NYC Euc and car accident

[redsnapper]

48 minutes ago, Paul A said:

Is there an obligation to ride at an appropriate speed to the road conditions/visibility?

A child/animal/object/whatever... could also have been on that blind curve.....

yes there is an absolute obligation to respect another's right to not get mowed-down by an electrified dufus! IMO this rider is showing blatant disregard for the safety of innocents - urban riding requires thoughtful consideration of others sharing the space. The rider in this clip had almost no margin for dealing with a surprise human obstacle (kid, grandma,homeless guy,etc) and appears to be riding at a very high speed. Same would apply if the guy was barreling around on a bike at 25mph! The ultimate price - killing a pedestrian - has already happened - 

There are risks to riding EUC and they cannot all be mitigated but we must take reasonable measures to avoid endangering pedestrians... This is just part of being a decent human!

[Rawnei]

Not to mention the self-preserving act of not colliding with something while riding on one wheel.

[TantasStarke]

13 hours ago, redsnapper said:

yes there is an absolute obligation to respect another's right to not get mowed-down by an electrified dufus! IMO this rider is showing blatant disregard for the safety of innocents - urban riding requires thoughtful consideration of others sharing the space. The rider in this clip had almost no margin for dealing with a surprise human obstacle (kid, grandma,homeless guy,etc) and appears to be riding at a very high speed. Same would apply if the guy was barreling around on a bike at 25mph! The ultimate price - killing a pedestrian - has already happened

To be fair he's in a seperated bike lane where there shouldn't be a dude sitting down having a picnic. I actively ride the Erie canal trail up here in NY which is a paved trail cycling/walking trail, and I go down it 30mph unless I'm passing a cyclist/pedestrian, or going around a corner I can't see around. For my personal risk assessment I think he was going a bit fast around that corner, but if a car went around a corner and hit someone sitting in the middle of the road I wouldn't blame the car

[Paul A]

Need to travel at a speed that allows for a full stop within the visible distance.

Could have been a child, a rental scooter, debris etc.

[redsnapper]

9 hours ago, TantasStarke said:

To be fair he's in a seperated bike lane where there shouldn't be a dude sitting down having a picnic. I actively ride the Erie canal trail up here in NY which is a paved trail cycling/walking trail, and I go down it 30mph unless I'm passing a cyclist/pedestrian, or going around a corner I can't see around. For my personal risk assessment I think he was going a bit fast around that corner, but if a car went around a corner and hit someone sitting in the middle of the road I wouldn't blame the car

Your comment clearly points out that such clips can have a context that might inform how to frame the depicted behavior. This context was lost on me - me culpa... If you know that local context and you know it is a one way bike lane, then point well taken - the driver is certainly not responsible for a person who gets runover sitting in the middle of the road at the top of a blind hill or curve. However I think the value of this thread is the macro view - as riders it is easy to forget the risk we pose to others around us. It is good to be regularly reminded that bad outcomes to bystanders can be generally avoided by taking reasonable precautions when riding around people (reduce speed, wide birth, 100db megaphone screaming RUNAWAYTRAIN!RUNAWAYTRAIN!,RUN4YOURLIVES!).

 

[Paul A]

Might be wise to invest in a dash cam/video recorder, for car/EUC.

People can do really stupid things.

Video evidence is going to save a lot of stress.

 

 

[alcatraz]

15 minutes ago, Paul A said:

Might be wise to invest in a dash cam/video recorder, for car/EUC.

People can do really stupid things.

Video evidence is going to save a lot of stress.

 

 

Nobel prize winner!

[mike_bike_kite]

[guy sitting in bicycle path] I'll admit I don't think Chooch is the best ambassador for our sport. Here he's obviously riding way too fast for what he can see. He's riding at car speeds in an area "dedicated" to slow moving bicycles. There's also no space to go if things do go wrong - what would he of done if it was a small child riding a trainer bicycle in the middle of the path? What if it's a bicyclist who's fallen and lying across the path? If you can't stop in the distance you can see then you're going too fast. If you're going a different speed to everyone else (EUC speeds vs bicycle speeds) then you are the danger.

It's probably just his age but he doesn't seem to consider other people at all when he's riding. There was one video of his where he has riding up a downhill mountain bike trail and was forcing the riders coming down to jump off the trail. Then there was the one where he's tearing up a carefully managed footpath in the woods and the ranger politely asks him to stop - obviously he doesn't and he's instead coming up with ridiculous reasons to why he's entitled. 

[RooEUC]

Quote

 

I watched the video on the first page.  It made me angry.  I really don't like people who ride or drive recklessly on the roads.  These guys were running red lights, weaving all over the place, passing objects to each other while riding at speed, touching cars, riding between lanes and ultimately smashing into a vehicle.  They don't have licenses, insurance or road tax and they treat the roads like their personal playgrounds, putting everyone else in danger around them.  After the collision the EUC rider even said "Nah, we ain't calling no one" - probably because he knew he was breaking all sorts of laws and would get in serious trouble if the cops were called out. 

These are the people who would make me actually vote to ban EUCs from public roads.  And I'm an EUCer myself.  They remind me of the biker gangs that do the same thing, but on motorcycles, you know the ones that pop wheelies and stoppies in traffic, ride between cars, bumping wing mirrors and laughing.  These guys are exactly the people who ruin the hobby for everyone else.  It was the same with RC.  People enjoyed half a century of hassle-free flying in the model aircraft hobby.  Then drones came along and they were fun too.  Then stupid people started buying them and doing stupid things. Now thanks to them we have special restrictions and license requirements to just fly 251g styrofoam planes. 

What disappointed me some more was seeing that almost 100% of the comments under the video on Youtube were from people supporting the EUCers and criticizing the car drivers.  Have all the fun you like on EUCs, but the second you start riding recklessly and putting other road users in danger, you should not be allowed on the roads.  In fact, there is a decent argument to be made that a vehicle that is guaranteed to crash instantly when an electrical fault occurs should not be allowed to mingle with traffic at all.  Not until the technology evolves to provide a fail-safe that keeps the riders upright and in control even without power. 

[RooEUC]

On 1/31/2022 at 8:58 PM, Paul A said:

WHAT AN ACTUAL 40 MPH CRASH LOOKS LIKE ON AN E-BOARD IN NYC!

1,417 views

Oct 25, 2021

 

Even these guys are reckless.  It's troubling.  They're crossing over double solid yellow lines, riding EUCs on the wrong side of the road with oncoming traffic, on vehicles that can and do cut out.  Look at this guy in the purple trousers.  He's on the wrong side of the road and there's a car in the oncoming lane.  If his EUC were to cut out at that moment, he and others could be killed or permanently disabled and the driver of the car could be hurt too.  At the very least, their car will be damaged.  This is what people who lack wisdom do.  I knew someone whose head was run over by a bus. Her helmet and skull collapsed.  It was a quick death.  It was a lifetime of pain for lots of other people.  My friend has been in two motorcycle accidents and has a lot of metal in his body holding him together and some unsightly scars on his face and neck and daily pain that will never go away.  He will be out of work forever.  I'm all for people I don't know or care about risking their own lives to have fun, but not if it puts innocent people's lives in danger too.      

[Paul A]

Unicycle-Riding Assault Suspect: Police Got It Wrong

May 3, 2017

DENVER (CBS4) – A young Denver man claims he was attacked while riding his electric unicycle, but police have a different story, and are charging the him with assault after he stabbed the victim twice.

“I was defending my life and my property,” said Colton Gregory.

 

The incident happened around 7:45 on April 27. Gregory says he was riding his electric unicycle around town, a hobby in which he’s logged thousands of miles. He crossed 20th Street at Chestnut Place when the altercation occurred.

“The victim became engaged in a verbal argument with the defendant. The defendant then spit in the Victim’s face, threw coffee on him, and maced the victim,” according to a probable cause document for Gregory’s arrest.

“I never did any of this,” Gregory said.

 

“This guy had opened his car door and was running at me. He came up to me and was over me like this; he was a lot taller than me looking over me and shoved me. I stay prepared: carry a pocketknife, pepper spray, flashlight, everything like that every single day. I used the pepper spray as he was attacking me,” Gregory said.

 

“At last option I had to use my knife to get this guy off of me and I defended myself rightfully and now I’m facing criminal charges over this. That knife I had on me that day happened to save my life.”

The court documents say Gregory stabbed the victim in the right abdomen and in the right hand, then fled on his unicycle and was later found near the train tracks west of Coors Field.

Seven witnesses provided statements to police but Gregory is hoping a good Samaritan who tried to break up the fight will come forward to corroborate his story.

“This was the most violent thing that’s ever happened to me in my life. I’ve never had to scream and fight and kick like that in my life before, it was brutal,” Gregory said.

 

Colton Gregory (credit: CBS)

____________________________________________________________

 

 

[TantasStarke]

7 hours ago, Paul A said:

Unicycle-Riding Assault Suspect: Police Got It Wrong

May 3, 2017

DENVER (CBS4) – A young Denver man claims he was attacked while riding his electric unicycle, but police have a different story, and are charging the him with assault after he stabbed the victim twice.

“I was defending my life and my property,” said Colton Gregory.

 

The incident happened around 7:45 on April 27. Gregory says he was riding his electric unicycle around town, a hobby in which he’s logged thousands of miles. He crossed 20th Street at Chestnut Place when the altercation occurred.

“The victim became engaged in a verbal argument with the defendant. The defendant then spit in the Victim’s face, threw coffee on him, and maced the victim,” according to a probable cause document for Gregory’s arrest.

“I never did any of this,” Gregory said.

 

“This guy had opened his car door and was running at me. He came up to me and was over me like this; he was a lot taller than me looking over me and shoved me. I stay prepared: carry a pocketknife, pepper spray, flashlight, everything like that every single day. I used the pepper spray as he was attacking me,” Gregory said.

 

“At last option I had to use my knife to get this guy off of me and I defended myself rightfully and now I’m facing criminal charges over this. That knife I had on me that day happened to save my life.”

The court documents say Gregory stabbed the victim in the right abdomen and in the right hand, then fled on his unicycle and was later found near the train tracks west of Coors Field.

Seven witnesses provided statements to police but Gregory is hoping a good Samaritan who tried to break up the fight will come forward to corroborate his story.

“This was the most violent thing that’s ever happened to me in my life. I’ve never had to scream and fight and kick like that in my life before, it was brutal,” Gregory said.

 

Colton Gregory (credit: CBS)

____________________________________________________________

 

 

I never saw anything about a conviction so I think the case was dropped/he was found not guilty

[Paul A]

Glad to hear Chooch was ok.

Body video cam would save a lot of stress.

[Chucka Wheelie]

On 2/16/2022 at 6:37 PM, Paul A said:

Glad to hear Chooch was ok.

Body video cam would save a lot of stress.

Sounds like a dicey situation for sure. 

Just started using a bodycam myself.  So far so good.  Nice to have that extra layer of security. 

[.....]

I've used wheel cams and such. Always a little leery of body cams. I kinda figured Murphy's law would mean I fall on it and break some extra bones. Of course there's always the fact that MY footage could be taken w/o a warrant and used against me too...

[Billy S.]

On 1/17/2022 at 9:26 PM, TantasStarke said:

It is part of the culture though. Same as how there's people who get a nissan altima for commuting, and people who get a nissan skyline to mod and race. One day we're gonna hit with regulations regardless on if these peope are posting these videos. We have unregistered vehicles that can hit 50MPH.

 

On 1/17/2022 at 8:32 PM, Kamikaze_K said:

SOOOOOO many things wrong with this vid and none of them are the Tundra driver's doing.   No... he's not the Jack A**... you guys are.  Going down a road in a built up area @92kmh is reckless on ANY type of vehicle.  

I just joined this site right now to be able to say that video is so disturbing, ALMOST all the peeps on EV's are riding like idiots! the dude on the scooter shouldnt be allowed to ride in public, He scared the crap out of the kid on that busy sidewalk & completely disregarded ALL those pedestrians, the pick up truck was wrong for making a left u-turn from the right lane BUT I'm sure he didnt see the Ev's SPEEDING up behind him! if you want to be respected on the street riding your wheel, you need to show some respect on the street, I completely agree with Kamikaze_K! Thats an embarrassing video

[Paul A]

Road rash.....?

 

 

[Funky]

18 minutes ago, Paul A said:

Road rash.....?

 

 

Nah, sunburn.