bikebreak

https://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/b...dv6KqwUV9F5bXK

I have also heard of many car accidents caused by cops not following the rules of the road. Rules being for the little people of course, not for them.

Conan

What a crock of ****. I would counter sue the city for medical bills, damage to my bike and whatever eles I could come up with... reminds me of this video about cops in NY ticketing this guy for not riding in the bike lane, Lol its really funny.

https://vimeo.com/25037336

dynodonn 

Looking at NYPD's past interactions with NYC cyclists, this type of action does not surprise me.

Two LEO's word against one cyclist, gonna be a tough fight. I didn't wish to install video cameras on my bike, but this is just another reason why I'll keep them installed and running on every ride.

dmac49

Again what we have here is a one sided story. I'd like to see it go to court with both sides. I'm somewhat skeptical of someone who was so in the right getting injured and not submitting a notice of claim to recoup their medical costs.

Nick Bain

I bet the car left a parking spot quickly and the cyclist merged quickly and the both did not see eachother.

OriginalSnub

If I understood the article correctly, the city dropped the demand of payment for damages to the unmarked police vehicle.

lenny866

When you change lanes in NY, you have to make sure it is clear. On a bike or in a car!

Just because he was on a bike doesn't mean he wasn't at fault. The same way just because they were cops, doesn't mean they weren't at fault either. NYC will drop collecting against you, if it will cost them more to collect than what you owe. That looks like the case here once the lawyer got involved.

This is a one sided story. Everything coming out of the NY Post is sensationalized! If he wasn't at fault, he would sue the city!

wsbob

In the Post story, there isn't enough info about the situation leading up to and at the moment of the collision, to be able to understand what led to the collision, and who is at fault.

Johnsen said the police car sideswiped him on his left side after he'd already left the bike lane and was in a main travel lane on Flushing Avenue, preparing to make a left onto North Elliott Place. He mentions having looked behind him and having found the way clear, but doesn't clearly indicate at what point(s) he looked or where, leading up to the left turn onto North Elliott Place or at what point he started signaling for the left turn, and for how long-how many feet prior to the turn. The story doesn't say from which direction the police car came before swiping Johnsen.

Assuming Johnsen had been signalling, and was signalling at the time of the collision or moments from it, if the police officers were looking at the road, they should have been able to see that an intention to turn was being displayed. If it was me, hit by a car, having performed proper lane changes and displayed hand signals adequately according to the law to indicate intention to turn, that would indicate to me that something may be up with the person driving. I'd want to know what the problem was, rather than just allow the person to go merrily on their way, eventually causing more misfortune to someone else.

LyzurJane

The officer didn't ticket the cyclist, though. Isn't that essentially admitting that the cyclist wasn't at fault? If the cyclist hadn't signaled, he would have been ticketed.

iforgotmename

they only dropped it after the NY Post got involved.

CB HI

First off, no lawyer will take his case on contingency for such a small amount. Paying a lawyer would cost more than the cyclist would recover.

That leaves going to small claims court which can be a hassle. Not to mention, in some (maybe most) states, you cannot take the government to small claims.