Now that I’ve been at this for a while, it’s fun to take a look back at stories from the past. One year ago today I brought you the inspiring story of Mike Reuter.
Mike was struck by a car and spent the night in Intensive Care. However, even though witnesses saw the car run a red light prior to hitting him, due to standard police procedures, the motorist was not cited for any wrongdoing at the scene of the crash.
Luckily, Mike made contact with noted bicycle lawyer Ray Thomas and became the first person to take advantage of a campaign Thomas was behind known as the Citizen Initiation of Violation Proceedings.
Here is an excerpt from that story:
- On September 22, 2005 Mike Reuter was hit and seriously injured by a motorist on Hawthorne and Grand. Mike was taken away by an ambulance and spent the night in the ICU. However, despite several witnesses that saw a Dodge mini-van run a red light and hit him, the motorist was not cited by the responding Police officer.
Six and a half months later, after Mike wrote a letter to the Mayor and initiated a citizen complaint, the motorist was cited and fined for running a red light.
Mike’s story is a great reminder that we have power, even within the system, to make justice happen.
Read the full article for more information and helpful downloads.