The misty weather made for quite a harrowing ride down Market Street this morning, as I saw this poor fellow go down just ahead of me as he was crossing those pesky Muni tracks. He hit his head pretty hard on the concrete and started bleeding profusely out of a deep gash in his temple.
A number of cyclists dismounted to help the guy, who was shaken up pretty badly and sitting on the ground in a dazed state. Some pedestrians also left the safety of the sidewalk to assist (I stood around and took photos like a jackass), a comforting scene that put the usual cyclist-pedestrian animosity on hold for the moment. A driver even pulled up behind and got out of her car to try and help (the opposite of going on a hit-and-run bicycle smashing rampage).
We implored him to stay down and wait for paramedics, but this was one stubbornly tough dude, and he eventually stumbled over to the curb under his own volition. We all hung out with him until the ambulance arrived and took over.
All in all, an unlucky spill for this cyclist but an inspiring reaction from a group of strangers all accustomed to their own modes of transportation, be it walking, riding, driving, or cycling. Be careful when it’s wet out there everybody!
Previously:
There’s a little-known invention that could have helped here.
Actually, a better invention could help people AVOID FALLING, which would be smarter than blaming the bloody dude, no?
No this guy could definitely have prevented a gash to his head with a helmet, regardless of the quality of urban planning
Bicycles aren’t magic; you can get hurt no matter how well or how poorly the roads are built.
Know what would have been an even better invention? A giant citywide umbrella to keep the streets dry. It would be cheaper than tearing up the existing infrastructure, and bikers would never have to worry about traveling in wet conditions ever again.
Wake up Gavin Newsom!
Wear a fucking helmet!
I know, I know. Helmet=dork. Really, I get it.
You should know that you might NOT die in a bike tumble without head protection. However, it could be worse. You could be paralyzed, or have more brain damage than you already have. Then, you’ve just become a burden to your friends and family. Cool.
Helmet=friend.
nth-ing the helmet, a guy almost died in my arms a few weeks ago when he wrecked. he was wearing a helmet and would almost certainly being taking a dirt nap today without it.
this is a rough week for SF cyclists . . . remember folks, wear a helmet and always ride over the MUNI tracks at a perpendicular angle. hoping that this guy is ok.
whoops, i meant to say ride over the MUNI tracks at a RIGHT angle, perpendicular to the tracks.
Perpendicular is a 90 degree angle to a direction. So is a right angle.
but, yes this guy should have been wearing a helmet!
remember folks, you’re either on your own or helped out by fellow cyclists/passers by when this happens. i mean, in my experience.
the scene: same thing happened to me last year. 2am. a foggy night. the DPW jerk did not stop spraying market though we asked him as we passed. my friend made it past the wet tracks but i did not. boom.
and the cop passing by asks “why are you out this late?” never asked if i needed help. never got out of the car. merely asked how the midnight movie i saw was.
glad a few folks helped this guy out. keep it up.
Hopefully the guy is OK. I went down on the Muni tracks in January and was almost run over by a bus. A random homeless dude jumped in front of the bus to wave it to stop… I walked with a limp for almost a month.
The helmet protected my dome.
I dont know who I want to hurt more:
Dipshit A who rides a bike in SF without a helmet
or
Dipshit B who sees a fellow human being badly injured and “stands around taking pictures like a jackass”
Seriously, fuck you both.
I’d go for Dipshit C who wants to hurt a guy because the guy doesn’t wear a helmet — and who dares discount the fact that if Andrew Sarkarati didn’t stand around taking pictures like a jackass so often, the San Francisco media landscape would be a much blander place.
Your comment makes me think of the Bjork song, “The World is Full of Love.”
Sometimes, there are more than enough bystanders helping, and taking pictures doesn’t hurt.
Recall also that two wrongs don’t make a right. Neither do three wrongs.
[...] had to happen sooner or later given the jungle-like chaos of Market Street. You may have witnessed it yourselves from time to time, or possibly have been inconvenienced while waiting on piled-up Muni buses from [...]