Injuries and mayhem on the Shootout Ride
I received this yesterday from Shootout rider J. It’s pretty scary:
I left University and Euclid with 10 others around
5:35 am on Saturday. As it was still a little dark, we rode with lights on,
though we only needed them for a few minutes. We set off for the traditional
shootout route.All was going well–we were riding 2 abreast in a rotating
paceline, not even occupying half of 1 lane on Mission, just south of Valencia.
It was fully light by this point. Suddenly, I heard an explosion from behind.
It was if a tire had blown out, except louder. Then I heard 3 more similar
explosions. At first I thought someone was throwing explosives and/or
firecrackers at us. Bike parts and water bottles started coming forward up
into my wheels.The 4 of us at the front managed to get off the road into the
gravel remaining upright, but those behind were not so lucky. I had absolutely
no idea what was going on until I saw the car continue by before finally slowing
and coming to a stop in the gravel. I looked back to see bodies and bike parts
all over the road.As I dialed 911 the noises started to make sense. The
driver had literally driven through the group. Each “explosion” was the sound
of a bike and body coming into contact with her hood and windshield.
Thankfully (and somewhat miraculously) no one was killed. 4 people were
hospitalized, 6 or 7 people went down all together. One remains in ICU, but to
my knowledge, none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening.Now, I spend a lot of time on my bike, but I’ve never experienced anything like
this. The driver’s actions are inexplicable. She never claimed that she
didn’t see us. She was “just trying to pass us.” She claimed oncoming
traffic, but I was off the phone with 911 before the first oncoming car arrived
(and 911 doesn’t just let you go…I talked to at least 2 dispatch people, maybe
3). If she was drunk, it wasn’t obvious. She did have her phone in her hand as
soon as she got out of the car, but we don’t really know if she was talking or
texting when she hit us.It just doesn’t make sense. The road is straight and
flat there, it was daylight, and we were all dressed in obnoxiously bright
clothing. There was never a sound of screeching brakes, and she didn’t seem to
alter the path of the vehicle after hitting 1 person. If we hadn’t gotten into
the gravel, I think we all would have been hit. I don’t think it was
malicious, but it seems to be more than an accident.
I hope those involved are all right. What an awful story.
–EBR
September 7th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Thanks for posting this. I heard from a friend that something bad had happened out there yesterday, but I had no idea a car was involved.
I hope everyone makes a swift recovery.
September 7th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
I wonder why there is no mention of this in the Star? I mean, I am really surprised, but it seems strange to me.
This driver should be careful. She might end up with a ticket… well maybe.
September 7th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Passing is really hard!
So what would she be charged with
for hitting a 20MPH-moving car
from behind? It should be the same
here. A group of cyclists moving
in that fashion should be
considered as a single unit and
it’s their lane.
You naturally steer away or brake after
hitting something ASSUMING you’re
not looking down and have your
hands on the steering wheel.
A three-foot violation hardly
seems enough for this.
September 7th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Here is another e-mail from one of the riders:
We all started with red blinkies and went early to ride as a smaller pack and we were clearly visible as the sun was up as we were south of Valencia on Mission. We are all so grateful to be alive and that our injuries aren’t worse.
This young lady was either texting or hung over from the night before as one rider thinks as she had on all her makeup and a little black dress. I do remember lying there waiting for the ambulance to arrive, unable to move, as she walked up and down past us texting and talking on her phone. It took her driving thru 8 riders before she thought to stop.
Steve Cowan was the first rolling up on her windshield and breaking it rendering him unconscious, that should have given her the first clue. Then me, her car impacting my right shoulder and ribs flipping me down to the ground inches from her tires as she continued past me to hit Jose Santiago shoving his femur into his hip joint having a shattering effect, Mike Farrarh next sending him airborne breaking his scapula,in the ER 2nurses came in and said that Mike had road rash from his neck to the bottom of his butt but they were wondering if we had any idea of how he had this inprint in the crack of his touche which after talking to Mike was his chain and big ring, Mike figures it was his bike kissing his a__ goodbye!
She continued to take out Larry and Brian and then onto my husband Rick. Rick said he turned as he heard the tires blow-out and saw wheels, bikes and bodies flying. Her car hooked his bike and he thought he was going to fall under her car and she was going to run him over. He wondered if she was continuing on purpose, like these bikers are in my lane and I’m not stopping. Finally she hit her brakes before hitting the last two remaining riders Sarah and Judy which luckily released Ricks bike. It took her going thru 8 of the 10 of us to stop. Rick said he has never been more terrified when he looked back and saw the carnage. He started running back to us to try to help the worst ones hurt.
Fortunately the 911 calls sent enough ambulances to handle all of us quickly and efficiently. All but Jose are home now, he is scheduled for surgery on his hip next week. I have stitches, bruising, black eye, I thought I had broken my jaw but I just did a good slam dunk to that side of my face, my right shoulder is still not functioning properly and ribs are a real pain but compared to Jose I am very grateful and glad to be home today. I think she trashed a lot of bikes in the process as well. I am not sure what to make of the whole thing. I appreciate your thoughts.
September 7th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
This makes me sick in so many ways, it makes me want to throw up.
It upsets me in a way that renders my vocabulary to describe my feelings useless.
Heal quickly.
September 7th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
I am speechless.
What do the police say?
Do people that drive that way have insurance?
“A group of cyclists moving in that fashion should be considered as a single unit…”
It would seem to me, by the way, that if it came down to traffic citations (that is assuming the driver is at fault, as was described), she should be issued one count of 28-735 for each cyclist she ran over. Or doesn’t it “add up” that way?
September 7th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
She needs to have her license revoked until the problem that caused this is conclusively found and fixed, just like in Germany.
September 8th, 2009 at 6:47 am
Isn’t that area just inside the reservation? Does that have any effect on the laws governing “accidents” or bikes?
September 8th, 2009 at 6:57 am
Right here is why I have zero faith in humanity and all the tweaked out zombies driving around. It is a miracle that nobody was killed.
I hope the cops gave this woman a sobriety test because it sounds to me like she was probably either still drunk from the night before or on meth.
I don’t understand how she got out of her car and instead of rushing to the aid of people she’s texting…wtf is wrong with people?
September 8th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Unfortunately, driving in this country is considered a right, not a privilege. Anyone who drives a car should assume the responsibility to do simple things like see and not hit things on the road, like cyclists for instance. But drivers get off with no punishment for injuring or killing someone and the only excuse they have is “I didn’t see him.” Sometimes they even get away with intentional assualts. I think the burden should be on people to prove they are competent and safe drivers before they are allowed on the road. Unfortunately, the attitude that cyclists don’t belong on the road seems to carry the day, and the result is that it’s “open season” on cyclists.
I hope everyone recovers fully. I have ridden with that group in the past and my thoughts are with them (you).
September 8th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
[...] drivers might actually notice. A horrific collision in Tucson as an apparently distracted driver takes out eight cyclists before stopping. Spend the fall cycling through a few Mountain West national parks. A comparison of [...]
September 8th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
Erik, Jo and I are sick about this senseless act. We came on the scene maybe 10 min. after the incident. Jose and Steve were still on the ground and Steve was not moving. The cops didn’t allow us to stop but we slowed and surveyed the situation. There were NO skid marks and the windshield was caved in from the center to the passenger side. Bikes were in pieces and the trauma was visible on all the cyclists faces. We rode back by approx an hour later and the car and driver were still at the scene and the Tohono police was working up a report.
Unfortunately, I understand that the driver will get her hand slapped and maybe a $500.00 fine and that this incident will not change anything. My suggestion is to ride single file on Mission as much as possible. We too did the the shoot-out route that day but tried to stay single file. Let’s don’t give the cars a bigger target than we have to and live to ride another day!
September 8th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Part of the problem is that Congress and the Courts have severely limited the jurisdiction of Tribal courts and police. Unless the driver was a tribal member, they can only issue a civil citation. Criminal arrests of Tribal members are limited to crimes having a 1-year max jail term. Otherwise they have to call in county or state or federal police. A lot of Tribes don’t much like state or county cops working their rez, and the feds don’t do an awful lot of traffic cases.
There is a political solution, restore full jurisdiction to Tribal police and courts.
This is a bad situation in every way there is. I hope everyone recovers and gets to ride some more.
jn
September 8th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Suppose this driver had run over a group of Hell’s Angels, sending them to hospital and destroying their bikes. Do you imagine that she would get more punishment than a $500 slap on the wrist?
September 8th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
I have been cycling for seven years and in that time I have been hit by two cars. I was not injured. However, in every case I know of a cyclist being seriously injured by a car, the driver has ALWAYS been given a slap on the wrist comparative to the penalty for hitting another vehicle or a pedestrian. Drunk Driving laws in this country were influenced by M.A.D.D. and effectively changed. There are so many cyclists in this city and nationwide, and as long as all we do is complain among ourselves, change will not occur. It is time for cyclists to stop being “nice” and start making noise. As long as we stay calm and quiet while our fellow riders are injured, maimed, and killed the laws will not change. It is a matter of politics. The police are under no pressure to cite and the courts under no pressure to prosecute. It is so much easier to let everything just blow over time and again. Nobody really wants us on the road anyway. Being politically correct seldom elicits change. Organizing and making everyone uncomfortable until change occurs is the American way.
September 9th, 2009 at 10:31 am
So much anger and no place for it to go. You are all right and make great points. I have never seen so much anger in bike riders, well justified to be sure. But where can we take this? Whats the next step? Will it take another mass crash like the El Tour mess and the shootout to get something done? Can anything be done? Erik, you’re the lawyer, where do we go with all this pent up frustration?
September 9th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Don, I know from speaking to city prosecutors that they get really nervous when people from MADD start calling. MADD can get a lot of people active in a hurry to start pressuring for prosecutions, and they get results.
So, I don’t know exactly what to offer, but I would look into how MADD operates. As for getting this driver cited — well, it happened on another jurisdiction (in another sovereign nation, actually) and the status of the law these days on reservations is complex.
I do think that progress is being made. I would like to see more people speaking out about enforcement issues in this town, which can happen at BAC meetings, by letters to the police and sheriff’s departments, to the city council. That’s the basic MADD formula: get heard.
And I think it will be a shame if we get “Platinum” bike-friendly status before resolving our basic enforcement issues.
–Erik Ryberg
September 9th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
How about BADD – Bicyclists Agaist Dangerous Drivers
Start showing up a accident scenes, trials, hospital rooms and, especially the homes of the perpetrators.
Let’s talk to their neighbors & post flyers with their photo & license plate number, just like they do for convicted sex offenders. Maybe the road to Platinum will be to embarrass these folks until they change and/or leave town.
September 9th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
What about creating an online forum for Tucson cyclist. A place where we could craft our message and get organized. Does that sound like something that would be useful?
I am sure I could set it up pretty easily.
September 9th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Mothers, unlike cyclists, have an
empathetic ear with this culture.
Yelling and ‘in your face’ actions
would probably be met with more
resistance.
What we’re after is legislative
parity not unlike the goal of the
Civil Rights Movement. Granted,
there was bad behavior associated
with that, but it was the steady
patience that suceeded.
Unfortunately, we don’t have the
numbers that group posessed.
The BAC’s Enforcement subcommittee
consisting of 4 or 5 people is
going as fast as it can in the
narrow direction it sees as most
effective.
September 9th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Civil suit – injuries and damages, pain and suffering, loss of consortium. Whatever applies. Pursue and publicize it. Read the initial post and comment 4 in front of a jury. Better yet, have the posters read them to the jury. I think that says it all.
September 10th, 2009 at 4:47 am
I was the last rider in the pack that was hit by this motorist, and did most of the damage to the windshield (I understand). Thankfully, my memory is of riding at the end of the group, then being loaded into the ambulance (and nothing in between, approximately one hour). We were riding two abreast, and at the shoulder, definitely within the law. I am, of course, in favor of publicity from this accident making drivers more aware of cyclists’ safety, as well as cyclists being aware of good road behaviour. Hopefully, the driver will assist us in this effort as well. By the way, my injuries are, almost unbelievably, very light, and I actually took a short ride on Wednesday morning, feeling very good.
September 10th, 2009 at 11:32 am
Saw the article on AZStarnet (published 4 days after the accident) and now the piece from KVOA online, complete with public comments. Interesting…
Only those who were there know what happened. No one but the motorist who hit this pack of cyclists truly knows her state of mind, how alert she was & what she was or wasn’t doing when she hit the group.
Knowing the people hit are a group of excellent cyclists who ride this route at 6am every Saturday morning, they had undoubtedly begun their all out ride, traveling only somewhat below the speed limit. They have a reputation for being respectful of motorist traffic and riding no more than two abreast in a safe manner as close to the right as possible – not arrogantly occupying an entire lane.
Regardless of whether the motorist was or wasn’t distracted (texting, talking on her cell phone, hung over from the previous evening), we all agree she shouldn’t be exempt from the same liabilities she’d have if she hit another car or pedestrians, regardless of what jurisdiction the accident happened. And we know we all need to organize & get very vocal before change will happen. One other item to consider among us all… even we cyclists drive cars and are not immune to distractions. Sadly, any one of us could find ourselves in an ugly situation as a motorist if we don’t stay focused on the road. Every time I head out in my car, I see people driving in front of, behind, or in the next lane texting, talking on the phone, applying makeup, or doing other activities… while driving. Admittedly, I’ve done it – and I’m resolving not to double task while driving anymore.
I’m appalled that not one of our local news media reported on this incident immediately, but more importantly, there are bigger issues to deal with. Cyclist & motorist safety, motorist distractions & arguably ridiculous legislation relative to motorist/cyclist incidents need to be addressed. Thank you, Steve & Sharon, for reporting to us all about your ordeal – best to you and all involved for a speedy recovery. Great comments here from everyone – now let’s get to work!
September 10th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
I’m going to pick on one detail AJ said: “not arrogantly occupying an entire lane”
Note that motorists almost always occupy an entire lane. That’s not arrogant. That’s the default behavior for driving in lanes. That’s why we have marked lanes.
Sharing a lane side-by-side is the exception, which only applies when a whole bunch of conditions are all true.
September 11th, 2009 at 11:20 am
“not arrogantly occupying an entire lane” was relative to presumptive comments on KVOA’s site (see Recent Entries, KVOA on the Shootout Incident) presuming those involved in last week’s accident were riding carelessly. Arrogance and insinuation that our friends were probably occupying the entire lane (ie several abreast?) without regard to traffic was mentioned. My point was in defense/support of these cyclists who have a reputation for being safe, not disrespectful. Apologies for any misunderstanding.
September 13th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
I hope everyone is okay. Many times it seems that road users are simply not aware of the things going on around them — more over a lot of people do not simply seem to care if they hit you. The ignorance leads to the malice; the driver who doesn’t realize what they have to do to operate safely around cyclists will not realize they did anything wrong even if they hit you or I.
The sad fact is unless the courts start giving serious penalties to people who carelessly injure others with two-ton guided missiles there will be no way to discourage this. And “I didn’t see you” or “I thought I could pass” is not a get out of jail free card — unless you believe that a road user, driver biker or pedestrian, has no obligation to see what’s in front of them to avoid causing havoc!
This is actually one of the better resons FOR riding two abreast, namely, the riders present twice as much surface area to the eye of an overtaking car, making it twice as easy for even the inattentive person to see them. Our crew often spreads out a little on some roads and tho no one ever verbalized the reason I honestly believe it is to be more visible and sort of control the lane. Still, being safe is no guarantee if the other party isn’t.
I hope everyone will be okay — except the driver. As to that, we as a country need to reevaluate our police of taking people who could never get a handgun permit and settign them loose in cars. At a minimum drivers should be trained to interact with all strata of road users — including cyclists.
But I’m afraid to say i’m not holding my breath for it..
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:13 am
8:45 this Friday a.m. at Calle Buena Vista south of Calle Concordia, 85yr old woman hit 2 bicyclists IN THE BIKE LANE. She did not stop, wintesses got her plate# and OV police found her later. She didn’t know she hit anyone, there was damage to her SUV. SHE WAS NOT CITED!!! Case will be turned over to Cnty Attys Ofc. Bicyclist#1 68yrs old broken femur&hip #2 62yrs old broken arm. Leaving the scene of an accident, entering a designated bike lane causing harm to cyclists, isn’t that worth a citation of some sort, impaired driving-obviously not able to drive in her own lane causing harm, life threatening to others. Good God. Sharon
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:24 am
Monday Oct 5th I will attend the driver of the above accidents court date. A civil action for unsafe passing. I need to know for all of us if she pleads responsible she will just pay a penalty or mayb she has sent in her minimal payment, if she pleads not responsible a court date is set and we would all have the opportunity to speak. She is under insured so all of our own insurance companies will pick up the cost of her inattentive driving. What concerns me even more is the number of accidents that have occurred since our accident and the failure of the police dept. to take this seriously no matter where it is happening. We must take action and create something like MADD, I will talk to Jean Gorman