Cyclist hit by truck in critical care unit
(CNS): A 50-year-old woman who was struck by a Ford F250 truck Saturday morning while riding her bike has sustained head injuries and is in the critical care unit at the George Town hospital in a serious condition. Police said that female cyclist was out riding with another male cyclist at 6:10 this morning on Homestead Crescent, off Shamrock Road in Savannah, when they were hit by the truck. The pair were travelling east on their bikes when the collision happened. Police and ambulance personnel responded to the scene and took the injured woman to the Cayman Islands Hospital by ambulance. The man had only minor injuries. Witnesses who saw the incident are asked to call Bodden Town Police Station at 947-2220.
Category: Local News
This is for you all that don't or didn't know what happened with the accident. (1) It was not a hit 'n' run, as the accident took place the driver jumped out of his truck and checked the lady and as he notice that she was seriously injured, he ran back to his truck and to get his phone and called 911. (2) The driver was the ONLY dam person that attend the injured lady. Her riding partner was more concerned on trying to called whoever than for him to help the driver attended to the lady while he (THE DRIVER) was on the phone with 911 dispatcher. (3) The driver never left the injured lady side until EMS personnel came and he was the only one that had seem to care about life at the time because no one assisted on trying to help apart from screaming the place down and steering. The driver braced his leg behind the lady neck and applied pressure on to her wound to stop her from bleeding to death and he didn't left her side until the EMS came and they told him that they will take over now and they thanked him the DRIVER for his support until they came. (4) 99.9% of you illiterate people are quick to judge and criticize without KNOWING what took place. (5)This is from US TRUCKERS, cyclists NEEDS to understand that BIG TRUCKS isn't a toy and if see's or hear a BIG TRUCK coming they should stand clear. A trailer truck, dump truck or a semi-truck isn't a pretty site to try and stop if LOADED with cargo, equipment etc…… no matter how great of a driver you are, something that size and mass should be respected by both cyclist and motorist. (6) The driver tried contacting numerous of times, messaging and no responses was given considering the fact that the driver showed concerned helped saved her life when no other did at the seen. Last but not least as far as I KNOW, we motorists pays a ridiculous amount of money every single year for licensing and insurance on our vehicle's to be used on the roads and you all cyclists don't so fact be told.
For those of you who want to know who posted this comment, it was posted by the DRIVER……
All these people saying its their right to run over cyclists for infractions, wow, you would kill some cyclists for daring to cycle 2 abreast. Yes that deserves a death sentence with no trial or jury, just you as executioner. These are probably the same people claiming to make Cayman the great christain nation. I can't remember the clause in the ten commandments that said "thou shall not kill (unless a cyclist is 2-4 abreast). Imagine that cyclist ahead is your 8 year old daughter biking to a friends house, how would you like a car or truck driver to so how close they could get, or purposely hit them for daring to try and miss a pothole, or my favourite hitting them to avoid driving your SUV, Ford pickup through a puddle
I'm sure this is horrible for both sides, nobody wants to put someone in hospital and potentially change their way of life and obviously nobody wants to be on the receiving side. That being said, I think the issue is on both sides also, I'm sure there are some great drivers and great cyclists in Cayman but I would say the majority don't follow the laws of the road and this leads to accidents. Motorists need to start obeying the law, including indicators etc, and start respecting cyclists. Cyclists need to obey the laws, ride responsibily and respect the motorists on the road.
Motorists should always drive defensively and yield to any traffic already in the lane ahead of them. Nobody has the right to run over somebody because they are in a big truck or because their world is getting them down and they want to feel some power. People with that sort of psychosis are a menace to society and will find themselves in prison soon enough. If you are that person, get counseling.
Lets get this straight who ever you are. For your info just because he is in a big truck doesnt mean her ran her over. You people are so damn quick to judge and critize people without knowing what happened.
I'm speechless. Someone is lying in a critical condition in the hospital and insesitive jerks are giving their 2 cents on why they hate cyclists.
To the commentors : I'm a cyclist and a motorist. I get irritated by pedestrians, cyclists and motorists who don't obey laws, but when you're talking about someone's life, is it really so hard to wait a few seconds to pass? Or are you such a loser that being in a car makes you feel superior. These attitudes are a poor reflection on Cayman. The way many people in this society treat animals and people perceived as inferior shows a general lack of intelligence and education.
Someone suggested the cycling association do something – yes, I agree, even if you can educate one person you could save a life.
Im not sure on the circumstances, but I'm sure the driver must feel terrible. I can't imagine anyone would purposely hit someone – I hope she recovers soon.
Not being a cyclist I must make a few observations as a motorist.
It is appalling the number of cyclists that ride two or more abreast.
Paying little or no attention to surrounding traffic.
The number of night riders without any illumination and wearing dark clothes.
Giving signals but not checking traffic before turning.
Passing slow moving traffic on either side of the vehicles usually during peak hours. This would also make one of the readers suggestion of an eight footg alowance invalid.
As a motorist it has become a challenge to know what side of the road the cyclists demand.
I can only speak about my own experience as a bicyclist and I think I can claim that I drive very carefully since I am always afraid when I go by bicycle in Cayman Islands. In my experience one is at risk to be hit at any time. Hardly anybody ever stops if a car is coming on the opposite lane. Most drivers nevertheless overtake the bicyclist andthey obviously dont care what happens to the person using the bicycle. I dont understand that behaviour at all. It does not make sense to me, especially since in general live is very slowls here. Most people are not so much in a hurry at work, so why do they rush on the road, where people get injure or even killed in accidents.
The worst drivers of all are the truck drivers. They use their horn when they approach you from behind (probably that means, we are the king of the roads, get out of our way or we can not guarantee anything) and that horn is so loud that you get afraid when you suddenly hear it and the risk is big that you are so surprised that you loose your balance. Then the truck drivers pass by so close that if the bicyclist makes the smallest mistake the truck will hit the bicyclist.
After every trip I first thank god trhat I survived and then I ask myself, what kind of lifestyle is that here if you can not use the bicycle without risking your life, why do the car/truck drivers dont pay more attention and do they ever think about the question what would happen if they are ever involved in an accident and a bicyclist is injured or even dead. Would they wake up at least then or would they even then blame the bicyclists for daring to use the streets too.
In my native country some people put a stiker on theIr car which says: "We also use the breaks for animals" That is meant as a warning for others tompay attention since it could happen that the breaks are used at any time. Here in Cayman I guess a sticker would be in big demand with the slogan "We dont use the breaks fpr bicyclists"
That way of thinking says a lot about the people and I think every further word about that topic is in vane since anyhow nothing will change.
The driving behaviour in this country is atrocious at best. Plain and simple. It's disgusting that people would take this story and comment that cyclists are the ones to blame for how they use the road. Every single day I watch people drive their entire car in the cycle lanes on the bypass. All four tires over the line. I will not miss the driving here when I am gone.
What can you expect when you live in a place where traffic laws go unenforced except for the usual "don't-drink-and'drive Christmas campaign? Drivers in Cayman fear nothing cause there is never a consquence to their actions. The police know where the hot spots are where the most idiotic drivers can be caught in the act, yet they refuse to do anything about it.
I use to cycle 15 years ago but stopped because many motorists don't regard cyclists as having rights on the road. It became very dangerous especially if you are cycling and the driver needs to turn they would just cut right in front of you without any regards and hit you from you bycicle then they have the nerves to act as if you had absolutely no rights to be on the road. This has happened to me once and it's a very scary situation.
The female cyclist is actually my cousin. I just heard the news. I am told she is still unconscious but stable and doctors are awaiting her regaining consciousness. I am truly saddened by this and can only pray for her recovery. There has been no mention of whether the truck driver has been held accountable or whether it was a hit and run. Any further details would be greatly appreciated, otherwise I am sure I will be informed later by the family.
It is also appalling how little respect is given to motorists on the roads of Grand Cayman by cyclists. Riding 2 & 3 abreast on roads that often are barely wide enough for two economy cars to safely pass, cutting into/across traffic with little or no warning, riding on the wrong side of the road (against traffic), . . . Need I go on? It is a recipe for disaster, and it is the cyclist who will pay the ultimate penalty in any collision on the roads.
The saying goes "courtesy is a two way street" as are most of our roads. Cyclists should be riding in SINGLE FILE,and the same direction as the motoring traffic, It is for no other reason than it lessens the result of any impact due to the lesser speed differential of the vehicles. The impact in a head-on collision is the speed of the two vehicles ADDED together. The impact of a collision between two vehicles traveling in the same direction is the DIFFERENCE between the two speeds! Anyone with a 6th grade education has learned this basic scientific fact.
Resect cannot be demanded, it must be earned. Mutual respect derives from mutual courtesy tempered with a little common sense.
Is putting the words 'single file' in capitals meant to demonstrate to the readers you are factually correct and only your point of view is valid. If so on what basis are you correct, is there legal guidance on this point, do you have statistics to back up your implied assertion or is it simply the fact that you have capitalised the phrase mean you are correct?
Surely just as with driving, the type of road, conditions all have a part to play as to what is safe and what is not. Also worth noting is that the number of people in a cycle group will impact on what is safer. There will be times when it is safer to over take a 16 person group in double file rather than a 16 person train individually. I would further suggest that there will be times when overtaking if you are not giving wide enough berth to a two person width 'train' then you would not giving enough room to a single person line either and shouldn't be overtaking.
I appreciate I have not made put any of my points in capitals, so feel free to dismiss them.
My understanding is that the Road Code actually states groups of cyclists should ride two abreast. Can someone confirm?
19;18
Regardless of the cyclist not in single file. If you happen to see these cyclist riding like this, the most sensiable thing to do is slowdown.
A child is not allowed to run into traffic and get ran over either, but if you are driving with due care and see these things happening then use your f@@@ing common sense and slow down.
The driver of a vehicle always have the advantage to control what he or she is driving. It takes approximatly 22 seconds to slow down and pass these cyclist.
Im on the road every morning at 5 am and see the daybreakers hitting the pavements ( Eddie and Crew) whenever im approching them i always slow down. One… It is the most sensible thing to do. two… should you hit and damage a person it will live with you until you die.
Slow down!!
Its appaling as well how little respect is given to motorist by the cyclists. Its as if they think they own the roads. Common Sense should prevail and not think that everytime something like this happens that it has to be a vehicle drivers fault. Too many times I am driving and see this cyclist riding at 10 MPH and expect to be in the middle of the road. They might think they are moving fast enough, but let us remember the roads are for vehicles.
Cyclist do not pay one cent to the up keep. So when they swerve out in the road to avoid a pot hole, it cannot be deemed the drivers fault. There are some serious arrogant cyclist out there that have no respect and do not relize that my Big Green vehicle will not feel the pain when they say "hit me and see what will happen to you". nothing will happen to me. And if all your idea is to file suit, best to ride safe first and work hard to make your money instead of depending on a suit in court. Now, not all cyclist ride in that arrogant manner, so to those that respect the road that is made for driving and vehicles then kudos to you. Come to think of it. If a motobike rider is suposed to wear a helmet and its illegal to do so on the roads, is there a different or no law for the cyclists?
We all get wake up calls, but when was the last time you seen a cyclist out on Miami Highway? Please cyclist, have some common sense. If you will be riding in pairs, ride one behind the other and pay attention to the roads around you. Just like we Law abiding drivers do. Remember vehicles have side and rear veiw mirrors. When a cyclist try to look backwards, it is a very dangerous act and very few cyclist can do it without swerve into the road or off course of where they are riding.
There should be a law for those cyclist that when found riding beside each other that they are charged. Same as those persons using the shoping carts on the roads and expect to push them in the middle of the road. Same goes for walking persons. A lot of caribbean garden people walk next to each other on the roads. They take up so much space they should be charged for abuse of property. The fact is that if they get hit while walking next to each other on a small road with no side walk they will try to make it seem that all drivers do not pay attention. This happens a lot on Smith Road and Shedden Road.. There is a time and place for everything. For now the roads should be used for the legal purpose.
9;59
Regardlees, you need to exercise more patience when you are driving on the public roads. The way i see some of you driving like mad men, i would lock you up and never let you drive on the puiblic roads again.
I wonder what you would do if a child ran into the road after a ball??would you have the courtesy to swerve away or stop to avoid hitting him. When driving on a public road, remember one thing, its more than you using that road.
If you want to speed, go find a race track.
The fact is that joggers, walkers and bike riders are likely chosing to jog, walk and ride next to each other in an effort to slow down oncoming cars or force cars driving behind them to slow down and go "around" them! If they all were "single-filing" along the road, chances are that people like you who think because you are in a car you are the only one entitled to be on the road, wouldn't even notice the "single-file" person jogging, walking or biking and would continue to speed along, passing them with a 2 inch distance!
In most countried, pedestrians and cyclists always have the right of way, but as usual, in Cayman people tend to think because they are sitting in a big SUV or Truck, they somehow can demand ownership of the roads!
A bicycle is a legal vehicle [as defined in part 1 section 2 of the Traffic Law of 2011] and is fully entitled to take the full lane and motorists must always yield to slower moving or pedestrian traffic. Taking the full lane is a safer practice for cyclists since A) Motorists can better see them, and B) They can ride in a more predictible manner – not having to swerve around potholes, gravel, man-holes, lanes that end, and random curbing. Most international cycling associations recommend riding in a straight line a full meter (3 feet) from the curb for just this reason.
Cayman is a dangerous place for bicyclists. That ain't gonna change any time soon.
Wear your helmets, folks; you need 'em here.
The shoulders an cycle lanes dont work unfortunately.
Take Dart's efforts on the new WB bypass. its a nice gesture but cyclists are faced with dead animals, broken glass (usually worse after a Fri night!), various debris, walkers, cars stopping/parking and various other hazards in these shoulders. Cyclists are forced to weave in and out of the shoulders because of this, which any cyclist will tell you is more dangerous than just holding a constant line.
i too have been on the wrong end of verbal abuse but drunken youths and other a-holes who like to have a go at cyclist. We have all experienced the hero drivers who thinks its funny to drive by at 50mph as close as they can to you too.
We will beat our heads against walls trying to educate a portion of the populas that has no desire to be educated and is too imature. its a form of bully characteristic against the more vulnerable user of teh road.
Safe cyclists need protection and, for the most part, its too late for cycle lanes throughout the islands. Cylists have as much right to the road as cars do and Cayman needs to introduce a law requiring a "1.5 to stay alive rule" requiring vehicles to stay 1.5 meters away from cyclists then enforce this with stricture punishment.
i wish the couple affected in this recent incident all the best in their fight for life and the court case that follows.
I agree with that they always almost hit me…I want to carry a chain and break off their mirrors “use it or lose it”!
Sooooo, did the drive stop?
I agree 100% with your post 12-06 I stopped riding on same side of traffic a long time ago and ride facing the traffic and even had the Police stop me and tell me I was breaking the law.I will continue to ride that way and at least I can see the problem coming and get out of the way.I had someone touch my handle bar one day and told me to get the hell off the road No respect from some drivers
And one day you will probably be killed by a vehicle pulling out and turning left, because the driver was looking to his right, not expecting to encounter some idiot riding on the wrong side of the road. Don't expect your heirs to be able to sue, either – because you are in the wrong
I found the article to be confusing. Did this mean that the driver oif the truck stopped and offered assistance or was it a hit & run?
It would be horrible to hit someone on a bike and hopefully the driver stopped and offered assistance.
The driver stopped and called 911 while assisting the lady untill the paremedics arrived.
There should be no need for special cycle lanes. Motorists should drive with consideration and not pass close to cyclists (or pedestrians or other motorists for that matter). It is no effort whatsoever to slow a car down so as to allow oncoming traffic to pass and then allow the safe passage past a cyclist.
the problem is that the general standard of driving in Cayman is abysmal. There really is nothing the police alone can do. The Traffic Department should reconsider the licensing of drivers. It should be a long term process during the driver establishes he/she actually has the cognitive abilities to operate a vehicle in a dynamic situation. One need only look at drivers to see they react (or attempt to do so) at the last moment. There is absolutely no brain activity in the most drivers here.
As for the person who hit these cyclists, he/she should be placed in a secure place of safety and only allowed out under strict supervision. He/she is sub-human.
It is appalling how little respect is given to cyclists on the roads of Grand Cayman by motorists.
I cycle to work everyday for the exercise and doing my part to lower my carbon footprint. Motorists frequently come within mere inches of me when passing or even worse, honk their horns while passing mere inches away trying to spook me into crashing my bike. CI govt. needs to create more cycling lanes and even better yet pass laws that heavily fine motorists who disrespect and come to close while passing cyclists on the road. If there’s no oncoming traffic a motorist should move over at least 8 ft from the cyclist they are passing.
Alas, there are so few roads with shoulders suitable to ride a bicycle on and few places where the road is wide enough to give an 8ft buffer without straying into oncoming lane. A driver can round a curve along Shamrock Road and suddenly be upon a cyclist that they couldn't see previously leaving little time to react.
Then they should be driving slower
I too cycled to work for a few months, and for the most part, a glorious and liberating experience. However, there were frequent and daily "near death" experiences one would normally expect to encounter in a country not conditioned to sharing the road. Sadly, even peddling defensively and anticipating the worst possible judgement of fellow road-users, I reasoned the risk was too great and went back to driving to stay alive for my family. There are simply too many variables involving inconsiderate and aggressive drivers to risk it – even using the very few designated cycle lanes I have been nearly flattened without regard! I worry for the safety of cruise ship peddle safari-goers and deeply concerned about the complete lack of traffic policing for all roadway users.
In a place without sidewalks, you think you are going to get a cycle lane? If you don't like cyciling here I can suggest two options a) get a car b) go cycle somewhere else.
Wow, thumbs down… seriously?!
It takes a special type of moron to thumbs down a person commenting sensibly, and on this type of matter. This woman could have been killed!
You are absolutely correct. At nights is when these trucks can drive like crazy. If you lived on Bodden Road you would have enough to talk about. At night these trucks drive on Bodden Road as if the Road belongs to them. Very soon I am almost certain there is going to be a serious accident.
I totally agree with the above 100%!!!!!
it is just disturbing and dark the mindset of motorist that believe that cyclist have NO right of way on the road. NEWS FLASH –>> only in Cayman this is dominant! Here there is NO police, NO awareness, NO humanity and NO law enforced to protect us!
I usually go out cycling @4:15am atleast 3 times per week from nwlnds to wb and back. I am a very cautious rider. even though theres no heavy traffic, I use every cycle lane, obey each stop light and take caution at every intersection and roundabouts, as there is still HIGHWAY DRIVING and poor road worthiness at that time. And of course NO police around!! I have to watch out for the early bird ppl on missions, the odd drunkerd, folks that have early morining shifts and last but not the least, the hot headed, spiteful ignorant, dark, angry motorist that love speed and HATE cyclist or anyone on a motor bike or moped! Basically i'm saying that no matter what time of the day or night we ride the motorist in cayman dont give a damn about how they drive or our lives!
To the cycling association–> why havent you done anything to bring awareness about cycling??
Mr. Alden you're a cyclist, maybe you can put this on your list — Heavier fines??
To CIPS – FYI these areas are SPEEED zones. Spotts, CUL roundabout to WB bridge and new WB bypass. South Sound stretch, Newlands bypass, Linford Pierson bypass and Esterley Bypas. Think you guy can maybe lend some of your precious time to come out and babysit us??
I think it is unfortunately the attitude of some, not all, cyclists that have caused this attitude from motorists. Bicycle lanes would be great but I'm not sure how that would help for the cyclists that like to ride 4 side by side or ride in the center of the lane on a two-lane bypass.
I have the same experience going jogging, eventhough I try to jog in areas with littletraffic. Some people would rather run you over than slowing down and moving over into the other lane when it is clear.
I used to walk my dogs in the morning along Hirst Road. Had to give it up because at 5:30 in the morning there are too many speeding idiots and after having been almost hit by a trailer I decided my life was more important than the exercise itself.