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A Gresham man is in serious condition after being struck by a car while on his bike.
According to witnesses, Daniel Ornelas, 41, of Gresham was northbound on Southeast 187th Avenue and was crossing Stark Street in a marked crosswalk when a westbound vehicle on Stark Street hit him at 2:19 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, said Sgt. Rick Wilson, Gresham police spokesman.
Although another westbound vehicle in the left lane stopped at the crosswalk as required, the other vehicle in the right lane – driven by Brian J. Cairns, 52, of Portland – didn’t, Wilson said.
The impact knocked Ornelas off his bike. He was not wearing a helmet and appeared to be suffering from a serious head injury when police arrived. He was conscious, breathing and transported via an ambulance to Oregon Health Science & University.
The Vehicular Crimes Team is still investigating. No arrests have been made, nor citations issued. Alcohol does not appear to be a factor, Wilson said.
The issue at hand is not the individual who got hit, but the retrogrades in this state, and especially in this city, who continue to encourage this dangerous scenario to continue to happen by duping people into believing that bicycles are a form of transportation..
Bicycles are TOYS. Bicyclists are pedestrians on wheels. The roadways are built for motorized vehicles. Why would any sane society encourage non-motorized vehicles to share the road with motorized when there are thousands of miles of bike paths already available? They are spelled S-I-D-E-W-A-L-K-S.
Sidewalks are built for non-motorized vehicles and pedestrians. Clarify and enforce the rules of the sidewalk and there may still be accidents there, but probably less fatal.
In places where there are no sidewalks, do not encourage non-motorized vehicles and pedestrians to go there, but if they insist on using the roadway, they must be the ones to always yield to the motorized vehicles.
Politiciians and bureaucrats, wake up! This is the twenty-first century. If you want to turn time back, move to an Amish community or to a third-world country.
Al Kader
(email verified)
Wed, Nov 04, 2009 at 05:29 PM
walk the bike across? Seriously just shut up if that's the leg your standing on.
That rant isn't even the issue. Why didn't the car stop?
I'm so effing sick of cars running lights around here. Yellow doesn't mean speed up a-holes. When you see a person in a crosswalk from over 2 blocks away, why don't you stop? You have time to slow down, so why don't you?
I seriously wish people wouldn't drive like their existence means more than another.
(email verified)
Wed, Nov 04, 2009 at 06:55 PM
"That rant isn't even the issue. Why didn't the car stop?"
Someone on a bike is going to be moving a lot faster than someone on foot - chances are there wasn't time to react. You should NOT be riding a bicycle in a crosswalk. It's just stupid and dangerous, as it was just confirmed with this accident
(email verified)
Wed, Nov 04, 2009 at 07:13 PM
The issue is that three lanes of traffic stopped and one idiot decided to ignore what was going on around him because whatever he was doing had to be that much more important than paying attention to his surroundings. I don't care if it was a guy riding a bike, walking a bike, a person walking, pushing a stoller, or picking their nose. Drivers need to pay attention at cross walks, especially when everyone else is already stopped! Hello!?!?
(email verified)
Wed, Nov 04, 2009 at 08:02 PM
The law states that a cyclist may use a crosswalk as long as he or she is moving at walking speed. So, contrary to comments above, it is not illegal to ride a bike in the sidewalk. (And, yes, we are a nation of laws)
(email verified)
Wed, Nov 04, 2009 at 10:36 PM
I hope the guy will recover fully. I live just down the street and see 'near misses' all the time at the cross walks on Stark.
Just yesterday I had a lady behind me freaking out, laying on her horn because I had stopped for an ambulance that she didn't see or hear because she was on the phone - pay attention people!
(email verified)
Thu, Nov 05, 2009 at 07:40 AM
The fact that all the other cars stopped would indicate that this wasn't a bicyclist darting out into the crosswalk. Legally you can ride a bike in a crosswalk in Oregon as long as you are going pedestrian speed--and this could mean a pedestrian out running. Cars are required to stop for ANYTHING in a crosswalk. The people in the crosswalk are required to keep moving at a reasonable pace so as not to unduly hold up traffic.
As for bikes on the road, that's a non-starter. If there is a bike lane available, it is illegal to ride a bicycle on a sidewalk--and police will ticket you for it. We're way past that debate---bike lanes are here and they are not going away. If you want to tilt at that windmill, you need to take it up with your elected officials because bicyclists are obeying the law when they use the bike lanes.
I will state that I personally think not using a helmet is a very bad idea; however, legally in this state, adults are allowed to not wear one if they choose. It is a perilous choice, though, and one that all of us can end up paying for it the person injured doesn't have insurance. I personally survived a crash years ago in which my helmet cracked open like an egg but I had no damage to my head.
(email verified)
Thu, Nov 05, 2009 at 08:31 AM
He should have went to 2wheelbikes.com to get a helmet and it would've avoided head injuries and such. But now that he has a broken bike, he can go there and get a new bike. It's where I got my bike for college and I've been happy with it ever since. Check it out!
(email verified)
Thu, Nov 05, 2009 at 10:24 AM
Hey Al Kader, we all know you have "copy & paste" abilities now (since you posted the exact same paragraph on the story about the UofP student bicyclist who was hit & killed). That doesn't make you any more correct, you still display no knowledge of the law.
To the person who referred to traffic lights - did you stop to think that this crosswalk is a pedestrian walkway in the middle of the street and not at a controlled intersection? And that perhaps you should think about what you're saying before you go off half-cocked?
I agree with the others - I'm not a cyclist, but it doesn't matter whether the guy was riding his bike at a slow speed, jogging, or walking - it is the responsibility of drivers like myself to be aware of what's happening around us. If all the other cars going both directions are STOPPED, then this driver should have said "gee, wonder why they're stopped?" and done so, too.
It is also the responsibility of pedestrians or cyclists crossing the road to be hyper-aware of traffic...the cyclist is also to blame for not cautiously scanning the oncoming lanes and noticing the yahoo who was about to blaze right through. And to that end, he really SHOULD have been dismounted, legal or not. It's much easier to stop oneself on foot than on 2 wheels. And if he was going to ride, he definitely should have had on a helmet ESPECIALLY on the eastside where traffic and bikes are often crammed together on narrow streets.
This is an unfortunate incident brought on my lack of foresight and awareness by 2 different individuals.
(email verified)
Fri, Nov 06, 2009 at 10:24 AM
P.S. - slow news day, Trib? This type of story is a total non-issue, I'm sure there is a laundromat opening or bar mitzvah you could have covered instead, it would have been far more interesting.
(email verified)
Fri, Nov 06, 2009 at 10:26 AM
Right, JG, same as when a woman is raped. You can put some blame on the rapist, sure, but it is a womans responsibility to look out for those crazy rapists.
By the way, JG, it is also your responsibility to watch out for my pit bull. I hope you are wearing your padded pants tomorrow.
(email verified)
Fri, Nov 06, 2009 at 11:01 PM
Bicycles are morally superior vehicles and as such the laws do not apply to them.
(email verified)
Sat, Nov 07, 2009 at 06:46 PM
Bicycles are only morally superior to cars if you are wacko enough to consider killing fewer innocent people morally superior to killing many more innocent people. Obviously, this can't be so; otherwise Al Qaeda would be morally superior to America.
Is that what you are saying, wacko?
(email verified)
Sat, Nov 07, 2009 at 10:56 PM
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Re: Bike rider injured in Gresham accident
Why wasn't this cyclist WALKING his bike across like he was suppose to? I love how cyclists cry about wanting this and wanting that and then they disobey the cycling laws then cry when they get hit by a car. No helmet + riding in a crosswalk = you're own damn fault. If he were walking the bike across the street, he would have never gotten hit by the car. End of story.
"D"
(email verified)
Wed, Nov 04, 2009 at 04:35 PM