This just popped up, so I don’t have details beyond the WTOC story here. Two cyclists riding on US 80 near the entrance to Fort Pulaski were struck and knocked off the road today. Rather unfortunately, the story also unnecessarily notes
Stephanie and Matt decided to ride on the road instead of the path designated for bikes.
Of course, by law, this is allowed. At least they followed with
“I was on a road bike and it’s not paved and it’s gravel and difficult to ride on it,” said Chiang.
“I’ve been told it was a white van and it’s missing the passenger rear view mirror and passenger head lamp,” said Chiang. “I hope they turn themselves in or someone find them because it’s not right to leave two kids when they have been hit by a car, not right at all.”
As a communtiy, we need to be on the lookout for this white van white Dodge Ram pickup (thanks to Aldo Nahed from SMN for the update) driver whose aggressive driving has left two in the hospital, both with vertebral fractures. Apparently the white Dodge Ram pickup is missing the passenger side mirror and a headlight. A driver who knowingly leaves the scene of an accident where a serious injury has occurred is guilty of a felony (see p17-18 of this guide, §40-6-270 (b)). This is where a community will test its ability to respond with enforcement. UPDATE: According to witness Jim Pedrick, this looked like an intentional act.
This also highlights a gaping hole in our bicycling infrastructure, namely the need for safe passage from Tybee to Savannah, with the worst stretch of the Tybee Road being where these cyclists were between the Bull River and Lazaretto Creek bridge. Rumble strips filling the shoulder and a 55 mph speed limit make that a particularly dangerous stretch of roadway. The fact that a rough gravel trail parallels a portion of this road is not relevant, unless that is transformed into a legitimate paved throughway with points of connection both east and west. Such a connection from Savannah to Tybee would be a destination unto itself for locals and visitors alike and would be a boon to both local economies. This stretch which is on the 2000 County bikeways plan as a suitable corridor (see Map 4-1 in this document), instead is a dangerous juxtaposition where the tons of steel traveling at 65 mph or more will always win.
8 Comments
Police are looking for a white dodge pickup truck, witness have told police.
How sad to see this continued behavior in motorists! This proves the need for a paved bikeway between Tybee and the City of Savannah! Why isn’t our Splosh Tax being used for this rather then widening the Diamond Causeway to Skidaway Island which I understand will be our county’s next project? The power of money!
http://savannahnow.com/node/509891
Make the call
Savannah-Chatham police said the white Dodge Ram pickup they are looking for is missing a headlight and a passenger-side mirror. The driver could face hit-and-run charges and also could be charged with leaving the scene of an accident. Anyone with information is urged to call CrimeStoppers at 912-234-2020.
This is my daughter that was hit. Any public attention to help find the person responsible is greatly appreciated. The trail is not suitable for a road bike nor does it go all the way to Tybee. It seems the investigators with the Metro Police did not get the report until Tuesday so nothing had been done all weekend to find this truck. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers for Stephanie and Matt. Both are recovering slowly but surely!!
The lack of urgency is disheartening. Hopefully they are now devoting significant attention to this and the horrible fatal hit and run on Abercorn.
It’s just wrong that someone did that. I don’t know how someone can live with theirself after hitting two children. I hope Stephine and Matt feel much better.
Yes. There doesn’t seem to be any progress on this, though fortunately the fatal hit and run that happened just after at least has an arrest.
There was a big group leaving on a transcontinental ride today, mostly 16-18 year olds, and I let some of the leaders know to we extremely wary of the stretch between Lazaretto Creek and the Bull River.
The driver of the truck from last summer was never caught. The police did not seem terribly concerned and returned our “evidence” just a few weeks after the incident. I returned to biking in the fall, only short distances to class, and have started cycling McWhorter Rd. on Skidaway Island, which I find is a safe route. I think bike awareness needs to be drastically raised in Savannah and in my experience, a lot of drivers here resent cyclists on the road and the addition of bike lanes in well traveled areas would ease this tension. Making Savannah bike-friendly would be a huge step in the city’s newfound “green” initiative. I hope that we are able to raise awareness in constructive ways rather than waiting for accidents to occur.
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