11/16/16 Update from cyclist Jody LaPar:
Since my hit and run case 2 weeks ago, I have learned of a friend who was run off the road the very next day on the same road (Old Stage) while on his bike. The vehicle matches the same description as the one I provided (2010 – 2014 tan Ford Expedition). Additionally, I learned today that there are 2 FB pages in Nederland (Canyon Conditions and Nedheads) where people have been reporting of a tan SUV targeting cyclists for the last 9 months on Old Stage, Lee Hill, Jamestown Canyon….this is a real situation that needs to be stopped. Please, please, please report anything you see. Thank you
From the Boulder Daily Camera
:
The Colorado State Patrol is seeking information from the public regarding a hit-and-run on a cyclist on Saturday afternoon.
State Trooper Nate Reid said the crash happened near Olde Stage Road and Lefthand Canyon Drive at about 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The cyclist, Jody LaPar, of Boulder, said she was riding on Olde Stage Road when she was struck from behind and left in a ditch.
“The right-hand passenger mirror shattered into my back,” LaPar said. “We went back and picked up the pieces.”
Reid said that the state patrol is in possession of the pieces of the mirror and they appear to belong to a Ford SUV or pickup truck.
LaPar said the vehicle that hit her was tan, and she believes it was a 2010 to 2014 Ford Explorer or Expedition, based on online research she conducted on her own.
She said cyclist groups are helping her look for the vehicle, and she has driven around the area in an attempt to locate it.
“I think at this point, he hasn’t had a chance to fix his mirror,” she said.
LaPar said she suffered a concussion and it is hard to move, but she had a CAT scan and doesn’t have any bleeding in her brain.
Anyone with information is asked to call state patrol dispatch at 303-239-4501.
As a motorist in Lefthand, I respect cyclists immensely, and am saddened by the tragedy of Jody LaPar getting injured by a careless motorist. I never feel inconvenienced by cyclists – a minute or two of my time is NBD, and the amount of good that cyclists bring to my community is incredible. I don’t beep my horn or hurry them (often they’re going faster than me, which is cool).
Then I see your sponsor, Primal Wear, selling black and grey hoodies that are the same color as the road.
Especially on winter afternoons, when the contrast between light and dark with trees and sun changes rapidly (for a motorist) the cyclists without blinkie lights seem to have a death wish, and the manufacturers like Primal Wear lack a sense of social responsibility to you, the cycling community. High contrast, visible clothing and lights are really needed, especially after summer to prevent carnage from motorists.
I’ve no idea what the unfortunate LaPar was wearing, and the injury certainly is not her fault.
Please bear in mind that even in daylight, you can be hard to see. I wonder if your group could lobby for visibility standards that are mandatory for cars … even Amish horse drawn vehicles are required to have high contrast safety placards and lights.
Please cyclists, wear high contrast clothes all year round, use lights, and castigate manufacturers like the clueless Primal Wear folks who are oblivious to safety in your sport. My best wishes to Jody LaPar for a speedy recovery from this criminal assault.
Really excellent point, motorist. Thank you for your input!
You admit you have no knowledge of what LaPar was wearing, yet you chastise one particular cycling clothing manufacturer for making a dark colored hoodie? You realize, right, that folks aren’t wearing hoodies for cycling. They’re for casual wear.
Regardless, calling out one particular clothing manufacturer is silly.