Ann Arbor Police investigating vehicle-bicycle accident at Platt and Huron
Eighteen-year-old Paul Miller says he was bicycling on his way to work at Starbucks this morning when a motorist ran a red light and crashed into him at a crosswalk.
Ann Arbor Police are now investigating the incident, which occurred at the intersection of Platt Road and South Huron Parkway shortly before 7 a.m.
"He was at the crosswalk, hit the crosswalk button, waited for it to signal, started to cross, and then noticed a car coming and it wasn't going to stop," said Ann Arbor resident Eric Miller, the victim's father.
Eric Miller said his son was lucky to be wearing a helmet, which may have saved his life, but his wrist was seriously fractured. His son's arm was placed in a cast today, and he is scheduled to see an orthopedic surgeon Tuesday at the University of Michigan Hospital, according to his father.
Miller said there's a lesson to be learned from today's incident. He thinks motorists in Ann Arbor need to pay better attention to bicyclists.
"I'm a cyclist, too, and I'm really thankful for what the city is doing to make it a little safer for cycling," he said. "But at the same time, we need drivers to have a good attitude and pay attention. It just burns me up, some people's attitude that cyclists are just a pain in the butt and the accommodations made for them are somehow taking away people's experience."
Miller also said he has concerns about the intersection where his son was injured.
"I've seen that intersection just get blown right through before," he said. "It's not unusual to see cars go through, and they act like they don't even see a light there and it's red."
Ryan J. Stanton covers government for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529.
Comments
Danl
Fri, Oct 2, 2009 : 11:24 p.m.
I travel through that intersection daily on my bike commute. Saw the aftermath of this accident. The northbound lane of Platt as it turns into Huron Pkwy is where I saw the car and bike. I see drivers run that light at least 2x/wk - and I'm only in that intersection all of 40 seconds. We so need to slow down on our commutes to work.
Moose
Thu, Oct 1, 2009 : 9:18 a.m.
Wherever you stand on this issue, whatever you believe, pointing fingers isn't wrong. Motorists have gotten away with negligent homicide for far too long to not point it out. It's not right to call such occurrences "accidents", it's negligent operation of a motor vehicle pure and simple.
Hemenway
Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 9:27 p.m.
Dear Readers, Please keep in mind a cyclist was killed in Ann Arbor only a few months ago by a motorist who was not paying attention to their driving. Thank God Paul Miller is still alive. Pointing fingers at motorists or cyclists does not advance the cause of safe travel for anyone, we all have a right to the road. No one is perfect, please pay careful attention to your given activity regardless of your mode of transportation.
Moose
Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 11:04 a.m.
There is no difference between driving in Ann Arbor or driving anywhere else. "Congestion" is no excuse for not being able to drive in a safe and sane manner. "Picking off" anyone sounds like having someone in your "sights", like shooting at a carnival game. Words like that demonstrate a particular mindset. Operating a 4000 pound deadly weapon is far different than walking a blind and deaf dog off leash in an unfenced yard and neighborhood. A spotless record... until one gets caught.
jeanarrett
Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 9:07 a.m.
I am not a cyclist, but it infuriates me the way some drivers treat them. A couple of weeks ago in Whitmore Lake, there was a group of cyclists going up Main Street adjacent to the freeway. They were riding two and three abreast and I don't know what the rules are on this, but I believe it was some kind of cycling event they were participating in. The speed limit there is 35 mph. A truck with a young guy in it began shouting out his window at them and proceeded to speed around them at a high rate of speed -- about 55 mph, putting not only oncoming traffic in danger, but the cyclists as well. Where are the cops when you need them? On the other hand, I see cyclists in downtown Ann Arbor running four way stop signs repeatedly, riding between cars and on sidewalks, etc., but I think these are more student types than hardcore commuter cyclists who, in my experience, follow the rules of the road. As to running red lights, I have learned by working downtown to NEVER step off the curb without making sure vehicles have stopped. Cars run red lights repeatedly downtown and there never seems to be a policeman around to catch them. The city buses are some of the worst offenders and will turn left on a one way street and run you over even if you have the right-of-way in the crosswalk. I've often wondered what different set of rules the city buses operate under with all the speeding, etc. they do. I realize they have a schedule to adhere to, but sometimes it's insane. They really scare me.
Moose
Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 8:33 a.m.
Let me first say how sorry and saddened I am about Paul's accident. I hope and pray he has a full recovery. But, the same old lame excuses by motorists. It was his fault because he rode his bike on the sidewalk. He rode his bike on the crosswalk. The trees made it hard for the motorist to see him. He should not assume that drivers can see him. It was the cities fault because there was a tree there that made it hard for the driver to see him. Cyclists break the law all the time, (As if drivers don't, as evidenced by this story) Then there's this incredibly stupid comment as if it driving was a game where you get points for hitting cyclists, "I almost picked off a few bikers when I was turning left until I got used to all the congestion". Got used to all the congestion?? It's a drivers responsibility to BE used to all road conditions and drive accordingly. If you can't handle the "congestion", don't drive until you can. You put not only cyclists but other drivers at risk How stupid can drivers be and still continue to blame everyone an everything else except themselves because they can't safely operate a 4000 pound deadly weapon?
swcornell
Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 7:49 a.m.
The truth is that you can't see the lights if you are northbound. The trees in the park there block the light. I actually called the police about this when the light was first put in. They just said it's a park, it's supposed to have trees. I figure you can have a light there or trees, but not both.
redeye
Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 7:05 a.m.
I bet this light is run a lot by people coming from the south. If I remember it right, there's a set of traffic lights straight ahead. But they are not the ones that apply to northbound traffic. Then there's a surprising bend in the road, and a new set of lights that do apply. I assume the intersection was twisted to match the traffic flow. But the user interface sucks.
brightsib2001
Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 12:37 a.m.
First,too many cyclists ride on the sidewalk, one of them was not paying attention and ran into my dog. Now, whenever a bicycle goes by, he lunges for them. That makes yet another thing to train him out of! Secondly, most cyclists I've seen do not follow the Vechicular Code. They do not signal, they ride around and through cars and run red lights just like the cars do. Everybody should be aware of their surroundings and second guess both drivers and cyclists so no one gets hurt.
bunnyabbot
Mon, Sep 28, 2009 : 11:33 p.m.
so was he walking his bike across or riding it across? also, don't assume cars see you. IF you are on a bike, walking, pushing a stroller or walking with a dog always look for right hand turners to your left and left hand turners across from you, whether you have the crossing sign or not! also teach your children to stop a full "square" away from the curb and your dog to sit next to you. I have seen soooo many people just bolt at the crossing sign without first looking to see if the first driver on the turn sees them stopped at a light.
Paul
Mon, Sep 28, 2009 : 4:15 p.m.
Too many people in Ann Arbor slide through yellow lights and blatantly run red lights. The talking and texting on mobile phones while trying to corner doesn't help, either. Michigan Compiled Law 257.612 is clear about a driver's duty when a light turns yellow ("If the signal exhibits a steady yellow indication, vehicular traffic facing the signal shall stop before entering the nearest crosswalk at the intersection"). That doesn't mean speeding up to get through a yellow light as it is turning red. Anticipating a green light turning yellow is just common sense for experienced drivers. A vehicle driven in a safe and prudent manner doesn't have a problem. The same with cyclists, they are responsible for following the same Motor Vehicle Code as the driver's of vehicles. There are a lot of cyclists who run stop signs and ride carelessly. Again, a little bit of common sense goes a long way. Those people who refuse to slow down and use some common sense on the road need to do the rest of us a favor and stay home.
John Hritz
Mon, Sep 28, 2009 : 4 p.m.
@Paul A. what/where was the other bike collision?
Paul A.
Mon, Sep 28, 2009 : 3:51 p.m.
From the story, it is a little difficult to get an accurate idea of what happened without making some assumptions: - was Paul going north on Platt Rd? - was the driver coming south on Platt? - was the driver coming south on HR Parkway and ran the light at Platt? - was Paul in the road on on the sidewalk (west side of Platt? Regardless, running a red light has got to increase not only the likelihood of an accident but also the severity of the penalty imposed on the driver. It will be interesting to see the outcome of this incident. BTW, this is the second accident in the AA area in the past week or so that caused injury to a cyclist, by drivers not following proper driving safety. In both cases, the same action would have caused an accident to any vehicle, not just to the bicyclists who happened to be there.