“I literally was just speechless with my jaw dropped as he rode away.”
— Elisabeth Bowers
Last week I got an email from Portland resident Elisabeth Bowers. She was involved in a hit-and-run on and wanted me to know about it. That part isn’t strange. I get a fair amount of emails like that every month. What was different about Elisabeth’s situation is that she was in a car and the person who hit her was on a bike. She called it a “hit-and-ride”.
Here’s her story:
“On June 11th, I was involved in a hit and run at the corner of NE 21st and NE Multnomah… or should I say a hit and ride? A bicyclist rear ended my Subaru Outback (while weaving through traffic at top speed) and before I knew what was going on… he came up to my window and said, “My fault — you had come to a complete stop,” and then he rode off.
He failed to mention the damage he had done to my car. He didn’t have a license plate and I literally was just speechless with my jaw dropped as he rode away. I didn’t realize that there was damage until I arrived home. I guess I was happy he wasn’t seriously injured or anything. However, this cyclist should have offered to pay to get these panels replaced on my car or at least given me contact information. I’m a bike commuter too — and it’s made me rethink how I ride. Cars and cyclists need to work together — both are vehicles — even if one is more environmentally friendly.”
And here’s the photo of her Subaru…
Thanks for sharing your story Elisabeth.