A silver Subaru Impreza driver struck a bicyclist on Wallingford Ave near 40th Monday, according to Janice’s posting on the Wallyhood Forums:
My husband was riding his bike on 40th and Wallingford where he got hit on his bike and the person that hit him ran we need to find this person. My husband has a broken arm and stitches in his head I hope we can get help finding this person.
According to the report Neal DeWitt, the bicyclist, gave to KOMO and the police, the driver struck DeWitt on purpose:
“The car comes up kind behind and beside me, and the light changes, and he goes and I go, and it’s like he’s trying to get by me … and I’m like, ‘What’s the hurry?'”
Those words apparently angered the driver in the car, described as a Subaru Impreza. According to police, the driver hit DeWitt and then drove away.
“Next thing I know I’m laying on the ground going ‘Ahhh!’ and somebody’s moving my arm, my arm, my arm, my arm – it hurts,” DeWitt says.
The hit broke DeWitt’s arm and left bruises on his face.The police are seeking the driver for investigation of hit and run and felony vehicular assault.
(Thanks Jeff Dubrule for the tip)
Please be sure to get treated for your head injury. Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, MTBI, has lasting consequences. Even a whiplash is considered a concussion now.
You may notice some differences in cognitive functioning and balance. Sometimes a sudden, unexpected drop in energy level occurs. Sleep patters can shift.
A support group meets in Wallingford in the Good Shepherd Center on 3rd Tuesday of the month 4-5:30PM. Timed sharing, resource discussion, valuable support.
Speechless. Unbelievable…
I am so saddened to hear this, and can’t believe anyone would do this. I hope you heal Neal, and find the guy who did this.
I am in no way surprised to hear about this happening in our hood. For a “community” like ours, I am constantly impressed with how aggressively people drive through it. Living on 40th, I see/hear people driving by going over 50mph daily. Leaving the scene of a crime you committed is an extension of the callousness that has poisoned so many Seattle drivers.
But there IS a sharrow in the street on 40th, which is just enough to give a cyclist a false sense of security- to the selfish drivers here, a cyclist is nothing but a slow moving car driven by someone who is clearly not as important as them- that is in the way.