Author: Peter Wilborn
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Off-Duty Cop Bullies Cyclist (and Gets Schooled)
We deserve better routes to ride, and we deserve better trained police officers. Here’s a video of an off-duty Charleston police officer confronting a cyclist (who had been cycling against traffic on a one-way street), preventing him from leaving, and getting physical and ultimately schooled. The officer is currently on administrative leave pending investigation. There’s
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Biking is a Civil Right
Folks who think cycling advocates are “Too White, Too Shrill” are missing the movement. It is very much a civil rights issue, as important as any, and more important than most, in its ability to positively change lives and communities. Despite a visionary mayor for decades and a promising new one for months, and despite
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Felony Charges in NC Bike Crash
Better late than never. At Bike Law, we know too well that drivers are often not seriously charged for injuring cyclists in crashes. But in more and more of our cases, they are. Here’s a recent example from North Carolina in which the police correctly upped the charges from misdemeanor to felony. Thanks to the
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Bicycle Crashes are Not “Accidents.”
We’ve used the word “accident” on our site for years. As of today, that changes. The crash that sent our webmaster and blogger Mike Dayton to the ICU (still in critical condition) and that injured three others has garnered much attention around the country. We have reported on his condition, and the weak charges filed against the
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Bike Law Tour: Charlotte
Our kick-off party was Friday, September 4th in Charlotte. Who knew that the Queen City was one of the coolest bike-to-breweries city in the nation?! Well, the locals know it very well. We arrived in the Sprinter at Triple C Brewing right on time, greeted by a pumped up mob of bike folks, ready for an evening
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Bike Law 2015 National Tour
September 4 – 19, 2015. The Bike Law National Tour. For two weeks, Bob, Timmy, and I are loading up the cargo bikes in our Sprinter van and visiting (and picking up) Bike Law lawyers from Charleston to Denver and back. In each city, we are throwing a party, visiting shops, buying beer, joining rides
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A Car is a Castle?
So a driver just cut you off, flipped you off, or otherwise harassed you. It’s happened to all of us. I have had a blaring horn scare me and nearly cause me to crash. I would have loved to pull the minivan driver from his seat and give him a piece of my mind or
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Kansas Jury Refuses to Punish Driver Who Intentionally Hit Cyclist
This week, a Kansas Jury rendered a verdict in a criminal case that should give cyclists great reason for concern. The Johnson County District attorney charged and prosecuted Paul Hanley of Olathe, Kansas with Aggravated Battery, a felony, following a car bicycle collision last fall near Heritage Park. The cyclist (my client) was riding alone and lawfully using
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Rolling Coal in Kansas
It rained 25 days in May in Metro Kansas City, so a bunch of us were itching for a ride on Tuesday June 2, 2015. We have a 20 mile course, mixed residential and pastural hilly (yes, hills in Kansas) country roads that begins and ends at the Prairirefire development in Overland Park, KS, which boasts a
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We’re Number 48! A Reflection on the LAB Rankings.
We’re Number One! We’re Number One! I would scream if I lived in Washington State. But I don’t. I represent cyclists in Kansas and Missouri. As part of Bicycle Month, the League of American Cyclists just published its annual ranking of “bike friendly” states. As a resident of Overland Park, Kansas, I don’t think I’ll be throwing a
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Colorado Bike Legislative Update
Colorado State Senator Larry Crowder (R-Alamosa) has sponsored a bill in the Colorado Senate specifically authorizing the use of state lottery funds towards the construction of bicycle trails throughout the state. This bill specifically adds recreational bicycle trails as one of the enumerated outdoor recreational improvement categories for which state lottery funds may be spent.
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Don’t bother with restitution in a bike case, unless . . .
One frequent bike accident related question I get asked many times a year is “Should I submit a claim for restitution in the criminal case against the person that hit me?” Generally, my answer is “No.” When the person who caused your accident was cited for a traffic or criminal violation, it began a sequence
