BANGOR, Maine — A Bangor man was taken to a local hospital Thursday afternoon after the bicycle he was riding was struck by a car.
The accident happened shortly before 2 p.m., in the intersection of Stillwater Avenue and Hogan Road, Sgt. Rob Angelo said, citing an accident report.
He said the bicyclist, 23-year-old Andrew Williams, failed to stop at a traffic signal and rode into the path of a Dodge sedan driven by Karen McKague, 44, of Corinth.
Information about Williams’ medical condition was not immediately available. Angelo said no charges will be filed in connection with the accident.
The last time I checked, failure to obey a traffic control signal was against the law. Cite the guy!
Last time I ran a red light along with like 3 other cars I got a ticket for like a 150 bucks and the answer from the cop about the other 3 was ah I just pick the last one 99 percent of bikers do it none get tickets and you wonder why no one respects bikers ?
yesterday afternoon we were waiting at the red light, coming out from wal mart onto stillwater – It happened so fast but it appeared that that the car had a green light and was heading down stillwater ave,going towards hogan. we saw the bike crossing the road, right before the silver car came by. The car must have clipped the back wheel of the bike just before he got across the road and it sent the bike high into the air and the boy on the ground – it was heartening to see all the people, just stopping their cars, and running to assist the injured boy on the ground. I feel bad for the boy and the woman driver – it was a terrible accident.
I am SO glad cyclist season is almost over!
Didn’t know there was a season for cyclists… I assume you mean ‘cycling’ season. Watch out for cyclists all year round. They are just as legal to use the roads as cars.
Until they run red lights, turn without signaling, ride abreast instead of single-file, hop the sidewalk, climb hills in the middle of the road, impede traffic, fail to yield…
If they have a season, can we shoot them?
Hopefully he’ll be ok. He should get a ticket for running the red light and also have to pay for any damages to the van caused by him.
I am an avid cyclist and I agree with you.
As a bicyclist I have to agree that it sounds like this particular cyclist was at fault in this accident and should be ticketed for running a red light.
However, I have been yelled and honked at by drivers for simply being on the road, and many drivers ignore the law that requires them to give bicyclists at least three feet of space.
Studies have shown that as the number of bicycles increases, the roads become safer for both drivers and cyclists. This is logical; drivers learn to expect bicyclists on the road and regard them as a regular part of traffic rather than an exceptional nuisance. Drivers: slow down and be alert at all times for the presence of bicycles. Cycists: Obey traffic signals and make sure you are seen, as you will likely get the the worst of an accident. A little common sense on both sides goes a long way.
Here it is again folks for I believe the forth time this year. Of course these opinions are based upon my personal observations.
The majority of bike riders do not follow traffic laws.
The majority of bike riders do not stay to the side of the road.
The majority of bike riders impede motorized traffic.
Groups of bicyclists on our roads do not save gas because the motorized traffic must respond to their presence and this uses more fuel. Every time a line of vehicles must stop, slow, or go around a bike it takes extra gasoline to do so. This is particularly true when one considers the number of bikes traveling those back roads to the Common Ground Fair this weekend!
Bicyclists should be licensed.
Bicycles should be registered, inspected, and taxed just as motor vehicles are.
Contrary to claims made by pro-bicycle groups, roads were built to promote commerce not to give bike riders a place to ride.
Road laws governing bicycles should be modified to disallow riding side by side and bikes should be required to pull over and stop when a vehicle is passing them.
There should be an minimum age that a bicyclist can get their license to ride. Allowing young children on the same roads as motorized traffic is ridiculous in the extreme.
Spot on!
I would agree with about two of your comments…bicylists don’t save gas? That’s why a lot of us ride…if people would slow down and use some common sense there would be no need to ‘brake’ and then ‘accelerate’ and then ‘brake’ and ‘accelerate’…that’s just poor driving skills.
Slow down? So if we are operating a motor vehicle at the posted speed, say 50 mph on a road, we should only be going about 35 just in case when we go around a turn in the road and there is a bicyclist in our lane and an oncoming vehicle in the other lane so that we have no where to go? If you were confronted with taking a vehicle head on that may have a soccer mom and four kids in it, or hitting a bicycler exercising their right not to move over, what would you do?
Considering all the vehicle bicycle accidents this year, perhaps the bicyclists are the ones who should use some common sense.
Common sense is a good idea for all of us. But the “posted speed” is a maximum. I’ll consider registering my bicycle when drivers get ticketed for going 52 mph in a 50 mph zone.
The posted speed is legal. Most people are working and trying to do business, and don’t have the luxury of pedaling around with a walnut hat on. It’s not all about the people who want to pedal around and yield to nobody. See where that got several people recently?
Where did you get all that from my 3 lined comment. What you’re describing has NEVER happened to me and it’s a far-flung scenerio, esp. placing the ‘soccer mom with four kids’ in the mini-van. Talk about taking something out of context. Why should a motorist get angry with cyclists anyway? They choose their mode of transportation just as the motorist does; it’s a free country. I don’t get angry when I have to stop for the bus…or to slow down for a cyclist…some people are just ‘that way’ I suppose and there’s nothing to do to make them see any differently. (I call those people Republicans! ha ha…JUST KIDDING!)
The majority of drivers do not follow traffic laws. If the speed limit is 45 and you are going 40 mph, you are obeying the law; if you are going 50 you are breaking the law. Try driving consistently 5 mph under the speed limit, which is perfectly legal, and count the dirty looks you get from other drivers. I realize this is a minor violation of the law, just as it is a minor violation when I stop my bicycle at a red light, look both ways, then roll through if no one is coming. It’s also a minor violation of the law to smoke a small amount of dope or steal something of little value. But spare me the self-righteous attitude that bicyclists are habitual scofflaws.
Unfortunately, we have created a transportation system that creates an attitude of entitlement in the minds of some drivers like you. It costs you seconds out of your day to wait for a safe place to pass a bicyclist. If you are concerned about using extra gas, perhaps you should look into public transportation options in your area, or get on a bicycle yourself. Bicycles do not impede traffic; bicycles ARE traffic. Given that more than 30,000 Americans die each year in car accidents, I hardly think bicycles are the problem.
If you can’t even achieve HALF the speed of the posted limit…yes you are impeding traffic and YES you are obligated to not impede traffic.
Not all cyclists are jerks. In fact few cyclists are jerks….but I’ve noticed the ones who are jerks seem to think that “sharing” the road means “whining because everyone is mad that they are riding 15mph in a 45 in the middle of the road”
An people that drive cars follow all the laws of the road to ? Well ile tell you ive has 2 cars in one day just about hit me one was the last in a line if cars i had the green light i was going stright a head an the last car in line made a turn right in front of me coming the other way i has to hit the brakes or i would of hit that person that cut me off . about 4 hrs later i was going down the road a car rolled right thru the stop sign if i had not hit the horn i would of hit that car running the stop sign
Its a communist plot!!! They’ve all got long hair hiding it under those helmets, thats actually why they wear them.
Oh come on! Just what Maine needs…MORE regulation. Don’t think so. It’s bad enough all the hoops and shenanigans we have to go through to keep a car on the road. Leave bicycles alone! You can pass all the laws you want, but the state can’t legislate personal responsibility. A few people will always break every law, which is why our taxes pay for enforcement and courts.
That’s right…a few people, or rather “some” people will break the laws and think they don’t apply to ‘them’…you’ve already seen some of the ridiculous comments by people like Celer-Mortalis-whatever-their-name-is and GeorgePickle who seems to be pickled. Anyhoo, I agree, some cyclists don’t ride as they’re supposed to. Some parents don’t raise their kids ‘as they’re supposed to’, and some pet owners don’t ‘treat their animals as they’re supposed to’…etc. etc. etc….You are right, there are idiots among us…God help us. And on the other side, MOST motorists are decent to bicyclists, they are patient, go around, and wait at stop signs if they see a cyclist coming…I ALWAYS pass on a wave and mouth a Thank You! to them as I pass by. Thank you motorists- who are decent people!
was he wearing a helmet?
it annoys me that they go 60+mph in a 25 zone while cars go at most 30
That “they” go 60+ mph is a 25 zone?? Really? What cyclist have you ever seen going 60 mph, EVER! Unless you were with Lance A. and the elitist group of cyclists who compete, and they don’t even approach 40 mph, so your mph is way off.
You get the point
Sad to say, but you see this at almost every street crossing from almost all bicyclists…they will never learn until they start getting ticketed.
Cyclist: “I’m a car…until its inconvenient for me.”
I hate bicyclists just as much as the next person. I live in a very rural area of Maine and bicyclists are in the way all the time. But just because they are annoying doesn’t mean they should get run over! I know Andrew, and he was almost paralyzed by this accident. A human life is invaluable compared to an inanimate object. Not to mention some people shouldn’t be able to drive a vehicle because they don’t know how to obey traffic laws and signals, let alone a bicycle.
As a relative of Sam I wish that people who use this space to be thankful that he is alive, and doing well, and be thankful for their own health. He may be ” dumb” in some peoples opinion for having had this happen, I don’t think anyone can understand how scary it is to get this kind of news until it happens to you, or someone you love and care for. In the moment we all make mistakes, and it’s enough to know you’ve made a mistake without people kicking dirt all over you.