Motorcyclists and Drivers Need to Share the Road

Recently, a tragic story was released that described an accident between an SUV and a motorcyclist in New York City.  As a result of the accident, reports say that the biker is likely permanently paralyzed.  The accident occurred last Sunday when the driver of the SUV was apparently scared by a group of bikers swarming his vehicle.  He plowed through the group of bikers to get away, and ended up striking one of the riders and breaking that man’s legs and spine.  The other bikers proceeded to track down the SUV, pulling the man from the driver’s seat and beating him in front of his wife and young child.

Wife of Injured Motorcyclist Says Her Husband is the Real Victim

The wife of the injured motorcyclist, Dayana Mieses, says that although the media and police have portrayed motorcyclists as violent criminals, her husband is the true victim in the accident.  She says that her husband was struck when he parked his bike on the side of the road to help one of his friends who was injured by the SUV.  Mieses’s husband was part of an unauthorized motorcycle rally and video footage depicts the 20-30 bikers clustering around the SUV, with one peering closely into the window.  It isn’t clear from the video what the driver might have done to anger the motorcyclist, but the motorcyclist quickly cuts in front of the SUV and the two vehicles bump, although this isn’t shown in the footage.  The SUV then accelerates, running over at least one motorcyclist and is eventually stopped after the motorcyclists pursued the driver for about 2.5 miles.  The SUV was forced to stop after approaching a red light, where the motorcyclist proceeded to pull the man out of the car and beat him in front of his wife and 2-year-old child.

Police Arrest One Motorcyclist, Another Surrenders

The driver of the SUV, a 33-year-old man, was taken to the hospital and received stitched for his face.  Police arrested the biker who was involved in the initial accident and was charged with reckless endangerment, reckless driving, endangering the welfare of a child and menacing.  That individual was not injured in the course of the accident.  A second rider surrendered on Tuesday and is charged with reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and menacing.  Police are still looking for a third motorcyclist involved in the accident.  This accident demonstrates the importance of sharing the road, and that applies equally to motorcyclists and drivers.