bad things in bidwell

[wildthingRV]

A RIver Valley XC athlete was struck by a car on Sunday while running.

His leg is broken, shattered. Be careful out there folks. Cars hurt.

[5kdude]

Hope he gets better. That is sad to here that a kid can't go run and worrie about getting hit my a car

[ChuckHayes44]

Who and where?

[GAHSNOW]

I'm assuming it was Stepney. I saw a write-up about the accident in the newspaper. Does anyone know how he is doing? Prayers from a Gallia household.

[wildthingRV]

Correct. He is pretty broken, actually. He won't running this year, and is doubtful for next season.

That said, he survived being hit by a car, so that's pretty amazing. He has two broken bones in his lower leg, and a lot of metal and screws. He's lucky to be alive.

He should recover, slowly.

[5kdude]

that is some crap. i hope the kid will get better so he can get back to running, but i dont understand when i person is running people have to be dumb when they pass them are something. i haven been almost hit by a car running but when it is daylight how cant you see someone running. i hope that person get into some trouble bc i hate to read about a runner getting hit by someone that is not watching what is infront of them.

[wildthingRV]

I will just say this. The driver wasn't cited and probably correctly so.

He's home. He should run again, but I cannot say what the rest of his high school career will look like, sadly. The kid was a die-hard. I wish I had more with his dedication, and now he can't do his thing. It's sad.

[PIGSKIN]

Speedy Recovery to this individual. I know of many instances when cars don't regard pedestrians. We live in a rural area and they need to understand that runners and cyclists utilize some of the same areas (legally). Again speedy recovery to this runner and I hope that you'll be recovered soon. Meanwhile, drivers need to be more aware of runners/cyclists and vice versa. Know of a runner that made it to regionals in XC this year that had a broken ankle last year so don't give up on running just yet.

[SErunner]

I don't always run against traffic. I tend to run on the side of the road with greatest amount of space to the side of the road.

[wildthingRV]

I think it is telling the driver wasn't cited. I'm not knocking anyone but are these runners taught to run with or against traffic. I think I would be paranoid as heck if I was running with the flow and not against, for the simple reason I can see what is coming at me.

But, we don't know what happened and with the driver not being cited, I think that pretty well says it all.

Broken bones are bad enough but at least he'll live to see another day. I hope for a speedy and full recovery!

Yes, he was taught. I taught him.

[ChuckHayes44]

It sounds reasonable enough to run opposite of traffic until you are faced with running up a hill that you can not see the other side of...trust me, when you face that situation the last thing you want to do is stay on that side of the road. Just ask my good buddy
(Jeremy Wolfe), the cops will tell you that you are supposed to stay on the side of the road that is going against traffic no matter what. Sounds pretty stupid to me to run up a huge hill not knowing what could pop over it going 60+ mph but that's the law...so what can you do?....not much.

[fuzzhead]

As a person who thoroughly enjoyed running XC during my high school days, this kid is in my prayers. I can only imagine how frustrating this must be, but it's just great that he's alive.
Hopefully, he'll get to run again in high school - it's a great experience.

[Burg Track and CC Fan]

Why wasn't the driver cited? They hit a pedestrian didn't they, unless the runner was darting out from somewhere, I would consult an attorney.

[ChuckHayes44]

When my teammate was hit by a guy who didn't even have a valid license if I remember right, the guy got off clean for it. Pretty stupid...The guy had to of seen us from at least 250-300 meters away and still managed to his Wolfe.

[Flatulence]

Many, many moons ago an athlete and I were running together, facing the traffic and a red pick up truck was coming at us. Both of us jumped onto the fence and he actually went into the ditch as he purposely took a swipe at us. We got the license plate number and jogged directly to the police station and filed a complaint. The man told the sheriff that we had NO business being on the road as pedestrians! He got cited.

During my training years (about 65 to 80 miles a week) I had McDonald's ketchup and mustard packets thrown at me, empty bottles and any thing else they could get their hands on. I had people move their truck or car over close to the berm to get their mirror as close as possible. While running on sidewalks during rains or snow people have purposely drove through puddles to soak me. This is a problem. Imagine running along minding your own business and having someone lean out of the window and throw a cup of coke and ice on you. Talk about a rude awakening.

Here is the problem as I see it - we used to have drivers education taught in schools, then it was taken out. We used to learn about defensive driving - it was a discussion in each and every class. As it sits today the drivers get a license without actually learning anything and parents are so busy trying to make a living they tend to forget about teaching defensive skills. I took my grandson to Wyoming this past summer to enroll at WyoTech. On the drive back to Ohio I had fallen asleep while he was driving. Upon awakening we were within 6 to 8 feet of a pick up truck in front of us. I looked at my grandson and asked, "What is wrong with my pick up truck?" He said, "Nothing, why?" I said, "Oh, I thought we were being towed by the truck in front of us." He got the message and we backed off. I asked if he had learned about assured clear distance in his driving school and his response told me he had not - he said, "what's that?" So I took advantage of a teachable moment.

I feel terrible for this young man and his parents and I can only hope he can return to the sport he enjoys.

[5kdude]

ok i think it is dumb that people do that crap. i have been running before and people try to hit me. i didnt think it was/ funny and i dont thiink it is. what do we have to do to make sure this does happen.i fell so bad for that kid bc he was just going what hhe loves to do and some dumb@!#$.HOPE HE CAN GET BEETER AND GET BACK ON THE ROAD

[Storm Chaser]

Prayers going out for a complete recovery.

One thing no one has mentioned... if you are running on public roads or streets, leave the iPod at home!

[wildthingRV]

Prayers going out for a complete recovery.

One thing no one has mentioned... if you are running on public roads or streets, leave the iPod at home!

Bingo.

I like the outpouring of support my guy is getting, but the thing we all need to remember is this; we can be dead right and still dead. That car weighs two tons, we weight 150 lbs. It doesn't matter who gets cited, etc, it only matters that we don't get hit. We need to watch out for ourselves, and I hope that this thread is a warning to some of us. Sure, that guy shouldn.t have hit Jamil, and I am not saying Jamil did anything wrong, but . . . pay attention is all I am saying. It could happen to you.

[Flatulence]

Wildthing, bingo to you, I have always said I would NOT look good as a hood ornament! This goes for everyone.

[Storm Chaser]

Like dad always told me... you might be right, but you don't want to be "dead right."

I call iPod wearing joggers, walking college students, etc. "Pod People."
Oh, also "iPod Zombies"