Bicyclist cited in truck-bike accident
One week after he was run over by a CSU Facilities Management
truck on Plum Street near Moby Arena, Alex Hagn received a $15
citation from the CSU Police Department for careless riding.
Investigating officer Bret Wagner said CSUPD does not determine
blame in such accidents, but it does issue citations if traffic
violations occur.
According to a letter enclosed with the ticket, Hagn, a
sophomore speech communications major, was cited for riding in the
traffic lane instead of the bike lane, for moving into the bike
lane to pass on the right, and because a witness said she saw the
truck turn on its right blinker prior to turning across the bike
lane.
Hagn said he plans to contest the citation.
“I’m definitely going to fight that ticket, for sure,” he
said.
Hagn was run over last week when the truck turned right onto a
service drive, crossing the bike lane Hagn had just merged into.
Hagn hit his brakes to avoid a collision, flipped over his
handlebars and landed underneath the truck. The driver did not see
Hagn and continued driving.
Brigitte Mahony, a senior food science and human nutrition
major, said in a police statement that she saw the driver use his
right turn signal before turning right into the service drive.
“I saw the truck slow down almost to a stop with the blinkers
on. That is when I knew it was safe for me to cross the street,”
said Mahony, who was crossing the street to the Lory Apartments.
“The only reason I crossed (the street) was because he had his
indicator on and he was slowing down. I definitely saw an
indicator.”
The driver, Don Wenzel, said he stopped in the traffic lane for
a pedestrian on the sidewalk in front of the service drive and then
turned into the driveway.
“If he had hit the truck, I would have noticed. But he didn’t
hit the truck. The only thing I knew was when I felt something
strange,” Wenzel said.
Wenzel did not realize he was trying to drive over Hagn until
the bicyclist started screaming and a passer-by told Wenzel he was
“on top of someone.”
Hagn suffered two fractures to his pelvis and a strained right
groin, and he still says the truck did not signal prior to
turning.
Officer Yvonne Paez, a CSUPD spokeswoman, said it was possible
that everyone told the truth as they saw it.
“Investigation indicated that the bicyclist apparently didn’t
notice the turn signal,” Paez said. “I very much doubt that the
cyclist disregarded that, because when a truck and a bicycle tangle
– who’s going to lose?”
Paez also said if the truck was already turning when Hagn
entered the bike lane, the driver was “established in his traffic
movement,” and not responsible for the accident.
According to the police report, the truck’s rear turn signals
were functioning immediately after the accident.
Wenzel was not cited for the incident.
Hagn has taken a medical withdrawal from school for the
semester, but he plans to return in the spring.
“I figure I should be pretty much fully healed by Thanksgiving,”
he said.
After the accident, which left him on crutches and unable to put
weight on his right leg, Hagn moved to his mother’s house in
southern Denver.
“The injuries are having more of a psychological effect,” Hagn
said. “I can’t just get up and walk around my house on both
legs.”
Wenzel is also experiencing aftereffects from the accident.
“They won’t let me drive now, which is fine with me,” he said.
“Whenever I see a bike, I jump. It’s scary.”
Wenzel said he hopes for Hagn’s recovery.
“It’s really a sad thing,” he said. “It was pretty shocking to
see him there.”
About 30 students and community members gathered Friday at the
Oval for a Critical Mass ride in honor of Hagn and to recognize the
dangers of car vs. bicycle accidents. Critical Mass is a large
group of bicyclists that rides on main roads in an effort to gain
recognition from cars.
Kristin LeLoup, the supervisor for CSU’s Bike Enforcement and
Education Program, said the accident is a reminder of the
importance of safe driving and riding.
“I just think it shows the importance of having a bike education
program on a campus like this,” LeLoup said.
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