whats on my mind...? “We were chatting about how wonderful it was to be out riding on such a stunning day,” says Gus Desousa. Then a black Nissan X-Trail seemed to come from nowhere. There was no honking, no screech of tyres. Bang! The car slammed into Tony Anderson, at the back of the pack, at around 80km/h; he was smashed into the windscreen (broken back in two places; fractured skull, sternum, clavicle and ribs; severe cuts). Bang! Bharat Mistry, who was in front of Anderson, was next – he went skittling along the road, rasping the skin from one side of his body (severe lacerations to the body and face). Bang! Hans Dean was hit next (broken back). Bang! Paul Haber (broken back in two places). The riders nearest the kerb were luckier: they were ploughed into the breakdown lane like the wake from a boat. Gillian McDonald suffered a severe cut to her arm and nerve damage in her hand. Bryce Dean had a fractured elbow. “There was no warning,” says Gus Desousa, “all I remember is, ‘F..k, something’s hit me,’ and I was in this whirlpool of trying to protect myself.” The car finally came to a halt, some distance from the pack of riders strewn along the road, and as it did, Tony Anderson rolled off the bonnet and onto the road. The traffic slowed to a halt, and then came the deep, horrible moans of people in severe pain. The red bike lights continued their incessant blinking. m.theaustralian.au/news/features/are-cyclists-fair-game-in-australia/story-e6frg8h6-1226884015021 But what is more on my mind are the responses... what a shame: The retribution was as vicious as it was swift – towards the injured cyclists, that is. That afternoon, as soon as news of the crash was broadcast, Facebook was abuzz. “Sucked in,” wrote Dixon on a motoring Facebook page. “I see these cyclists riding every Saturday and Sunday and was wondering when they’d get hit.” Luke, of Newcastle, boasted: “I swerve to hit cyclists.” Nick reckoned it was a great shot: “Got seven in one hit.” Normie stated he will “never give way to a bicycle rider, I really don’t care what the law state, you have no rights in my book, and if you are in my way I will definitely give you a helping hand… stay the f..k off our road you leotard wearing faggots.” There were hundreds of posts of this nature and the same sentiments were being expressed on the NSW Police Facebook page as well as in the comments section of major news organisations. The attitude from these motorists, be it a minority, was clear. As one wrote: “Yeah no one gives a f..k about cyclists if they are on the road mow the c..ts down.”
Posted on: Tue, 22 Apr 2014 23:49:03 +0000
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