(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Lindsay Caron is in a San Diego hospital after being hit from behind by a driver while riding her bike on Monday.
According to news reports in San Diego, Lindsay was hit from behind while riding on Ingraham Street in Pacific Beach around 10:20 pm Monday Night. The driver of what authorities think is a dark, four-door SUV fled the scene and is still on the loose. If you have any information about what happened please contact San Diego PD’s traffic division at 858-495-7805 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
The collision caused life-threatening injuries and Lindsay is still at the hospital. A friend who set up a Facebook support group for Lindsay said she’s in a medically-induced coma and is scheduled for several surgeries.
Lindsay lives in Seattle and is a prodigious traveler and adventurer who attended Portland State University from 2009 to 2012. When not working toward her environmental studies degree, she was active in the cycling scene. In 2010 she wrote a few stories for BikePortland. In 2011 she earned a professional development grant from Portland Society.
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Portland resident Joe Kurmaskie was a friend of Lindsay’s. He wrote on Facebook yesterday that he worked on traffic safety advocacy with her. “She’s always full of great ideas, a real caring person with a spark in her eyes — a happy warrior for good things.”
In an Instagram update posted March 9th, Lindsay shared what cycling meant to her:
“Grateful everyday that somehow at 19 a girl friend gave me a bicycle, and I started bike commuting. Grateful every day that such a simple thing – riding a bike – is such an easily accessible source of joy, strength, peace, fun, health, clarity, and grounding. Grateful for the way this simple machine has changed my life – and empowered women throughout history.”
Cycling advocates in San Diego say the stretch of road where Lindsay was hit is “is extremely dangerous” for people on bikes. A look at Google Street View shows a multi-lane street with parking on both sides and no dedicated space for cycling. “It’s time for @CityofSanDiego to take #VisionZero seriously,” said one advocate on Twitter yesterday.
I am heartbroken by this news. And I’m sick and tired of how so many drivers and city planners show absolutely zero regard for the safety of anyone outside of a car. We’ll update this post with a GoFundMe link and/or more details about Lindsay’s condition.
Please think good thoughts for Lindsay.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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This makes me sad and angry. My best friend was killed Sunday by a hit and run driver. The Houston Chronicle published a short article Thursday. I am still trying to recover my composure. Ed Reece
I am so sorry for your loss.
Dear Ed, I am so very sorry to hear of the death of your best friend. That it should be at the hands of a hit-and-run driver makes it all the more painful. All of us who advocate for bicycle safety have you in mind when we work toward changes that would spare unknown victims this fate, and their loved ones this kind of grief. Be gentle with yourself in taking the time to recover, or accepting that it’s ok not to ever fully recover. Betsy
I’m sick and tired of how so many drivers show absolutely zero regard for the safety of anyone outside of a car.
All the paint and infrastructure wouldn’t even be needed in the first place if drivers could be trusted to operate their vehicles responsibly.
Stories like this one make me incredibly sad. I am hoping for a full recovery for Lindsay.
thanks mark. I edited that sentence.
It’s always been bad, but it’s been even worse this past year IMO with drivers having access to emptier streets (and stop signs appear to be “more” optional these days)…on top of all the bad driving, I am amazed at the inhumanity of drivers that leave the scene, potentially leaving someone to die.
Agreed. It’s simply inconceivable to me…but I think it’s a facet of a larger trend and not specific to drivers.
“…but I think it’s a facet of a larger trend and not specific to drivers.”
The trend of people killing their neighbors on our road network (and the collective shrug of our local government) is very specific to drivers.
So sad. Don’t know Lindsay but sending her healing thoughts and prayers.
Felony hit and run alone may qualify for VOCA assistance to help with medical bills. Apparently a friend can apply for a victim, but the process seems super complicated, and its recommended you utilize a victim advocate like the one below. I don’t know how much this might amount to.
MADD Victim Advocate, 24 hours a day, at 1-877-MADD-HELP (1-877-623-3435).
Lindsay was also a host of the KBOO Bike Show in 2010. I recall that we were acquainted in one or two circles, but don’t remember the details, as 2010 was a busy year in bicycling in Portland. And a very long time ago now.
http://bikeshow.portlandtransport.com/index.php?year=2010
Thanks for your contributions, Lindsay, and I hope you pull through okay.
I was hit in a hit-and-run in Berkeley, California on 2005. It took many years for my hip and back to be pain-free. And my short-term memory has never recovered. It’s something I’ve taken great care to avoid ever since. It can happen anytime, anywhere. Be careful, everyone. I wasn’t a particularly reckless rider, but I had a minor sense of invincibility because I’d been riding since age 16 and had never been hit, while many friends had been, over the years. So I figured my street saavyness was good. ‘‘Twas not the case.
Ted Buehler
gofundme: https://www.gofundme.com/f/love-and-support-for-lindsay
Thrilling development: Lindsay posted today to the Facebook group created to support her. The post is very articulate, quite a relief considering the extent of head injury and that many people can never speak again after such a collision.
It’s the roadway design to deliberately kill non-motorized roadway users.