Back in January, Wheelbrothers was notified of a bad road accident involving a fellow cyclist in Houston. While we are always saddened when something happens to one of our own, this accident was especially disheartening as these cyclists did absolutely everything right that day – from their safety precautions to their use of wearable ID’s.
We were fortunate enough to get to chat with one of the riders involved in the accident. Wheelbrothers retells the story of what happened to Patrick* and Sam* that day. Plus Patrick offers some great reminders of safety tips for every cyclist to be aware of, for every ride and at every experience level.
Your kids may complain or feel silly wearing that bike helmet, but a recent story brings home how important this—and following other bike safety rules—is.
This incident took place on January 1, 2014 in the Houston area. Patrick and Sam were both avid bike riders with years of riding experience and solid safety records. Sam was even a member of a Houston riding club—the Northwest Cycling Club. The two were starting the year with an ambitious goal, to ride 100 miles. Seventy-five miles into the ride, tragedy struck when the two were hit by an elderly driver who was not paying attention to the road. Later the woman said she “just couldn’t see them,” and she didn’t even realize she had hit someone after it happened.
Patrick and Sam liked using that stretch of road for their rides because there was typically very little traffic to worry about. However, even though there were not usually a lot of cars, the two were obeying all the proper safety precautions—they were riding in single file formation and all the way to the right, almost all the way onto the shoulder.
“We did everything right,” said Patrick. “We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
As a result of the accident, Patrick has a broken pelvis and is now recovering with a walker. Sam, who was knocked unconscious when the car hit, is still in a wheelchair and faces months more of recovery time.
Their story shows that it is important to know how to protect yourself when riding a bike. Many cities and states have laws in place to protect cyclists, such as the law in Houston that says drivers must leave a 3-foot cushion between their car and the bike rider. However, even if such laws exist in your town, you shouldn’t depend on them for your safety (unfortunately, say bicycle riders in the Houston area, this law is not being enforced by police).
Patrick and other riders offer up some helpful advice for cyclists:
- Make sure you stay to the right, as far as you are able.
- Ride in single file.
- Use all safety equipment that is available, including a well-fitting helmet with a rear-view mirror so you can see what is happening behind you without turning around.
- Do not wear headphones—you need to have all of your senses tuned into what is going on around you, and you need to be able to hear if a car is coming up right behind you.
- Wear a road ID that has your contact and medical information etched onto it.
- In your riding jersey, carry a laminated ID and your insurance card.
- If you are a bike rider, make sure you have enough uninsured/underinsured coverage on your auto insurance policy. This will help cover any medical bills that the driver’s insurance won’t cover, and is also a good idea when sharing the road with uninsured drivers.
The importance of wearing a helmet really hits home by what they found after the accident. Sam’s helmet had been cracked right at the top, indicating that that is where the head hit the ground and that the helmet absorbed the impact. Even with the helmet, there is a significant wound, meaning the helmet was protection from even worse injury or even death.
Although Patrick and Sam are still recovering and face a long road ahead of them, they owe their lives to the fact that they wore helmets and did what was in their power that day to make their ride as safe as they could.
*Names have been changed.