Letter: When cars and bikes collide

Posted on by Letters
Graphic by Lori Deaton

[Regarding “Bike Riders Should Stay in Their Lanes,” Sept. 27, Xpress:]

Bikers take up the whole lane because they don’t want to die.

I was biking downtown recently to volunteer at Downtown After 5 in the really nice bike lane on Lexington Avenue. An out-of-town SUV turned into a parking spot without a turn signal, and my bike and I flipped over the hood of the car.

The first words out of the Gen Z driver were, “It’s not my fault, you were in my blind spot!” When I got up and brushed the gravel out of my open wounds, I looked at him bewildered and said, “The first two things out of your mouth should be, ‘Are you OK?’ and ‘I’m sorry.’” Where is the empathy, folks?

I then said, “Can you give me 20 bucks so I can fix my bike?” The female in the passenger side got out and yelled at me, “We aren’t giving you s#$%!!”

Where is the empathy and accountability? Twenty bucks obviously would not buy me a new bike. “It’s not my fault, you’re in my blind spot” doesn’t heal my cuts or cover the medical bills. Where is the empathy?

My dad used to say that whether a pitcher hits a rock or a rock hits the pitcher, it’s gonna be bad news for the pitcher. That’s the same with cars and bikes.

Empathetic and accountable people, feel free to Venmo me some money so I can get a new derailleur and wheel and pay the medical bills.

— Mark Strazzer
Asheville

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Letters
We want to hear from you! Send your letters and commentary to letters@mountainx.com
View all posts by Letters →

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

One thought on “Letter: When cars and bikes collide”

  1. T100

    If you got their license tag # and contact a personal injury law firm .. (plenty of ’em in Asheville) you might be able to get them to take your case on a contingency basis.. It won’t cost you anything to try that.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.