Is everyone ok?
Thread started by
ToddAlmighty at 08.31.12 - 10:30 pm
The word is a lot of riders got hurt tonight. I don't know many details but I heard there was a bad crash tonight. Critical Mass? I hope you all are safe
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from facebook:
@LAScanner: Fatal accident involving Critical Mass tonite. LAPD assisting riders as they move back e/b towards Western Ave. Thru Bev Hills soon.
@LAScanner: At UCLA med, lots of cyclists waiting outside ER. Overheard doc: 'lots of people involved, some headed to UCLA, some to Cedars'
@andybrk: @LAScanner Just talked to cyclists, they say no car involved. 5-6 cyclists crashed downhilling, taking each other out.
66608.31.12 - 11:26 pm
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so apparently a cop car pulled infront of the ride on a downhill to try to slow them down and caused the accident.
Tyrito09.1.12 - 2:06 am
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isnt this supposed to be a slow family oriented/friendly ride... why would you take families down a steep hill?
Aktive_42009.1.12 - 7:18 am
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Organizers have to factor in many things. Why would you take riders downhill when some are fixed and refuse to adapt brakes. While others may not be experienced at moving at higher speeds. From what I read the kid was not wearing a helmet.
chuki09.1.12 - 7:49 am
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I was about 50ft away from one of the crashes. It happened coming down the hill inside UCLA. Didnt see what caused it but just saw the bike flip and the guy was on the floor face down and not moving. Then rumors towards the end of Critical Mass were that he had passed away. RIP if its true if not I hope for him a speedy recovery.
Avis_One09.1.12 - 8:41 am
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Sad to say this is not a rumor. Morning news confirmed the death of the rider. They cannot plan these downhill routes with hundreds of riders going downhill. That is a clear recipe for disaster, what were the organizers thinking!!? My condolences to his family and friends. May he rest in peace.
chuki responding to a
comment by Avis_One
09.1.12 - 8:48 am
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There is definitely one person who is not ok.
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Bicyclist-Dies-Westwood-Critical-Mass-168255356.html
liquidpremium responding to a
comment by chuki
09.1.12 - 9:15 am
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And once again a news outlet demonizes cyclists rather than investigating and reporting the actual possible causes of the incident. Typical.
theroyalacademy responding to a
comment by liquidpremium
09.1.12 - 9:29 am
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This is very sad. Please don't jump to conclusions until an official story is released. No matter who is at fault, this loss of life in our bike community is devastating. Rest in peace, bike rida......
bondink09.1.12 - 10:30 am
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First, RIP the cyclist who died last night.
Next, who needs the media to demonize cyclists when cyclists are perfectly willing to demonize themselves right here? What is all this pious nonsense about hills and about CM being "family oriented"?
PC responding to a
comment by theroyalacademy
09.1.12 - 10:50 am
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I've read lots of conflicting reports on twitter and related blogs. LA Times has an article.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/09/cyclist-killed-when-he-crashes-into-wall-on-ucla-campus.html
stillline09.1.12 - 11:30 am
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Shame on you for trying to blame a death on a ride leader. Accidents happen all the time in many bizarre ways, but to reiterate - ITS AN ACCIDENT.
R.I.P.
richtotheie09.1.12 - 1:40 pm
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As is typical of the 'new' critical mass, the facecrack group is being censored and posts are being deleted but from what i can gather- someone- either the LAPD or someone in the LACM 'ride crew' acting on behalf of the LAPD detoured the ride up a steep narrow street. A LAPD cruiser at the front of the pack slowed down/braked after a curve on the fast downhill on the other side and ridazz swerved to avoid collisions.
This isn't that dictator dude Brian's fault but i can't help but wonder- if this was a real critical mass, with no one claiming to be the leader and no LAPD approved routes, maybe Jerico would still be alive.
newarkhouse09.1.12 - 3:03 pm
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first rip to this rider
and second bump newarkhouse
dudebra420 responding to a
comment by newarkhouse
09.1.12 - 4:16 pm
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When I was 18, I had no appreciation for the concept of defensive driving. Even if LAPD cruiser fucked up and was blocking the road, it's on every rider to be aware, ride within their limits and anticipate that the absolute worst fucking thing can happen at any second. He wasn't wearing a helmet, he had no brakes and the best riders in the world would have been hard pressed to make it through that sticky scenario without crashing. It's really sad to see ridazz defending their fashion trends over common sense.
alexdc09.1.12 - 4:16 pm
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Someone is deleting comments about this on fuckbook.
I wrote, simply, instead of arguing and getting mad at LAPD as a whole.... We should look at the way LAPD will handle the aftermath of knowing that one of their officers created the string of events that led to Jerico's passing.
A life was lost. Own up to your mistakes, LAPD. Learn from them. As we cyclists learn and own up to our own mistakes. Just because you carry a badge and a gun does not give you any rights to act inhumanely regarding this situation.
Rest in peace, Jerico....
bondink09.1.12 - 6:03 pm
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my condolences to the family and friends of the fallen rider.
Everybody please try to be safe as possible. Stay away from people who professionally carry weapons to be used in the offense, they will eventually be hurting somebody they come in contact with, that is why they carry them.
sexy09.1.12 - 6:11 pm
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This is very sad to hear. Rest in Peace Jerico.
To my knowledge this is the first death recorded on a group ride in Los Angeles. This is a tragic moment for Los Angeles cycling. It's an event that should not go without some level of redemption. It is clear that certain reforms are needed. Regardless of how skilled the cyclist was or was not, there are preventive measures and behavioral shifts that are evidently necessary in light of this tragedy.
First is the matter of helmets. We need to push our peers to ride responsibly and safely, and a critical part of this is wearing a helmet. It's so easy to make excuses to ride without one, but it's not so easy to turn back after a crash and make that decision posthumously. Please wear a helmet, all the time, even when it's hot, even when you're going a short way, even....no matter what.
Second, crowd control, freedom of movement, safe and effective traffic flow need to be considered. If officers are containing the ride in the front and the rear, how are cyclists supposed to travel safely? It's not reasonable and I would argue that the escort is more of a hindrance than a help to anyone, drivers and cyclists alike.
As cycling grows in L.A., more and more young and inexperienced riders will be out on the streets. It's important that we help each other stay safe, learn safe riding skills and keep our peers accountable as well. If someone is riding an unsafe bike, say something. Do something. Help them fix it if you can. If someone is riding unsafely, same thing applies. If they are wobbly and getting their cycling legs, give a word of advice to improve their control.
Maybe a helmet would have saved this kid's life. It's sad to think he could still be here today if any one of a few variables was different. I hope this event is not for nothing. I hope that CM riders and cyclists throughout LA get more serious about their safety and that of their fellow riders.
It's been a massive year for cycling in LA, and it's far from over. Let's go forward taking into account that with growth comes a new level of responsibility, from every person out on a bike. Keep each other accountable, and let's get more helmets out on the streets along with all these new riders.
kryxtanicole09.1.12 - 7:12 pm
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Because it's the LAPDs fault the kid was riding a fixie with no brakes and no helmet?
sleepy responding to a
comment by bondink
09.1.12 - 7:55 pm
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This.
But don't forget that macho and young can be pretty hard. Stupid is just impossible. That's where Darwin steps in.
sleepy responding to a
comment by kryxtanicole
09.1.12 - 8:00 pm
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Can we at least see what kind of injury it was before you start into the "a bike helmet would've saved his life" shaming?
If it was a neck injury, a bike helmet would not have prevented it.
theroyalacademy responding to a
comment by kryxtanicole
09.1.12 - 8:01 pm
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, how steep was the hill? If kids wanna play fixie hustler with no brakes/straps, mebbe it shouldn't come as a surprise that something like this would eventually happen.
sleepy responding to a
comment by theroyalacademy
09.1.12 - 8:17 pm
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This is just awful, my thoughts to the fallen rider's friends and family.
I agree that the assumption that the 'lack of a helmet' was the root of the problem is problematic. I understand the impulse to do it though. It seems to give some kind of needed logic to the tragedy. But it also alleviates anyone else's responsibility (if they are indeed at fault in any way) and denies us the opportunity to learn from this by placing collective blame squarely on the rider.
One question, were the police escorting this ride? I haven't seen that mentioned in any of the news stories I've seen.
PeterR09.1.12 - 8:35 pm
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I find it ridiculous that you are trying to make it sound as if he deserved this for not wearing a helmet and not having brakes. Even if that is true it's still a tragic accident and he deserves some respect. And if you would have been at the ride you would have realized how dangerous it was that the leaders went down every single hill at a very slow pace. The people at the back had no idea about this until they picked up speed and had to stop suddenly because the people at the front were going so slow. That was another reason why so many accidents happened last night. How logical is it that we went slower on down hills (with that amount of people) than we did on flat sections.
Rage responding to a
comment by sleepy
09.1.12 - 8:37 pm
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Just to be clear, I'm not blaming the leaders either because it was an accident. However, Jerico is the last person that you should blame in this situation.
Rage09.1.12 - 8:39 pm
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So the ride leaders should've bombed the hill? Was this a ride or a race?
It is an accident, and condolences. Nut would it have been preventable if had been slow? Brakes? Foot retention?
We've all done foolish things. I know I've come out lucky out of some situations. My number may yet come up, but I try to remember my experiences and try to come out safer.
Riding is more popular, and with that comes more responsibility. Our lives depend on it.
sleepy responding to a
comment by Rage
09.1.12 - 9:38 pm
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Ok Sean, maybe he broke his neck. I still think he should have been wearing a helmet. That was, like, the one thing that wasn't cloudy from the reports. What the police, ride leaders and the kid did are all based on varying accounts, as per usual. What's not debatable is that this young man lost his life and that, whatever sort of bike he was riding and other factors, he had no helmet on. So, I feel justified in saying, "hey, let's encourage our friends and fellow ridazz to put helmets on." I feel justified in trying to find some way to make this death more than just a casualty, and maybe some sort of impetus to make ridazz safer...on an individual level, with something that each cyclist can personally control. I don't thing there's anything wrong with asserting that a helmet could have been a preventive element to the ultimate outcome. There's nothing false about that. I never said he'd be alive if he was wearing one, but it's certainly a reasonable possibility.
Ya'll just wanna be sad about it? Blame the cops? Blame the ride leaders? Fine. Go ahead. Just do me a favor and wear a helmet, because it *might* save your life. That's a good enough reason if you ask me.
kryxtanicole09.1.12 - 10:47 pm
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Like climate change or legitimate rape. Its all grey, conventional wisdom be dammed.
sleepy responding to a
comment by theroyalacademy
09.1.12 - 11:25 pm
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RIDE IN PEACE JERICO!! very sad
Huey55509.2.12 - 12:01 am
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A life was lost. It could have been any one of us for that matter, who could've died or sustained heavy injuries, regardless of helmet or proper riding equipment - shit happens. But please have some respect for the lost life.
This community teaches us to be strong, both physically and mentally, to deal with a lot of bs out on the streets but this is neither the time nor place to hash out all the wrong things the cyclist did or didn't do.
Ride In Peace young buck.
July09.2.12 - 12:23 am
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im copying stuff from facecrack group incase they get deleted-
"my friend heard cops saying "all these kids riding breakless lets see how they like going down this hill
"I have it on my video...but it's too loud with the rest of the background noise but I heard cops say at the bottom, "Oh my god, I just saw the best accident ever!!" and then laughing to one another. Did not want to bring it up without proof, but since you mentioned it, I heard a similar message."
" yah alot of people herd stuff like that saying they were shocked and never actually helping fallen riders but threatening to ticket"
newarkhouse09.2.12 - 10:43 am
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Alexdc is absolutely correct. He hit the nail on the head with this comment.
TXBONE responding to a
comment by alexdc
09.2.12 - 6:16 pm
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R.I.P Jerico
This news today brought tears to my eyes. God Bless Jerico's family and his friends.
Hey guys please encourage, if not enforce Helmets to newbie Ridazz...We can not let Jerico's passing be in vein, we have to look out for each other specially the older more experienced ridaz. Talk to the youth, encourage safety!
As far as the LAPD...There just doing there job..I'm not defending them nor agree with there policies but, as a Rida I know how Newbie's can act and how dangerous it can be to swarm without regard.
please no pointing fingers, this was an Accident...
skano09.2.12 - 8:28 pm
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conventional wisdom be dammed.
Much conventional wisdom (as distinct from uncontroversial data) deserves to be "dammed," along with the conventional minds that espouse it. Damned, too.
PC responding to a
comment by sleepy
09.3.12 - 3:47 pm
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i think to say this young boy died as a result of a lack of a helmet is highly insensitive and ignorant.
the boy's death is not your excuse to go on a soapbox.
nobody is arguing helmets don't make you safer.
thanks.
brittany09.4.12 - 10:59 am
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Unfortunate.
RIP Jerico.
Helmets work.
nthkl09.4.12 - 11:21 am
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im copying stuff from facecrack group incase they get deleted-
Comments are also being censored and/or deleted on BinkingInLA, with the notable exception of pro-police comments, which are evidently allowed to be as disrespectful as their authors please. I may have to start copying stuff and pasting it here as well.
PC responding to a
comment by newarkhouse
09.4.12 - 9:59 pm
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My condolences to his family and friends.
rev10609.4.12 - 10:09 pm
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A cop car cutting into a lane to slow down a bunch of riders going downhill is ridiculous if that is what happened. That's like Dr. Thompson on Mandeville Canyon trying to "teach a lesson." Sure, accidents do happen and I wasn't there, but sounds like it's on the cops that this went down like this.
R.I.P. Jerico
Joe Borfo09.5.12 - 1:09 pm
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I base this claim on Tyrito's post. Suddenly braking downhill in front of cyclists to slow them down is not a clever move. Let's ditch the escorts.
Joe Borfo responding to a
comment by Tyrito
09.5.12 - 1:22 pm
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HI I am a biker and work as a secretary at a law firm that's brought claims against police agencies. I think they would offer free advice to any member of the biking community if called. I wanted to do this Critical Mass ride but got off work too late to make the meetup.
garyinla09.6.12 - 11:49 am
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What. The. Fuck.
PC responding to a
comment by theroyalacademy
09.7.12 - 4:43 am
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A person lost their life on a bicycle ride.
Do you realize this is the first time to happen in the history of LACM and Midnight Ridazz?
I believe that If the police car escorts were not interfering this may all have been prevented.
I seriously am opposed to the unnecessary police presence on LACM.
I strongly urge you all to boycott attending this oppressive ride made dangerous by the police. Find an alternative event to attend. Do not allow this parade of authoritarian display to continue.
Ride safely, use common sense, and keep bike rides free from dictatorial control.
For the sake of the memory of young Jerico, please do this for him.
Joe Borfo09.7.12 - 4:01 pm
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i agree.
i agree..... sigh....
"Do not allow this parade of authoritarian display to continue."
it was never supposed to be that way. i was there in the meetings when this was discussed. but times have changed. the LAPD's authoritarian display (like many PDs all over the US) needs to stop. just because they have a badge, carry a gun and think they have the right to control, is NOT "to protect & serve" the community. they are only "protecting & serving" themselves.
after all the rides that have happened, after all these years..... the first midnight ridazz death comes from LAPD presence. that says a lot.
rest in peace, Jerico <3
bondink responding to a
comment by Joe Borfo
09.7.12 - 4:09 pm
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"it was never supposed to be that way. i was there in the meetings when this was discussed. "
who where the narks at this meeting? from what I was told it was joe brofo, that active dude, and the moderator of this site. I never liked the pigs being on LACM and I REALLY didn't like the narks messing with it ethere. those narks had NO business messing with LACM!!!!!!
Thanks narks!!!!!!!!
fixie4life09.7.12 - 4:30 pm
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NARK: an informer or spy, esp one working for the police
the original reason why the LAPD rode with LACM was to unite the two in solidarity on the actions of LAPD harrasement towards cyclists. that was over two years ago. we were NOT narks at this meeting nor after nor have any of us ever been, i stand by that (including AT). what LACM has become is not what was orignally intended.
you disrespect trolls everywhere with your missuse of the words "nark". though you are allowed to have an opinion, i don't respect it.
bondink responding to a
comment by fixie4life
09.7.12 - 5:28 pm
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I was at the LAPD meeting before they took over LACM. Call me a nark if you must. for some reason it doesnt bother me like it should. life is too short to care I guess.
in fact it's well known I and other advocates were already meeting with the police on the LAPD bike task force for a year before LACM got taken over so that makes me even more of a nark I guess. I can only give my word it was for reasons other than group rides. I want the cops to start busting criminal drivers who leave people for dead in the streets like I and many friends have been...
I'm going to continue to communicate with the police because I believe it helps our cause to have them protect cyclists.
That doesent always mean that I agree with what they do. I refused to work with the police on giving them a route for LACM and thus became irrelevant in regards to LACM because others stepped in and gave them a route. Had enough people decided that they didnt want LAPD sheparding the ride then maybe things would have been different but no one really took them to task about it so there you have it... LAPD has the route. truthfully I never cared much one way or the other about it because I was never much of a CM supporter so I just continued on leading the rides that ARE important to me.
The evidence isnt in yet about how events unfolded in Jerico's death but I think it's a little misguided to put all the blame on LAPD. Last time I went, a couple months ago LACM was surprisingly enjoyable and quiet. I appreciated the changes since the first time the LAPD led the ride... They seemed to have calmed themselves and the riders also seemed to get along with everything better. MAYBE a case could be made that LAPD gave this ride an official kind of feeling of security and because of that Jerico and others were riding a little less observantly... BUT my gut instinct tells me that it was more than that. Part of the experience of life is being young and fearless and seeing friends go down and learning. This tragedy might save more kids who now know that they are not invincible. but then again, youngsters dont care they want to test the limits.
I'm hoping that next LACM there will be more vocal communication happening between riders. It was bound to happen that someone would take a harsh fall on some ride and die... This wasnt the first time people took hard falls. It's happened before. We were lucky till now that no one died...
This city of los angeles, has hosted more group rides than any other city in the world in our short bicycle scene existence. Thousands and thousands of group rides. The odds were in our favor that someone would eventually die. I really really really dont want that to happen on my rides so I've gotten even more vocal about it.
I'm afraid that the city will over react to this and try to ban group rides even more.... I hope that's not the case.
Roadblock responding to a
comment by fixie4life
09.7.12 - 6:30 pm
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Being that I’ve had to deal with this sort of thing first hand before, I can say that all the finger pointing and saber rattling is not beneficial to the tragic events that have unfolded. I understand that everyone is angry and upset and you feel helpless, it can’t be helped. You wish you could have done something, anything that would have changed the outcome, but you can’t, as you did not know what was going to happen as it was just another ride out of many, many, good rides and good times had by all of us. Lashing out at the cops or some of the more prominent figures in the LA bike scene is not going to alter what has transpired, it will however exacerbate the feelings of pain, sadness, and anger that will develop in such a situation and stall the healing process from coming around in it’s due time. I hope that we can all get though this as a group and pool our strengths to prop each other up when dealing with a tragic event such as this. I did not know this person but I feel a deep sadness for anyone that is struck down before their time, offering what little help one can in such times is all I can do, hope you all feel the same.
Please return the missing bike so his friends and family can begin to heal, it’s the only decent human thing you can do whoever you are.
rev106 responding to a
comment by Roadblock
09.7.12 - 7:17 pm
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In 2010, a sociopathic LAPD officer kicked a passing cyclist during a LACM ride in Hollywood, and a couple of other sociopathic LAPD officers then jumped the person who caught him on camera doing it. Right after that, the LAPD suddenly decided that LACM, a ride whose existence and nature they'd been well aware of for years, was in need of a very high-profile escort to "manage" it.
Total coincidence, I'm sure.
PC09.7.12 - 10:08 pm
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Once there was a scorpion standing by a river. The scorpion was looking for a way to cross, when he spotted a frog.
“Mr. Frog,” he said, “Can you take me across the river?”
“I will not take you across the river;” answered the frog, “for then you will surely sting me.”
“Why should I sting you?” replied the scorpion, “for then I shall surely die.”
The frog listened to the reasoning of the scorpion. Being kind in nature he allowed the scorpion to climb on his back and off they went.
Half way across the river the frog felt a sharp piercing pain in his back.
“Mr. Scorpion!” exclaimed the frog, “Why have you stung me? For now we shall both surely die.”
The scorpion answered, “Mr. Frog, I'm a Scorpion.”
sophia09.8.12 - 9:37 am
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The turtle will always react that way. As will the scorpion. What happened, happened and would happen again just as it did before and as it would again. If we all went back into time, we would not make different decisions, they woul be the same as they have been made before and will be made again.
The best thing roadblock said was something like there's too little time and Jerico is a beautiful example. Live your life. As you have before, as you will again. And try really, really hard to enjoy it. And if you can't - by all means: STOP! Do something else. It's too short for this shit. And most of you are fucking lucky to have lived to the age you are. Impressive.
onemorefixie responding to a
comment by sophia
09.8.12 - 10:59 am
reply
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Ridazz Roulette!
