One still in critical condition after El Tour hit-and-run; photos of driver sought
From today’s Daily Star:
Sheriff’s deputies are still looking for the hit-and-run driver who struck a group of 10 bicyclists Saturday morning during El Tour de Tucson.
Witnesses told deputies that many onlookers were taking pictures after the collision. Anyone with photos is asked to provide them to authorities to help the investigation, Deputy Dawn Barkman, a Pima County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman, said Sunday.
If you are feeling particularly masochistic, read the comments on the earlier story here. Examples:
Comment by d s. (Desert Sage) — November 22,2008 @ 6:08PM
Maybe he had to follow them for miles on end with no clear opportunity to pass them and without a viable alternate route. Maybe he had been trying to make a turn for half an hour with no break in the action. Maybe, just maybe, he finally got fed up.Comment by Vin A. (Vin Arial) — November 22,2008 @ 6:21PM
I was riding my dirt bike (motorcycle) on a fairly narrow dirt road a couple years back. I came upon two bicyclists riding side by side. Anyway, I slowed down and waited for them to do the polite thing, which would have been for both of them to move to one side of the road so I could safely pass. Like I said it was a fairly narrow road. Anyway, when I asked them to let me pass, one just kinda looked back and sneered, and they kept on riding side by side. Quite angry after 2 or 3 minutes of this, I waited until I had just enough room to fit between them, and punched it. As I wheelied passed them I looked back just in time to see one of them already wiped out and the other one on the way down. That was a good day.Comment by L R. (AMERICANWOMAN2006) — November 22,2008 @ 8:08PM
bikes don’t belong on the road. It doesn’t make sense. If someone rides on these streets in this crazy town, I say they do so @ their own risk.
Be careful out there.
–Erik Ryberg
November 24th, 2008 at 11:27 am
The Platinum Challenge review group needs
to focus on the citizenry around here.
Our gold level award is going to end up
plated with zinc.
November 24th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Ahhh! That explains the absolute dearth of information available still two whole days after a major news incident like this one… the city knows what happened and is scrambling to figure out how to cover its fundament.
Quoted from the “comments” on the Star article:
————
89. Comment by Hugh J. (JAC_Hammer) — November 23,2008 @ 6:59PM
Ratings: -0 +1
Why do none of the main media outlets include the eye witness testimony of the tandem riders that were leading the pack and barely missed the car by 1 foot?!?
All these posted comments from people assuming the root cause, and yet in no article nor any news report did they include the eye witness report that “I saw the traffic control person wave the car across without even checking for oncoming cyclists”
The eye witness posted this right on the PBAA message board so any real journalist could plainly report the whole story!!!
Maybe this explains why no license plate number was taken…
I have to state that 99% of traffic control officers I saw did an outstanding job and I yelled my thanks for their work as I passed by.
I hope the 1 who made the mistake steps up and comes clean.
I also hope everyone involved recovers quickly.
November 24th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
“Quite angry after 2 or 3 minutes of this…”
Wow. 2-3 minutes of waiting certainly aggravates me to the point of wanting to break people’s collarbones. Clearly proportional response.
November 25th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Did they cite the riders?
November 25th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Hey Jeff,
A friend of mine on the morning of El Tour surveyed the huge crowd and said to me, “you know, I have a feeling that today is one day that bicyclists in Tucson are not going to get cited for being hit by a car.”
EBR