Cyclist hits pothole, stopped car
Published Feb. 23, 2007
A cyclist collided with a stopped car Tuesday afternoon on a street intersection just outside Middlebush Hall.
The accident occurred at the intersection of University Avenue and Ninth Street at about 1:40 p.m. Both MU police and Columbia police responded to the accident.
MU police Capt. Brian Weimer said a man hit a pothole while riding his bicycle across the intersection traveling north on Ninth Street. Hitting the pothole caused him to swerve into the vehicle. Weimer declined to release the name of the cyclist or the driver of the car.
MU freshman Elizabeth Hansen said she witnessed the accident.
"The car stopped, and when it started to let off the brake, the bike ran into the side," she said. "His head hit the concrete and was bleeding."
Weimer said the man had minor abrasion on his head but declined medical care after the accident. Weimer said the cyclist was not wearing a helmet.
Hansen said a woman who saw the accident got out of her car and called 911. She said the cyclist then began to walk away, but police caught up with him outside Campus Bar & Grill, 304 S. Ninth St., after they arrived.
The cyclist was allowed to leave the scene after the incident but was unable to comment.
Campus Facilities spokesman Phil Shocklee said the department has been patching potholes on university roads and driveways, but the one that caused the accident falls under the responsibility of the Columbia Public Works Department.
The pothole appeared to have been patched Thursday, but Public Works representatives could not say whether their crews had repaired it.
The vehicle hit by the cyclist had stopped at a stop sign while traveling south on Ninth Street. The cyclist hit the vehicle near its rear fender, Weimer said.
The only damage to the car was a small scratch at the point of impact, he said. The bicycle was not damaged.
No summons was issued to the driver or the cyclist as a result of the accident, Weimer said.
— News editor Michael Sewall contributed to this report