Call

Blog

Law
02

Blog

University Student Attacked on His Bike in New Orleans

On Monday, October 24, 2017, at approximately 5:00 pm, a motorist driving a gray Dodge Durango SUV attacked a University of New Orleans student, Timothy Walls, who was riding his bicycle home from class. The incident occurred as Walls rode his bicycle southbound on Elysian Fields and neared the intersection with Filmore Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana. Charlie Thomas of Bike Law Louisiana has intervened to assist with this incident.

As Walls rode in the right-hand lane of the roadway, the driver began honking and pulled alongside of Walls. The driver then told Walls to get out of the roadway and onto the sidewalk. Walls responded that he was riding in accordance with Louisiana law and in the part of the roadway where bicycle “sharrows” were painted. The driver then swerved his SUV directly at Walls, who avoided being struck by also swerving into the roadway’s shoulder. The driver sped ahead and pulled over into the parking lot of a business. As Walls rode up to the parking lot, he pulled out his cell phone and began recording the event. The video shows the driver exit the vehicle, approach Walls, and punch him in the face. The video stops before recording the remainder of the attack. Following this incident, the driver returned to the SUV and fled the scene. Walls reported the incident to the New Orleans Police Department, which has opened an investigation.

Charlie Thomas, who is also Vice-President of the Board of Bike Easy, stated, “The New Orleans Police Department has indicated that this investigation is a priority and we should be able to publicly release the name of the driver shortly.” Thomas continued, “This incident should serve as a reminder that all roadway users should show respect and common courtesy for each other, regardless of your method of transit.”

Walls suffered injuries and is currently seeking medical treatment. At this time, the driver’s information is known but not being released pending the investigation.

For information as it relates to Mr. Walls, Bike Law or this incident please contact:
Charlie Thomas
[email protected]
504-274-2500

Comments

Ann Groninger Jan 04, 2024

Many of our cycling clients find themselves having to interact with the criminal justice system. Typically, it’s because the driver who hits them (or their family member) is charged with a crime or traffic offense. Occasionally bicyclists themselves are charged with traffic offenses! Every state’s criminal laws are different, but there is a lot of […]

Read More
Bike Crash Road Defect Georgia
Peter Wilborn Jun 14, 2023

We recently shared the story of a trial victory from the State of Texas where a bicyclist was injured due to a defect in a road maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation. Texas Road Defect   We now can tell the story of another huge win in a road defect case, this time from […]

Read More
Road defect dangerous to cyclists
Charlie Thomas Mar 14, 2023

Recently, attorneys with the Bike Law network took a case to a trial against a titan of a defendant: the Texas Department of Transportation. TxDOT was represented by the Attorney General’s Office, one of Texas’ largest legal teams. We had a great client, but it was a tough case to prove. So tough, in fact, […]

Read More
bike path charlotte
Ann Groninger Jan 13, 2023

  2023 got off to a rough start for Charlotte, North Carolina, particularly in the context of road safety. Within about a week, we lost a young woman who was riding her bicycle, a pedestrian killed in the same area of town, and four people were killed in a car wreck on I-85 in the […]

Read More
North Carolina Bike Crash
Ann Groninger Dec 06, 2022

Unless you’re a very recent follower of ours, you’ve heard us talk before about “contributory negligence.” To recap: “pure contributory negligence” is the law in North Carolina and only 3 other states (Alabama, Virginia, Maryland). In pure contributory negligence states, if a person is injured by someone else’s fault and the injured person contributes even […]

Read More
Is It Illegal to Ride Your Bike on the Sidewalk bikelaw
Peter Wilborn Aug 01, 2022

The laws dictating whether you can ride your bike on the sidewalk differ depending where you live. Different states have different laws on this matter, and local ordinances also vary. Let’s take a look at the legal framework behind various state laws related to cycling on sidewalks. The laws of sidewalk-riding can be very complicated […]

Read More
Ebike crash
Bruce Hagen Apr 26, 2022

DRIVER ON METH KILLS 17 YEAR OLD BICYCLIST, BARROW COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY REFUSES TO CHARGE DRIVER WITH FELONY.   On August 23, 2020, at approximately 8:40pm, 17-year old Obianuju Osuegbu was on her way home from her summer job working at a grocery store. She had earned enough money that summer to buy herself a […]

Read More
Stop as Yield
Brian Weiss Apr 25, 2022

Finally, “Stop As Yield” (the much sought after common sense traffic law for bicyclists) is coming to Colorado in 2022, likely July 1st.   Stop as Yield, aka the “Safety Stop” After the Governor Polis signs the law and the Safety Stop becomes effective, anyone who rides a bicycle or scooter on public roads will […]

Read More
Contributory Negligence
Ann Groninger Apr 25, 2022

It took losing at trial and a long appellate process, but it ended in a blow to contributory negligence in North Carolina. We just won an appeal on a bicycle crash case that happened in 2016 and came to us in 2018. The case went to trial during the spring of 2021. Our client was […]

Read More
Load More