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Sally
Chicago, IL
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Irene Annis wrote: A little respect please, she was wearing her helmet, and the idiot did not stop for the read light. she was not pressing her luck she was going when the light turned green, like everyone else would. the car next to her was blocking her view. I know though rediculous expecting ppl to stop at red lights. what a daredevil. Is your name pronounced with a long A or a short A?
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REAL WITNESS
Chicago, IL
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good samaritan wrote: <quoted text>
I find your account disturbing on several levels.
You said,
"I WAS A WITNESS TO THIS ACCIDENT, I WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO TRY TO HELP AND RESCUE MANDY. I SAW HER SCREAM FOR HELP AND TAKE HER LAST COUPLE OF BREATHS ....I TRIED TO HELP HER BY SEEING IF SHE HAD A PULSE BUT THE PARAMEDICS DIDN'T WANT HER TOUCHED. "
So did everyone just stand around and gawk until the paramedics got there? You said you were the first to try to help her, but were prevented in doing so by the paramedics. How long did Mandy "scream for help" and have to wait for someone to try to render assistance?
Or were paramedics already on the scene when the accident happened, and they didn't want anyone interfering with their work? I can understand paramedics not wanting people to compound Mandy's injuries by attempting to move her. But give me a break!! No one was allowed to "see if she had a pulse" or "touch her"?? Did the paramedics stand idly by also?
I would hope that at the very least someone held Mandy's hand as she lay dying. Not everyone is qualified to give medical care, but surely any bystander with a pulse and an ounce of compassion can hold a dying woman's hand or stroke her hair, and whisper words of comfort. If that's no longer a common practice -- or even "allowed", then God have mercy on us all.
Something about this just doesn't add up. I don't find your story very credible. According to the article, Mandy's boyfriend was told by the police on the scene that she died instantly. I'm inclined to think that your account was fabricated out of whole cloth to make a point about safety. If so, then what a a blatant example of opportunisim and narcissism.
OTOH, if your story is true, please accept my apology, and thank you for trying to help Mandy.
May we all be courageous in our attempts to demonstrate compassion to those in need. After all, every hurting person is somebody's friend or loved one. YOU LIYING STACK OF S**T, WHAT ARE YOU A FICTION WRITER OR SOMETHING, SAVE IT FOR YOUR NEXT BOOK..A** H***
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corruption sucks
Chicago, IL
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Sally wrote: <quoted text>
Is your name pronounced with a long A or a short A? It's a short A as in Cat.
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Lynn Annis - Mandys mom
Chicago, IL
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DSB wrote: Was either bicyclist wearing a helmet (and why was this basic question not addressed in the article)? Yes, Mandy was wearing her helmet. The paramedics cut it off of her when the arrived on the scene.
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Lynn Annis - Mandys mom
Chicago, IL
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ChgoSaint wrote: So the driver didn't run a red light according to this version of the story and the cyclist did... yet he is ticketed. I can understand the ticket for not having insurance, but the accident was not his fault. Too bad you can't ticket a cyclist. In CA, they have a database that covers bike/car accidents and in 200 accidents, cars were actually in the wrong only 44 times and cyclists.... 156. You run a red light and bad things happen.
I feel bad for the girl killed and worse for the driver of the Lumina who will see this girl riding illegally in front of him as he strikes her every day of his life. There were witnesses at the scene who stated that Mandy did not run the red light. She went on green. The police report states that the driver went through the intersection on a solid red light. The driver of the Lumina gave no indication at his hearing that he was the least bit sorry for having ended the life of our daughter, sister, fiancee and friend and neither did his attorney, smirking as he walked past us on his way out of the courtroom. He didn't have to make an admission of guilt, but condolences would have shown more class than what his behaviour at the hearing showed. I hope his family will let him be a man and take responsiblility for his actions that took the life of our Mandy.
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frustrated bike commuter
Chicago, IL
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I was almost run over this morning on my bike as I was riding on the roundabout. The worst thing about it was she did it on purpose! I pulled up to her car and told her I have the right of way. She said "You just ran through a stop sign". I want to ask all of you anti-cyclist people to do something. Every time you roll through a stop sign, ask yourself if you deserve to be killed for it. Even the crazy bikers who roll through busy intersections do not deserve to be murdered for it. Also, all of you cab riders ESPECIALLY in Wicker Park. It is ILLEGAL to open your door into the bike lane and exit. I have had 2 occasions within the past week and both times the women coming out of the cab gave dirty look to the bikers waiting patiently (after having to hard break to avoid crashing into them). One even called me a wh*re. The hate is absolutely ridiculous. Logan Square has a big problem with anti-cyclist attitudes and behaviors. And another thing about rolling through stop signs. First, try bike commuting in Chicago for a few months. I guarantee you'll last a week at most stopping at every stop sign. Even if you don't. Get over yourselves with this entitlement mentality. Instead of asking "what are they doing that is unsafe" ask "what am I doing that is unsafe?" you can only control yourself.
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Joe
Chicago, IL
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Cyclists claim that biking is good exercise, but then refuse to stop at intersections because it supposedly takes too much energy to get moving again. Who is lazy again?
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frustrated bike commuter
Chicago, IL
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This morning, a woman attempted to mow me down on the roundabout at Logan Square. I am sure she didn't actually intend to go through with it, but her attempt to scare me was extremely dangerous. She did not understand that bikers have just as much right to follow the path of cars in that area. Her justification for her dangerous actions was that she saw me roll through stop signs. I'm not here to debate how safe I am as a biker or any other biker or driver. My point is that I am completely disheartened by the hate I encounter on a weekly basis. It is one thing to be ignorant of the laws and open your car door without looking. It is quite a different story when you purposefully aim your car at a human being. Logan Square is one of the most dangerous places for bikers and pedestrians. Even the most dangerous biker who weaves through busy intersections does not justify trying to mow them down. Please be safe. Instead of asking yourself "What are they doing that is unsafe?" Ask "What am I doing that is unsafe?" Let's all try to arrive home to our families and children in one piece.
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frustrated bike commuter
Chicago, IL
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Joe wrote: Cyclists claim that biking is good exercise, but then refuse to stop at intersections because it supposedly takes too much energy to get moving again. Who is lazy again? I can't speak for all bikers, but for me it is not about being lazy. It is about safety. Try riding a bike in the city traffic for a week, I guarantee you will understand. It only took me about 4 or 5 times through a stop sign to get the danger of it. Perhaps you are not the driver that tries to beat the biker through an intersection, but they are out there. And there are a LOT of them. Some of them even in police cars.
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Sam
Chicago, IL
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frustrated bike commuter wrote: <quoted text>
I can't speak for all bikers, but for me it is not about being lazy. It is about safety. Try riding a bike in the city traffic for a week, I guarantee you will understand. It only took me about 4 or 5 times through a stop sign to get the danger of it. Perhaps you are not the driver that tries to beat the biker through an intersection, but they are out there. And there are a LOT of them. Some of them even in police cars. So now you are saying it's SAFER for a cyclist to run a stoplight or stop sign? This is like Alice in Wonderland.
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frustrated bike commuter
Chicago, IL
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Sam wrote: <quoted text>
So now you are saying it's SAFER for a cyclist to run a stoplight or stop sign? This is like Alice in Wonderland. Yes. In some instances it is SAFER for a cyclist to run a stop sign (I never said stoplight). To explain this, here is one example of where this may happen: I am at an intersection and start to take off from a stopped position, the impatient driver to my right decides he can no longer wait on me and pulls out in front of me to make a left causing me to be at full stop in the middle of an intersection (in order to avoid hitting the car or the car hitting me) and likely at this point with my feet on the ground. More than likely this vehicle is also a truck or large SUV. Other cars can now no longer see me and I am extremely vulnerable to any new vehicle because I am completely stopped in the middle of the intersection. It takes me several seconds to get back on my bike and back up to speed. I am not an extremely coordinated person, so often after I have to slam to a stop I lose my balance and have a higher likelihood of falling over onto the ground in the middle of an intersection. It is MUCH safer for me to retain my speed and cruise through the intersection with the car with which I am sharing a lane. This is only one example. If you take my advice and ride a bike in the city for a while, I'm sure you'd come up with your own scenarios.
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Pete
Chicago, IL
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frustrated bike commuter wrote: <quoted text>
Yes. In some instances it is SAFER for a cyclist to run a stop sign (I never said stoplight). To explain this, here is one example of where this may happen:
I am at an intersection and start to take off from a stopped position, the impatient driver to my right decides he can no longer wait on me and pulls out in front of me to make a left causing me to be at full stop in the middle of an intersection (in order to avoid hitting the car or the car hitting me) and likely at this point with my feet on the ground. More than likely this vehicle is also a truck or large SUV. Other cars can now no longer see me and I am extremely vulnerable to any new vehicle because I am completely stopped in the middle of the intersection. It takes me several seconds to get back on my bike and back up to speed. I am not an extremely coordinated person, so often after I have to slam to a stop I lose my balance and have a higher likelihood of falling over onto the ground in the middle of an intersection. It is MUCH safer for me to retain my speed and cruise through the intersection with the car with which I am sharing a lane. This is only one example. If you take my advice and ride a bike in the city for a while, I'm sure you'd come up with your own scenarios. If you're not coordinated, you have no business on a bike. And your example is specious, as it assumes that the driver will not yield the right of way. on the other hand, if you do run a stop sign, the driver to the right may hit you because he was expecting you to stop. The expectation that the other person will obey the law has to be adopted or we will have chaos. If you assume that everyone will run lights, stop signs, etc., no one will feel confident entering an intersection. If you are too afraid of what someone "might" do, you need to stay off the road.
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frustrated bike commuter
Chicago, IL
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Pete wrote: <quoted text>
If you're not coordinated, you have no business on a bike. And your example is specious, as it assumes that the driver will not yield the right of way. Exactly what I am saying, people do not yield. Your coordination comment is just being rude. Pete wrote: <quoted text>
on the other hand, if you do run a stop sign, the driver to the right may hit you because he was expecting you to stop. The driver would then have to smash me into the car that is next to me in my scenario. You must be misunderstanding my example. Pete wrote: <quoted text>The expectation that the other person will obey the law has to be adopted or we will have chaos. The laws are not obeyed. That is the problem ESPECIALLY in Logan Square. It's the same reason why a granny driving 55 on the interstate while everyone else is going 80 is dangerous. And a biker is WAY more vulnerable than granny in her car. Pete wrote: <quoted text>If you assume that everyone will run lights, stop signs, etc., no one will feel confident entering an intersection. From my perspective, it IS chaos. Every day I see countless bikers, drivers, pedestrians breaking traffic laws. I am law-abiding to a fault in almost any scenario. And every day I have to be vigilant and hyper defensive as a pedestrian, biker, driver. It is the law for drivers to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk even when there is no stop sign or light. The "exercise" the police did a few months ago proved that NOBODY stops. If we made that assumption, we would ALL eventually be killed. Traffic laws in Logan Square are a joke. Almost nobody follows them, even right in front of the police. That doesn't excuse it or make it right, but I am going to continue to use my own judgment as to what I think is safest. And until Logan Square is the dreamy law-abiding neighborhood that you describe, I will continue to ride on sidewalks and roll through stop signs when I believe it's safer for me to do so. While I agree you bring up good points, none of this excuses intentionally targeting people with your car. There is a reason you have to have a license to drive a car and nothing required to ride a bicycle. In the hands of a raging driver, a car is a lethal weapon. A cyclist's or pedestrian's death will not change any of this. It does not make them accountable or more responsible or more law-abiding or even more polite. It just makes them dead.
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the mom
Harleysville, PA
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Oscar wrote: God wasn't looking out for her, foolish parents. She was mowed over by a reckless creep, who will probably get more breaks, than the innocent he killed. God? ha. I hope the dopey parents don't turn the other cheek, and let the creep off easy. No, the dopey judge let him off with a slap on the wrist and a "be more careful next time" threat.
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Pisces