sports in the UK. A Dubai driver faces charges after running down a South African triathlete; the victim is still just semi-conscious over two months later. A new Saudi movie says riding a bike can be an act of rebellion.
Finally, the nastiest car versus bike videos of the year. This dog rides better than some people I’ve seen — including me some days. And ex-framebuilder Dave Moulton wisely observes that giving the finger to a fellow traveler can cause a ripple effect, but so can a smile.
I think we all need to remember that one right now.
how could the “nastiest car versus bike videos of the year” not include the hit and run in the berkeley hills!
Oh man, thanks for the reminder. I don’t know how they — or I — could have forgotten about that one.
I remain unsure as to the proper reaction when I see a rider down and disoriented. Do I wait and see if their condition starts to improve? Or do I call an ambulance and subject them to tens of thousands of dollars in emergency room bills, possibly wiping out their savings and setting them back years?
As for bike shops, it’s very sad to see them close. But, unfortunately, I think a little pruning is necessary. There are a lot of bad bike shops out there: shops that turn off beginners, shops that ignore women and older folks and anybody who’s not part of the spandex crowd, shops that see each new customer as an opportunity to milk for money, not as an opportunity for a long-term relationship. There are around twenty bike shops within ten miles of me, but I’m still stumped when somebody asks me, “Can you recommend a good bike shop?”.
Always call 911 if the rider shows any disorientation, which would indicate at least a moderate head injury.
The victim has the option of declining transport and medical care, in which case they are not responsible for the bill. But failure to at least evaluate the injury could result in serious injury or even death.
And bear in mind that the victim is likely to be flooded with adrenalin and endorphins that can mask any sense of injury, and as a result, is in no position to evaluate their own condition.
When I had my solo fall, I would have gotten back on my bike and ridden home if first the lifeguards along the bike path, then the EMTs who responded hadn’t physically held me down and prevented me from leaving. If they’d let me go, I probably would have bled out from an internal injury before I ever got there, if I hadn’t passed out from my head injury first.
The fact that you stop for a downed rider ROCKS.
Disorientation indicates brain injury. Call 911 and do what you can to detain a person with such an injury until medics arrive. While an unwilling patient always has the right to sign off treatment, medics are trained both to assess the level of injury and, importantly, to pursuade a disoriented patient to seek appropriate care.
Also, cops generally have limited first aid training. Do not EVER let a cop tell a rider who has been unconscious for any length of time that the rider is okay to go.