The Agenda

Cop Hits Girl! What a Jerk!

“Riding a bicycle is seen as an act of protest in the United States, whereas anywhere else in the world—it is seen as a viable form of transportation.” – Overheard

Official Police Report

Vehicle #1 was stopped westbound at the traffic light on Washington Street at the intersection of Empire Street in the City of Providence.
Bicyclist #1 was traveling eastbound on the sidewalk of Washington Street approaching the intersection of Empire Street.

As the traffic light turned green, Vehicle #1 made a left turn onto Empire Street.

Bicyclist #1 then traveled onto the crosswalk, through the red no crossing signal on Empire Street.

Bicyclist #1 then struck Vehicle #1 in a head on manner.

The impact caused Bicyclist #1 to flip over the handle bars and onto the hood / windshield of Vehicle #1.

Bicyclist then rolled off Vehicle #1 onto the roadway.

The operator of Vehicle #1 immediately stopped to assist the bicyclist.

The bicyclist was transported to RI Hospital for minor injuries.

Eyewitness Account
I was witness to an accident on Thurs. Sept 21 at around 9pm. I was in a car behind a car that was turning left on Empire from Washington St. The car that I was in was heading up Washington St. I looked up and saw the car (bl. Sm) turn left w/o directionals and I saw the mayor’s car parked at the corner. A bicyclist was heading toward me on the opposite side of Washington St. I saw her turn to avoid the black car and she wound up getting hit. I saw her bounce off the windshield and land near the valet parking at the [Bravo] Brasserie Restaurant.

There were a lot of people around so I thought she would be taken care of.

My conscience wouldn’t let me rest ’til I went back to check on her.
I walked back to the scene and found the girl sitting on the curb all shook up.

I saw her clearly coming down Washington St. It was well lit and she was visible as she went by the mayor’s vehicle and I saw her get hit.

The mayor’s driver was out of his car and I asked him if he saw. He said he was reading the paper and heard it. He asked for the biker’s license and went back to his car. He was wearing a brown suit.

I gave the girl a bottle of water and saw her off in the ambulance.The trooper gave me a clipboard and started to “tell me what I saw.”

I gave a Prov. Cop my info and asked if he needed me for anything else. He said no, so I went home.

About 9:30 pm, I got a call from R.I. State Trooper Waters. He wanted me to come back and write a witness statement. I agreed and went back.

The trooper gave me a clipboard and started to “tell me what I saw.”

I said, “Were you there?” He said no. I just want you to write what happened. I told him that I didn’t need his help. I was frustrated with the atmosphere. It turned out that the man who hit the girl was an off-duty trooper. Small state.

Personal Statement

Caitlin Beck, costume designer and photographer, was hit by an unmarked police car while riding her bike down Washington Street on September 21st at approximately 8:30pm.

I don’t know how fast I was going on my bike, but I could not have been going over the speed limit.

There were two separate lights and both were green. I was the only vehicle coming down hill into Downtown on Washington Street. I was heading into the intersection of Empire and Washington. There was a line of cars facing west and the first car suddenly turned left, without a turn signal and headed into me. Funnily enough, the Mayors car was parked illegally, sticking out into the street, so I couldn’t swerve away from the dark car coming towards me. The front of his car hit my legs and then I went up on his windshield. I was hit hard and I don’t remember all of what happened right after I was hit, but I do remember being irate when it was all over. The frightening thing is that I didn’t think to take information, or ask a witness to speak for me. I was in shock, and anyone who is hit would be. A woman who was driving a car directly behind the state trooper that hit me pulled over and came up to me. I think she brought me a glass of water, but I remember her saying she would be a witness because she saw the whole thing. Five state troopers showed up about five minutes later and they started interviewing the witness.

Bike Goddess is Actualized: Costume headdress of bike parts inspired by events. Illustration by C. Beck.

In the police report she states… I felt that the situation got manipulated immediately. In the police report they have it written up that I ran a no crossing signal and was riding on the sidewalk [pause] which is not true. They said I was wearing black and had no light on my bike—which is also untrue.

When I got into the ambulance I was taken care of and put in a brace. I didn’t want to go to the hospital because I kept thinking that I couldn’t afford it because I didn’t have health insurance. But people around me were telling me that I should go and I did because my body hurt so much. I initially thought that I would be covered by the insurance of the person who hit me. But because the police report was manipulated, I realized I would have to pay for the hospital bills.

Four officers came into the hospital room when I was in a neck brace and lying down on a bed with a morphine drip in my arm. They asked if I was all right, if I could talk to them at that point. Nevertheless, I was alone and looking at five cops—so I spoke to them. When the cops left, the nurses said to me that they had never seen four cops come into a hospital room with a computer to take a statement and photographs. The nurses suggested that the driver who hit me must have been another cop. That was the point when I realized that I was not prepared to protect myself.

The next day I didn’t know where the evidence was: my bike. They told me to pick up my bike the next day, and then they told me they didn’t have it, and then they said they had not photographed it yet. I didn’t have my police report, or a number to call, I didn’t even know if I had a witness. There were so many people around the accident, but afterwards, they disappeared into thin air. The only statement the state troopers had was from the witness who insisted on giving a statement. I finally got the police report and the witness’s report. But I have never seen my own police report. Every day after the accident, it was a twenty-four hour job. I had to make sure I had all the hospital documents, a witness, I was posting information on Craigslist, trying to track down my bike, dealing with doctors’ offices, hospital bills. It was overwhelming, as anyone who has been in any accident could understand. I certainly do not want to play the world’s tiniest violin. I feel very lucky that the accident wasn’t worse.

Since I lost my job because of the accident, I am taking the time now to do what I came to Providence for. I am writing a grant to be able to go to Trinidad and study costume design. I’ll come back to Providence in to teach workshops. The accident opened up a number of doors for me, but it took months for me to see it that way. And I have thousands of dollars in hospital bills and still no bike.

WATCH OUT. The corner of Empire and Washington Streets get many visits from Police, Fire, and Rescue. Photos by Frank Mullin

When did you move to Providence?
I moved from Atlanta about a year and a half ago. Everything in Atlanta is really spread out, there are all these separated urban pockets, the public transportation isn’t that good, and you really have to use a car on the highway to get anywhere. When I moved to Providence, everything from work to play was in such a small area and I was so happy to be able to get from one place to another without having to use my car. Providence is a very small city and it is so easy to get around. But I do feel much safer, especially after the accident, riding around in Boston—or even New York—than I do here.

Why do you feel safer in Boston riding a bike than in Providence?
It might be a completely mental thing because of the accident. But even Boston has signs up that say you have to “share the road” with bicyclists.

Obviously Boston is much bigger.
Yeah, there are eighty-one schools there, tons of bike lanes, and a high population, so a lot of students and commuters ride. Boston does have a lot
of bike lanes, so that bikers can use the roads more because it’s actually a viable option. There are more rules, out in the open.Bikes are everywhere and drivers and riders alike seem pretty smart about it. People wear helmets and drivers share the road. There are signs that indicate where drivers need to share the road and where bikers cannot use the sidewalks. And Boston does have a lot of bike lanes, so that bikers can use the roads more because it’s actually a viable option. There are more rules, out in the open, in Boston.

How does that compare to Providence?
There is nothing like that in Providence. Riders really do have to use the sidewalks a lot of times because the roads are so narrow that they might get hit. Plus, there really aren’t that many pedestrians using the sidewalks, anyway. There is one bike path on Kinsley and another on Allens. Those are out of the way areas and even though they are great, they don’t connect to other bike lanes—because there are no other ones to connect to.

If more people talk about biking, maybe people, drivers, other bikers, the City—hell, even the Department of Transportation or Public works, would be reminded that there is a transportation need.
That’s the thing, road signs really function as reminders for people. And there aren’t any that I have seen in Providence. People in cars are not looking out for you because they haven’t been taught to; they aren’t reminded. If they are commonplace, then it just becomes a part of the landscape.
The first time I rode my bike around town after the accident I was hyper-aware of all the precautions I had to take: If I rode on the street, between parked cars and traffic, I could get “doored.” [Ed: Someone could open a car door in front of her bike without warning.] If I try to weave away from the parked cars, oncoming traffic could hit me.
There are people who are not abiding by road rules. If you expect to be treated with respect, as any vehicle on the road, then there are certain guidelines we all have to agree on so that the whole system can run smoothly.

Helmets can legitimize you for the drivers. If they see the helmet, then they will likely take you a little bit more seriously.
There was a time when people would send their kids out of the house and let them go and play. I would ride my bike as a kid all the time and I would just leave, hop on, and play all day outside. But then, there was an accident, or something happened, that tipped the scales and suddenly there came a point when there was no exceptions. I had to wear a helmet.
News stories do catch the public eye and raise awareness. Like having to put “This Beverage May Be Hot” on coffee cups. A woman sued that company and now it’s a required caution on all hot beverage cups. I always think about that case whenever I see the sign on all the cups.
I wonder about the people who are driving, who don’t know
to be respectful of cyclists on the road. Are they reading the Providence Journal? Because if they are, we should try to get something in there.Until now, I have not been able to process or think about the accident. But now, talking about it, I wonder about the people who are driving, who don’t know to be respectful of cyclists on the road, what genre do they fit into? Are they reading the Providence Journal? Because if they are, we should try to get something in there.
A lot of this is about timing, when people are ready to hear and learn. Like what we were talking about with the hot beverage lawsuit, you hear about something and then it becomes widespread. It’s just timing, when more and more people can say that they know someone who has had or that they have had the same experience.