BY COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER
A female cyclist was injured Thursday when she struck a moving vehicle on Cabrillo Blvd., according to an eyewitness, who also said the driver stopped, got out of his SUV, popped some mints into his mouth and drove away.
The collision occurred at 1 p.m. across the street from Chase Palm Park Recreation Center. Peter Ny, who was driving in front of the white SUV when the cyclist crashed, said it appeared she misjudged the speed of the vehicle and collided with its rear bumper.
“I saw the whole thing in my rear view mirror,” Ny said. “She cut in too fast.”
But whether the accident was the 45-year-old cyclist’s fault or not, Santa Barbara Police and Fire officials said leaving the scene of an accident makes the situation highly suspect.
“Regardless of whether it’s your fault or not you’re required to stay and give information,” said Officer Michael Epstein.
The woman remained in the roadway for about 15 minutes until paramedics arrived. She was placed in a neck brace and transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
While the woman did not appear to have sustained any serious physical injuries, one firefighter said she was having difficulty answering simple questions. The woman told a Daily Sound reporter, who happened to be conducting an interview nearby when the accident occurred, that her hip hurt. The woman was also spitting blood.
“She got a little concerned and confused with time,” the firefighter said.
A Daily Sound photographer got a picture of the upper half of the vehicle as it was briefly parked at the scene, and police said it appeared to be a Ford, possibly an Explorer.
“You can’t leave the scene of the accident,” said fire Capt. David Aguailar. “He should have stayed and rendered aid.”
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Cyclist injured in accident with SUV, driver flees scene
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2 comments:
Being a cyclist this story is too familiar. The one thing that is for sure is whether a cyclist hits a car or a car hits a cyclist the loser is the cyclist every time.
"Being a cyclist this story is too familiar."
Uh, you make it a habit to run your bike into car bumpers?
As a cyclist, what I'm most familiar with is staying alert. In about 100,000 miles of pedaling, I have been doored once and once collided with a car making a sudden right turn into an alley. In the latter case I was certainly the loser, ending up on crutches for about a month, but in the former case I totally destroyed the guy's door (and bent my fork, but it was an old heavy Schwinn and not much of a loss).
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