Photo: Beth Slovic/The Oregonian
[*See statement about the collision from Mayor Adams’ office below.]
The Oregonian reported this afternoon that Portland Mayor Sam Adams was involved in a traffic collision that involved a woman on a bicycle.
According to The Oregonian, Adams was driving his City-issued Prius when he stopped to avoid someone walking in the the intersection of SW 4th and Columbia just one block from City Hall:
The bicyclist, Tasia Bernie, says the mayor “came to a really quick stop” at the intersection of Southwest Fourth Avenue and Columbia Street. The mayor was making a left turn but stopped to avoid a pedestrian, Bernie says. She then crashed into the back of his Prius and fell to the pavement.
At just after 3:00 today, the Mayor’s Communication Director Amy Ruiz sent out a statement about the collision, which I’ve posted in its entirety below:
Mayor Sam Adams’ account of this afternoon’s bicycle‐car collision at SW Columbia and SW 4th
This afternoon, shortly before 1 pm, Mayor Sam Adams was driving his city‐issued Prius to an event at Lincoln High School, accompanied by his Public Safety and Peacekeeping Director Antoinette Edwards, when his vehicle was rear‐ended by a woman riding a bicycle.
Mayor Adams was driving eastbound on SW Columbia, and intended to turn left onto SW 4th; He had a green light. He stopped for a female pedestrian who was jogging across 4th Avenue, westbound. While stopped and waiting for the pedestrian to finish crossing, the Mayor heard and felt something bump into the back right side of his vehicle. He turned on his hazard lights, and got out of his vehicle.
The Mayor found a female and her bicycle on the ground behind his vehicle; she had collided with the back of the Mayor’s vehicle while also traveling eastbound on SW Columbia. He helped the woman to the sidewalk, while another man, also riding a bicycle, stopped and moved the woman’s bicycle to the sidewalk. The Mayor asked the female cyclist if she was injured or needed medical attention. She declined medical attention. She and the Mayor exchanged contact information, and the mayor also handed out his card to the female pedestrian and the man on a bike, and asked them to contact our office with their contact information.
The Mayor has given his account, and the other parties’ contact info, to the City Attorney, who has in turn provided it to the City’s Risk Management department for follow up. The Risk Management department will contact all parties involved as part of a routine investigation of any collision involving a publicly‐owned vehicle.
No citation for following too close?
Only when the police are called to the scene, and only if seems right based on their info at the time. No mention of police in this story. If either of them files an ODOT crash report, it could possibly result in a citation to the person on the bike, but not likely.
Ok, so I realize we don’t have all the details yet. But generally speaking, if a car stops abruptly while making a turn and you then crash into the back of that car… you’re doing it wrong. Really, I don’t care how sudden it is- you’ve got to expect these things.
my thoughts exactly. don’t know why the headline/article makes it sound like Adams could be at fault in any way.very poorly worded.
Strategically worded by the Oregonian “journalist” to get a rise out of the readers.
definitely, just strange to me that Bike Portland would use the same wording to report it when its clearly just baiting people.
Cyclist Crashes into Back of Car Driven By Mayor. Accuracy in headlines has never been the Oregonians forte’, why would I think it would start now.
Mark (a responsible cyclist)
Tym+1. Shouldn’t it read: “Cyclist in collision with Mayor Adams”?
yeah I thought BikePortland was going to do some word-police stuff. This might be a good one.
Sorry to say, rear endings are pretty cut and dry. How come so many riders in this city can’t seem to find their brake levers?
That’s because hipsters don’t have brakes on their “fixies”.
To be fair, I don’t know if that was her issue or not.
How come so many riders in this city can’t seem to put brakes on their bikes?
Probably the ones that removed them so they can look cool?
i also NEVER EVER follow too closely and I ALWAYS (cross my heart and hope to die) bike SAFELY!!1!!!
Despite voting for him, and despite his support (at least stated support) for bicycle infrastructure, I’m no fan of Mayor Adams. Still, it’s pretty hard to see how he’s at fault in this one…unlike when he T-boned that other car a year or so ago on Jantzen Beach.
If the cyclist couldn’t stop for the Prius, could she have stopped for the pedestrian?
OMG!!! Bikes vs. Cars just got even more serious!!!
Bikes vs. Cars, the sequel: When bikes strike back (we still end up roadkill).
+1
Did Adams have his zipper up or down? Had he been drinking again?
Ba dum bum.
Beth Slovic has already proven that she is more than willing to run over Adams herself in the press. And she needs to prove herself to the Oregonian. Keep an eye on more tabloid style reporting from Slovic as she attempts to solidify her beat.
Slovic has won several recent awards, and did some of the best Journalism on Jefferson High. She makes Mr. Maus look like an Amateur. Do you think she would skip questions on the CRC in an interview with Adams? No.
Jonathan gives a lot of people free rides because he has a family to feed. I’m glad he is here. It is his business, but it is not journalism. It’s a blog. It’s a blog that leaves out key information on some hot topics.
Beth Slovic knows journalism, and it shows.
This news story will confuse the usual Oregonian commenters. They won’t know who to pin the blame on since they hate cyclists and Sam Adams with equal vigor.
You guys are pretty unimaginative with headline revisions. This one is clearly superior:
“Mayor Adams rear-ended while in Prius.”
Ha! Thank you Forseti. But yeah rear end collisions are pretty clear, sorry cyclist, doesn’t matter how quick it was.
“Women riding a bicycle”? Were they on a tandem?
Please note that I’ve changed the headline of this story (and yes, fixed my typo for “Woman”) and I’ve added a statement about the collision from the Mayor’s Office:
If he had his left blinker on then I say the cyclist was too close..if he didn’t then I can see how the cyclist was caught off guard although she is still at fault.
In east coast cities, this would be viewed as an assassination attempt, and bicyclists would be harassed in the coming months.
Totally not getting why her being a woman is at all interesting or relevant.
They would have said “man” if the cyclist was male. I think you are being a bit hyper-sensitive.
I’d agree but uh, from Twitter:
Thanks to @MayorSamAdams communications chief @amyjruiz for using “woman riding a bicycle” in that statement instead of “bicyclist”. Bravo.
So apparently it’s better to gender the rider than not…. To what end, no effing idea.
Tiffany,
I’m using that as a descriptive term. I don’t think “Person riding a bicycle” is as good of a headline. It’s purely a style consideration. Thanks.
And cyclist is somehow inappropriate?
well, this is where all this p.c. stuff about not simply saying “cyclist” just gets clunky
Sure. A much better headline would be “A collision occurred between the mayor’s car and a carbon-based life form piloting some sort of transportation device” Details are too offensive apparently.
The woman’s name is in the press release, it’s not an anonymous person. I am not sure what a better headline would be…. “Tasia Bernie rear ends Mayor Adam’s Prius with bicycle”?
Car driver riding a bicycle re-ends bicyclist driving a car.
“Bicyclist riding a bicycle” would be better still. I am a bicyclist, but sometimes I walk, or drive.
The important question is, was she wearing a helmet?
That is the important question for obvious reasons not the least of which is the strong correlation between helmet-less cyclists and irresponsible cycling which begs the question “which comes first?”
i personally am more interested in the correlation between “cyclists who are overly concerned with how other cyclists ride” and constipation.
Overly or at all?
The important question is: was he wearing steel toed boots? And does she have health insurance for her pets?
Those questions are about as relevant as what type of bonnet she was or wasn’t donning.
Did the Prius receive ANY damage at all?
On the one hand we have a bike vs car collision – the bike loses.
On the other hand it was a Prius – it’s not like they are armored cars.
This happens every day in portland, move on people
Was the Mayor really driving from City Hall to Lincoln high? That’s not a very far distance… how about walking or taking the max?
If there’s one person in this city that I want to use a car (presumably the fastest way to get around), it’s the mayor.
Wait. There is no indication whether Adams, the woman on the bicycle who crashed, the man on the bicycle who helped, or the woman jogger crossing the street was wearing a HELMET. There might actually have been four people using the transportation system without HELMETS! Why hasn’t the PPB weighed in on this? Let’s get a complete picture of this entire catastrophy or is it only a disaster?
Word Police: The word “collision” implies that both vehicles were moving at the time of impact. In this case, however, the Mayor’s car had stopped and then the bicyclist rear-ended his car. While still a “crash,” this incident was not a “collision.”
Word Police internal Affairs:
From merriam-webster.com
Definition of COLLISION
noun
1
: an act or instance of colliding : clash
Definition of COLLIDE
intransitive verb
1
: to come together with solid or direct impact (the car collided with a tree)
Your personal definition of collision might differ from the commonly accepted definition.
Or bicycling to Lincoln. 😉
I blame white liberal guilt, illegal immigrants, and public school teacher’s unions for this incident and for the grammatically and culturally insensitive manner in which it has been portrayed in the media! The only things that can stop this from happening again are mandatory orange safety vest laws, the constitutionally required reading of “The Elements of Style” by Strunk & White plus lessening the tax burden on hard working American families!
Hah, gold!
From City Hall to Lincoln High is less than a mile. If the mayor needs a 3,000-pound behemoth to manage that distance, I think I can safely dismiss any conception I had of him as being a “cyclist” (a.k.a. “man on a bike”).
Sure, you can if you want. But I’ll bet nobody who thinks Sam is some kind of car-hater is going to change their mind just because he was driving in this instance.
Maybe Sam’s just like a lot of us… Enjoys cycling, still uses a car much of the time.
Supporting and building cycling infrastructure does not require abandonment of driving. Nor does enthusiasm for automobiles require hatred of cyclists.
Can’t we all move along?
All of you people make me laugh. Thanks for a pleasant night read.
Why is his driving a Prius relevent? If he was driving a Yaris or any other mundane car model would that have made the headline? Unless the implication is the comparative silence of a Prius (compared to non-hybrid cars) contributed to rider not stopping in time.
Note to Internal Affairs: I was going along with the World English Dictionary definition:
collision (kəˈlɪʒən)
— n
1. a violent impact of moving objects; crash
But I stand corrected. According to the definitions of pure physics, anytime a moving object touches another object, it can be called a “collision,” even if the other object isn’t moving. For example, a butterfly’s wing touching a concrete skyscraper would [technically] be a “collision.”
Am I the only one who finds this hysterically funny? This is funny on so many levels:
…woman rear ends the mayor, bicycle hits Prius…
I’m just sad I missed this episode of Portlandia…
I’d be real curious to know whether this was a fixie with no brake. I’m totally against that fad. I myself rear ended a convertible with two Iranian engineers in it. Flopped into the back seat. They wanted to take me to the hospital, but I wasn’t injured in the slightest. My custom made Ritchey road bike, unfortunately, was tweaked. It’s called “violation of the basic rule.” You’re always supposed to follow at a safe distance, whether you’re in a car or on a bike. I hope the woman’s bike isn’t bent.
Historically, newspaper headlines have always been assembled with the purpose of sales.
This makes me laugh, sorry but it does. Cyclist rear ends a car. What were you doing that made you run into the car? Riding a fixie with no brakes? Talking on your phone or radio to home base? My guess, just not paying attention and following WAY too close like most cyclists do in downtown. When you fail to protect yourself by paying attention to what is around you, this IS what will happen. Put down the phone, don’t answer the walkie-talkie, and don’t tailgate cars. Wow, ground breaking thoughts!
glass houses and black pots.
This event hits on so many of the Portland stereotypes.
Pro-bicycling mayor, accompanied by Public Safety and Peacekeeping Director, rear-ended by bicycle while driving an automobile, turning left, waiting for a pedestrian who was jogging.
It was a Prius! Don’t forget to mention that it was an eco-conscious, earth-tone colored Prius!
This incident has written the script for an entire episode of Portlandia. Carrie and Fred, are you paying attention?
There is a southpark TV episode about a “Smug” ( not smog) cloud over SF. It’s now exhausting us. ha ha.
Tasia is a personal trainer, and incredibly hot!!! She can rear end me anytime!
Jeez Leweez, can we give it a rest with the fixie bashing? The fact is, it doesn’t matter what kind of bike you’re riding- if you don’t exercise a certain basic level of caution, you’ll run into stuff. I don’t ride a fixed gear bike these days, but when I did I was perfectly able to avoid rear-ending mayoral Priuses.
Maybe he was driving the one mile to Lincoln because he had another appointment shortly after that one and would not have enough time to bike/walk/take public transportation there. Maybe it was a sufficient distance away from the appointment at Lincoln that it was more efficient to drive than to ride/walk.
Loving the comments here, though. Does it count as irony, or general Portlandia-ness?
Yes absolutely, what’s “best” for the proles is not required for our overlords.
Even worse is when you’re riding your bike and you crash into a parked car cause you’re checking someone/something out… Come on we’ve all done it or had the near miss… Yeah, if you’re following at a safe distance you can’t possibly crash into the vehicle in front of you.
There is definitely a good deal of speculation here in the comments. I find it funny that people are willing to jump to the conclusion that she was riding a fixie, even though there is no information to support that. In all likelihood, she had brakes and was following too close and/or not paying attention. When a car rear-ends another car, people don’t automatically assume that the only way that car could slow down is by throwing it into reverse.
That aside, I mostly wanted to comment that Lincoln High School is walking/biking distance from City Hall. I’m not trying to get too righteous with this statement, but I’m fairly certain that driving a car 1mile downtown is slower and more inconvenient that walking or biking. Thanks for listening.
Ooh. Ok can we talk about how Sam Adams follows Tasia Bernie on twitter?
Honestly, how do you run into a stopped car? I know there are a lot of sailors out, but get your brakes checked, please.
Okay. And? I just don’t see this as a big deal. Woman accidently bumps into a city owned car that the Mayor was driving. He sees if she is okay, he gives his card and helps her up like a gentleman, everyone is fine… and?