bnf:

So…Brian just texted me.  He got hit by a car.  Nothing is broken but he wasn’t wearing his helmet either.  All I know is he’s at some hospital and his bike is at some firehouse in the city.  Ugh.

I hate how common it is to know someone that’s been hit while riding.  This city seems so segregated when it comes to car vs bikes.  Where are the public service announcements on bus shelters reminding people to share the road?  People yell at you even when you’re riding in a bike lane.  We need a giant traveling billboard informing people that we cannot ride on sidewalks by law.  Road signs caution drivers when deer are common on certain country roads.  Why not the same in the city for roads known for heavy bike traffic?

Read the rest. The above just stuck out to me.

While I’m sure he’d rather not be in this position, your friend might be the first case to see what happens now that Governor Quinn signed a new law the other day (effective immediately) that would make this a felony case if your friend is hurt badly. I assume if he is texting he is likely OK and just went to get checked out, but the beauty about legal speak is that it can be bent so that what constitutes “great bodily harm” is rather generous. At the very least, this driver will be slapped with a Class A misdemeanor.   

And, like I said the other day, the law doesn’t make the roads any safer, but it at least gives us cyclists some sort of recourse knowing that drivers that injure us won’t be walking away scot-free anymore.

But, most importantly, get well soon, Brian.