Bike-car accident at Russell and Elm Streets, yesterday at 2 pm?

[ron_newman]

Does anyone know more about this accident between a Ford sedan and a bicyclist yesterday afternoon?

I'm interested in learning what happened, both because I'm on the Somerville Bicycle Committee and because it happened at the end of my street Edit: because the Somerville Journal article incorrectly said it happened on Day Street.

Comments

Re: Elm and Russell

[ron_newman]

liryon commented:

The only thing I know is that it didn't happen at Day and Elm by the picture (and the comment on the story).
Google StreetView link

(I deleted liryon's original comment because it contained a URL that was wider than the screen, making the page hard to read)

Re: Elm and Russell

[ron_newman]

Stupid me, assuming that the location information in a local newspaper article is accurate :-( How can Erin Smith not know the difference between Day Street and Russell Street?

Anyway, I'd still like to know what happened, if anyone saw it.

Re: Elm and Russell

[m00n.livejournal.com]

Seconded. I'm having a hard time understanding how this would have happened since most vehicles going through that intersection aren't even allowed to turn. It looks like either someone ran the light or a driver tried to make an illegal left turn from Elm onto Cutler.

Re: Elm and Russell

[ron_newman]

I'm having trouble orienting myself in that photo. Could this have been an accident between someone turning right from Elm onto Cutter, and someone going straight from Russell onto Cutter?

Re: Elm and Russell

[trtls.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's definitely Elm and Russell. The picture is if you are standing on the corner with your back to Dominoes and looking diagonally across the street towards the bank parking lot. It's hard to say what might have happened, because the car could've swerved and moved further along or off to the side of the street after impact.

Re: Elm and Russell

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

I've never been able to figure out the traffic light at that intersection. It seems like it's red for both streets some of the time for no reason. Is there something else going on during that phase that I'm not noticing?

Re: Elm and Russell

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

Green light for elm street going away from the square. It's a three way light, essentially.

[makoshark.livejournal.com]

Yikes! That looks horrible. I hope everyone is OK.

I broke my collarbone in a crash with a car this last summer on Elm street. It can be pretty dangerous there.

[ron_newman]

I'm very sorry to hear this. How are you now? How and where did your accident happen?

[makoshark.livejournal.com]

It was at the Porter Shaws on Elm. A car passed and then quickly turned into the parking lot on the far entrance without remembering that I was there or looking to his right. My front wheel got tacoed and I went over the hood.

There were quite a bunch of other people around who saw what happened and stuck around. The driver ended up paying for a new wheel and my hospital co-pay. I was lucky: my fracture was pretty small so within 4-6 weeks I was basically back in business. I've been riding all winter.

It's not the first close call I've had or seen there. Since there's a bus stop in front of the Shaw's, there's a tendency for cyclists to ride in the bus lane to let cars pass. However, the bus lane ends right before the right turn into the parking lot, and the resulting squeeze combined with the potential for cars turning either in or out can be messy.

[pensivewombat.livejournal.com]

Oh dear god! That's horrible - i hope you're ok now...

Interestingly, i bike on that road every day, twice a day, and i always thought of it as "safe" (straight shot, wide enough lanes, etc)... UNTIL two days ago. i came within *inches* of getting sandwiched between a parked NSTAR truck and a minivan, when the minivan shot out of Davenport Street without looking first.

Scared the bejeezus out of me. And now i'm extra vigilant on that stretch of road...

OMG!!!!

[solarpanda.livejournal.com]

I was so scared that that might have been my girlfriend, who also got hit yesterday by a car at the Russell/Elm intersection, except her incident was closer to 6 and wasn't nearly that severe.

Hm, two bike accidents at the same intersection on the same day. I don't usually ride around that intersection but should there be something more preventative installed there? Or just freaky chance?

Re: OMG!!!!

[makoshark.livejournal.com]

That sounds pretty nuts. Is it possible that they got the time wrong as well?

Re: OMG!!!!

[ron_newman]

At 6 pm the sky would have been much darker than what is shown in the Journal's photograph. Also, the Journal story was posted at 3 pm Thursday.

Re: OMG!!!!

[solarpanda.livejournal.com]

Yeah definitely not her. I don't think her superhuman strength extends to tearing off side view mirrors. At least I hope not.