Go Get'em, Susan!!

[Nokomis]

I just saw a local news article about a repeat DUI offender hitting a cyclist, and PROPS! to our very own Susan for calling it in! I can't imagine watching a scene like that unfold - but want to thank you for doing the right thing. You Rock!

http://www.katu.com/stories/86770.html

[SadieKate]

Way to go, Susan!!!!

[Deanna]

Yay Susan. I'm glad the cyclist is still alive!

[CorsairMac]

I can't even begin to imagine how powerless you felt Susan, knowing the cyclist was going to get hit and knowing there was nothing you could do to stop it. I'm just glad the guy got caught - sadly not before he hit another car! Goodonya!

[Nanci]

If the guy's been convicted of drunk driving three times, why is he still out driving a car???

[Duck on Wheels]

If the guy's been convicted of drunk driving three times, why is he still out driving a car???

I read a piece in the New Yorker, years ago, about a guy like that. Gets arrested. Goes to jail. Over and over. License gone forever. Not allowed to own a car. But, hey, every once in a while he's back out of jail, steals a car and takes off. Because ... he's crazy.

[Lise]

Hooray for Susan--and what a shock for all, except, maybe, the driver...he's used to it.

I have a dear friend who's ex-husb kept driving like that. The poor guy could not stop drinking, and died when he walked into a swimming pool in a blackout. His license had been revoked, he'd been to jail, etc, but he would "borrow" his elderly parents' car and drive and crash. Never hit another person, as far as I know. Just hopeless.

[Aggie_Ama]

Hooray for Susan! I can't imagine watching that unfold.

The sick thing is people with a real problem will do this. A friend of DH's family had a breathalyzer on his car and he could not start it if he had any alcohol on his breath. He resorted to paying people to blow into it. He stopped drinking four years ago after spending one year in jail. Unfortunately, it takes a lot for some people to learn.

[donnambr]

This came from one of our local bicycle blogs:

http://bikeportland.org/2006/06/13/lessons-from-a-hit-and-run-witness/

It's nice for us car-less cyclists to know that there are drivers like Susan out there!

[Susan Otcenas]

Well, I guess I've just used up my "15 seconds of fame", eh?

Yes, it was a horrible thing to witness. I've written about the experience - what happened and what I've learned - for a few local lists here in Portland. I'll copy that report here, so apologies to you local gals who've read my story already. I should also mention that I spoke with a print reporter who did a story for today's Oregonian. I haven't read the piece yet, although I know it's been printed. When we spoke, he told me he wanted to do an article that focused on our utter lack of ability to keep repeat DUII offenders off the roads and *gasp* in jail. Here in Oregon, our jails have insufficient resources to keep many criminals in jail, despite their convictions. So, law enforcement is regular does the calculus, and releases the least bad of the bunch. Usually the non-violent offenders like meth addicts, burglars, car thieves, duii drivers, etc. It's a total crapshoot. It's a sad but true fact that you have to maim or kill someone with your vehicle before you will be kept off the streets.

I've been called to testify before the grand jury on Friday. The driver has been charged with 2nd degree assault (mandatory 70 month sentence), felony hit-and-run, and DUII.

Susan

____________


So, I'm driving eastbound on TV Highway. Just after 170th Street, I notice a black older Chevy Blazer driving erratically in the adjacent lane. He's speeding up, slowing down, not maintaining his lane (ie. drifiting into the shoulder, then back across the lane and drifting into the passing lane.). I watch him for a while, and Jeff & I decide to call police non-emergency to report him. Jeff writes down his license plate number and starts to dial.

Meanwhile, the guy is now ahead of us, crossing Murray. He's moved into the far right lane (the one where people usually turn right onto Murray, but you can continue straight also). The far right lane ends at 142nd Ave (the first street after Murray) and he's drifted onto the shoulder/bike lane. Up ahead of him, I see a cyclist wearing a screaming yellow jersey, and I say to Jeff, "Oh my God, he's gonna hit that cyclist, he's gonna hit that cyclist!!" and sure enough, he hits the cyclist with the front right of his vehicle. From my angle I couldn't tell if it was the head light area, or if he got him with the right quarterpanel. The cyclist goes down hard on the dirt shoulder. I don't recall seeing any breaklights on the Blazer and he just drove away. Unbelievable.

Jeff calls 911. I jump out of the car sreaming "212AJH, 212AJH" like a maniac so that we won't forget the plate number (yeah, Jeff had already written it down, but the adrenaline was flowing and I wanted to make sure the guy gets busted. I'm such a dork. :), and tell the cyclist to sit down. In typical cyclist style, he asks if his bike is OK. He's pretty banged up - huge hematoma forming on his left calf, and he says his left shoulder is in pain. I tell Jeff to tell the 911 operator to send an ambulance. Meanwhile several other cars who witnessed the accident also pull over, and all the drivers come running. I notice the sole of his bike shoe on the ground in the bike lane. The shoe was still on his foot, oddly.

Within 2-3 minutes, there's an ambulance, 3 police cars and a fire engine on the scene. The cyclist has dialed his wife, and I speak with her, get her name and phone number, and tell her I'll call her back once the ambulance driver tells me where they are taking him.
They remove his shirt and he's got tons of road rash on his shoulder and back. I also heard mention of a shoulder dislocation.

They decide on St. Vincents, so I tell his wife. Meanwhile they are questioning the cyclist, and he starts repeating himself, asking the same questions repeatedly. Now they are more worried about head trauma and decide to take him to a better trauma center - Legacy Emanual. His wife calls back and I tell her the news.

They took his bicycle away in the fire engine. Definitely had bent
cranks and I'm guessing he'll need a new wheel. Hard to tell if the rest of the bike was OK, but it wasn't too mangled.

The police took all of our witness statements. Said it was a felony hit-and-run.

And here's where I learned a valuable lesson. While I could descibe the vehicle very very well, knew the license plate # (even knew it was an Oregon Trail license plate) what they really seemed to want was a good description of the DRIVER which none of us was able to provide, other than to say "hispanic-looking male".

I really hope they catch the driver this evening and are able to drug/alcohol test him. They way he was driving, maybe he'll do us a favor and wrap himself around a telephone pole.

As I sit here writing this, I'm still stunned. It was like I could foretell the future and was powerless to make it stop. I knew he was going to hit that cyclist, and all I could do was yell. It once again underscored for me how truly vulnerable we are out there. We can be doing everything right and our world can be turned upside down in an instant.


______


Last night I witnessed a hit-and-run. Motorist mowed down a cyclist riding in a bike lane. Without going into great detail about the incident, I learned a few lessons I wanted to share.

1) I knew license plate number, make, model and color of vehicle, etc. But the officers responding on the scene asked several times "Can you describe the driver?" Other than the briefest of descriptions (like "male, olive complexion"), I couldn't. So if you can get a good look at the driver, be sure to do so.

2) If you see someone driving erratically, call 911. In this case, I had explicit information on the vehicle, because I was *already* in the process of calling the police when he hit the cyclist. I'd been observing the vehicle for about a mile (I was driving, and he was in the adjacent lane), and I could tell the driver was impaired. As we approached the cyclist, it was like a horror movie unfolding. I KNEW he was going to hit the cyclst. I could see it coming but was powerless to stop it. So, if you ever see someone driving suspiciously, don't hesitate - you should call it in. You could be saving someone else's life.

3) Carry a cell phone. The cyclist was coherent enough to dial his wife. I spoke with her and reassured her that he was conscious, that the ambulance had arrived, and kept her updated on where the ambulance was taking him. I was wishing for a camera-phone, so I could take a photo of his position, where the bike landed, etc. You just never know when that info might be useful to prosecutors.

4) There are some things we can not "protect" ourselves from. So often in these cases, non-cyclists, reporters, etc. ask "what can cyclists do to be safer on the roads?". And sometimes, the answer is Nothing. This cyclist was wearing a screaming yellow jersey, in broad daylight, in a bike lane, and was wearing a helmet. He had the misfortune of being on the road at the same time as a driver with very little respect for human life. While I consider myself to be a relatively skilled and observant cyclist, I never assume that I'm safe out there. I pay up for a comprehensive health insurance plan.

Now, the "good" news. The driver was apprehended! He hit a vehicle a few miles away. Apaprently attempted to abandon his vehicle, but was caught first. Guy was drunk. He reportedly had multiple previous DUIs. The police office on the scene told me the charge for hitting the cyclist would be felony hit-and-run, and with so many witnesses (there were others besides me), a second collision, and apprehension while still under the influence, I have to believe the guy will get convicted, and hopefully some jail time.

________________


Stay safe out there,

Susan

[bikerz]

Wow - Susan - what an experience - thank goodness you and Jeff were there, and had the presence of mind to take all those steps. Im sure the cyclist and his wife are very grateful.

[Running Mommy]

WOW!! This reminds me of something that happened a few years ago in my old stomping grounds. I know alot of you nor cal girl prolly know, or know of her.. Jill Mason. She was riding w/ her BF. She lived, he didn't, but she's been through quite a journey. I don't know her personally but have been following her story. For some reason that one really got to me. You can read her story here...
http://jillmason.com/

[slinkedog]

I'm so sorry you had to witness that. I'm glad the cyclist is mostly okay. Wow. I'm just amazed.

[chickwhorips]

its a bad deal that you had to witness it, but good that you were there. you did a great job!

its just so sad that things like this happen so often. what are some people thinking? or rather they should start thinking.

[Susan Otcenas]

So, I went before the grand jury yesterday. This is my first experience with this sort of thing, so I had no real idea what to expect.

The DA called me in, and I entered a conference room. Just 7 folks sitting around a table with lots of paperwork in front of them. No judge, no defense attorney, no accused person. Just me, the DA and the 7 grand jurors.

I was asked to recount what happened. The DA asked a bunch of questions, and then the jurors could ask whatever questions they wanted. I thought it was all pretty low key, although I must have been unconsciously nervous because afterwards I realized I had pitted out my shirt! :o

I waited around until all the witnesses finished testifying (there was small waiting room where we were all hanging out chatting). The DA said it usually only takes a few minutes to indict, and sure enough, the driver was indicted on all 4 counts in under 5 minutes. It would be inconceivable that he wouldn't be. He was caught, drunk as a skunk (Blood alcohol of .27 vs. the legal limit of .08) while still in the vehicle and there were multiple witnesses to the collision.

This was the driver's 6th arrest for DUII. 4 prior convictions plus the 1st one, which went on diversion (basically, they send you to class for "rehab"). DA said he's already served time for DUII once.

If it makes it all the way to trial, it'll likely be in 4-5 months.

Susan

[Lise]

Good for you, Susan! It is nerve-wracking to go to court for any reason, IMO. Have you heard anything about how the cyclist's doing?

[Susan Otcenas]

I saw the cyclist in court on Friday. He's doing OK. He has a separated shoulder, and lots of road rash. He's out of work for at least a month. He's in surprisingly good spirits, though.

Susan