Cyclist doored, struck has fractured skull and 23 broken ribs but is OK; hit-and-run driver still at large
It was a perfect storm of factors that are all too common when Chicago bicyclists are injured or killed by cars. Dustin Valenta, 27, a delivery biker, yoga teacher and actor was commuting in Wicker Park when a driver opened her door on him, throwing him into traffic. As he lay in the road, another motorist stuck him and then fled the scene.
Valenta suffered a fractured skull, broken pelvis, 23 cracked ribs and a punctured lung but he miraculously survived and is currently alert and in good spirits. The question remains: why would a driver who accidentally struck someone already lying in the road not stop to give aid? Valenta's family is currently working to bring the hit-and-run motorist to justice: http://chi.streetsblog.org/2013/02/14/cyclist-doored-then-struck-hit-and-run-driver-still-at-large/
Friends have set up donation sites to help cover medical expenses for Valenta, who is uninsured, at Go Fund Me and Give Forward. Cut Cats Courier and Johnny Sprockets bike shop are organizing a benefit event for late February or early March, probably at Bangers and Lace tavern.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by blair on
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My entire hit-and-run was caught on the Blommer Factory's security camera. Quality was so horrible that they couldn't even confirm make/model... let alone a plate #.
Fingers crossed someone knows something about this truck!
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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on
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-Kind of- agree, but depending on the properties of the lens that can be decieving.
Have you watched the video? The truck passes pretty quickly. I imagine it could be possible to extract an earlier still but wouldn't be surprised if this is the best we're gonna get.
Cameron 7.5 mi said:Looking at the height of the truck relative to the parked car, I'd guess something along the lines of the F-250 or Sierra 2500HD. It looks too tall to be a Ranger. Are then any shots earlier in the video where the front of the truck is visible as it approaches? Being able to see the grill would help.
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Permalink Reply by Mike Keating on
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The video is being broken down and isolated now. The CPD Major Accident Investigation Section is supposed to have an investigator assigned by tomorrow at which point we will have the advantage of enhanced video. My video team is currently working on isolating the key segment and I will post as soon as I have it, no later than tomorrow.
In the meantime here is the FOX News story with a key clip: http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/21292073/bike-messenger-injured-i...
Chicago News and Weather | FOX 32 News
Chicago News and Weather | FOX 32 News
Chi Lowe 12.5+ mi said:+1
Mike, if you're reading this, can you extract a still some stills from the video as the truck approaches?
Cameron 7.5 mi said:...Being able to see the grill would help.
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Ae folks here aware the video was already aired on TV last night?
(Or maybe it's mentioned in this thread and I'm too dyslexic to see it at the moment).http://www.my50chicago.com/story/21292073/bike-messenger-injured-in...
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Permalink Reply by Mark Potts on
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I learned this after getting doored. Luckily it was at a red light and I got knocked into a stopped car, but otherwise it would have been 30+ mph traffic on a narrow street.
I do really hope these sort events can help people to pay better attention, its a risk we take, but everyone helps everyone when we look out for eachother.
On that note, best wishes to Dustin I hope he can get himself back together as quickly as possible.
Joe Guzzardo said:
I slow down significantly and keep my right hand on the brake lever when I'm in the door zone and look into each car window, both front and rear on a 4 door vehicle.
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Here is an isolated clip directly from the surveillance video.
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Here is the same clip in slow(er) motion. Thanks.
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Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on
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Two things that I now see: a bystander bends over Dustin, a few seconds after he gets run over and begins to turn over, so there was definitely a nearby witness present. (Don't know if the person who bends over Dustin was the doorer or a passing pedestrian.) And now I see some sort of row of dark painted diamond or dot shapes running along the truck under the window--which should make it very identifiable.)
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Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on
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Is that some kind of "scallop" effect above the window in the cap?
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Could be, Lisa. Or it could be an "aliasing" effect--the squaring off of curves and angled lines by the use of square digital pixels in the image. You can see aliasing in the lower window sill of the bank, as the lines are angled high to low.
Lisa Curcio 4.0 mi said:Is that some kind of "scallop" effect above the window in the cap?
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Permalink Reply by John Greenfield on
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Dustin's lawyer Mike Keating says the hunt for the hit-and-run driver has been delayed for two weeks because the responding officers failed to report the crash to the CPD's Major Accidents Investigation Section or fill out an Illinois Crash report. Here's an update on the situation:
http://chi.streetsblog.org/2013/02/22/cops-failure-to-report-valent...
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Permalink Reply by Duppie on
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Thanks John for keeping this in the news.
John Greenfield said:Dustin's lawyer Mike Keating says the hunt for the hit-and-run driver has been delayed for two weeks because the responding officers failed to report the crash to the CPD's Major Accidents Investigation Section or fill out an Illinois Crash report. Here's an update on the situation:
http://chi.streetsblog.org/2013/02/22/cops-failure-to-report-valent...
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