Cyclist Crashes in Busy Street, Gets Bike Stolen As Paramedics Treat Him
Here at Bicycling, we see plenty of frustrating behavior from drivers toward those on two wheels. Off the road, too, we collect a lot of frustrating moments for cyclists. But what happened to Mike Etter of Glasgow might be one of the most infuriating of all-he experienced both in the span of just one morning.
Etter, 33, was on his daily morning commute near Crosshill Train Station in Glasgow, when a car overtook his bike with little clearance and pushed him toward the edge of the road. The car signaled to turn left (remember Scotland’s reverse driving format) and braked so hard it skidded slightly.
The stretch of road happened to be lined by a railing (pictured below, on a different morning), and Etter found himself trapped between that and the vehicle, now directly in front of him. With little time to react, he braked hard, and his bike flipped.
Etter, who rides to and from work each day and logs about 90 miles a week on his bike, was thrown into the air.
“This was terrifying,” Etter told Bicyling via email. “I couldn’t breathe and I ended on all-fours, in the middle of a busy city artery road, during rush hour.”
The car behind him stopped, blocking oncoming traffic, and a pair of nearby nurses rushed out to stabilize him and help him to safety. They called an ambulance, then handed things off to the paramedics. Etter remembers one of the paramedics lifting his bike off the road and leaning it against one of the railings, adjacent to the ambulance.
Luckily, Etter had only suffered minor injuries, and after a few minutes of light treatment, he was cleared to leave the ambulance. But when a paramedic went to retrieve his bike, it was gone. While Etter was receiving treatment for a vehicle-induced accident, someone had stolen his $1,000 Aventon Cordoba, just feet away. After checking the area, they reported the theft to local police.
“I couldn’t fathom the morality of someone who could take it. Especially one sitting next to an ambulance, clearly treating someone,” Etter said. “The act of stealing a bike, regardless of circumstance, was despicable.”
In all the confusion, the vehicle that had caused the original accident had sped away, without repercussions, although Etter hopes local authorities will be successful in tracking it down.
“My reaction to the driver was disappointment,” Etter said. “I couldn’t believe that they would leave the scene, especially after injuring someone.”
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