Not Bene for Benes

Ed Benes of Mammoth Lakes was going for one of his weekly road bike rides on Saturday afternoon, riding the hills of Crowley Lakes Drive. He said he was past Long Valley and headed toward the Fire Station when, “In a flash I saw a red car, it went over the fog line and clipped me.” He said he had two seconds to think if it was going to hurt to go down, and two seconds later he said he found out it hurts a lot.

He said his body and bike were flipped over and he was sprawled out on the street. He laid there for a moment, not knowing if he was going to get up; if he could get up. The car didn’t even slow down, but, it did stop about a half-mile up the street, maybe to see if he was going to get up, then the car kept going, he said. His bike was surprisingly okay, but he was left with some scrapes and bruises and a tacoed iPod.

Benes said he was lucky that two other cars that passed him while he was in the middle of the street didn’t run over his legs. Two cars that didn’t stop. A local finally stopped and Benes asked him to follow the red car that was still in view, barely. Benes said the local never came back.

He said he doesn’t really remember the ride home.

He was pretty banged up and said he expects the little red mid-sized car should have some fresh scratches, too. Crowley Lake Drive is a local’s road, so finding the vehicle or driver and finding out why they didn’t stop shouldn’t be that difficult, Benes added.

The road is not as used as Highway 395, and Benes explained said he thought it would be “a safer route.” But he said maybe people drive the side roads faster and more recklessly than others.

Benes said he was blessed not to have been hurt more seriously. From talking with fellow bikers, he said his incident is not uncommon. He said some bicyclists think motorists intentionally swerve toward “tights on a bike,” for whatever reason. California has a new law requiring motorists to give bicyclists at least three-feet clearance, Vehicle Code 21760.

Sheriff Ingrid Braun, a nationally ranked mountain bike competitor, said she disagrees that this kind of incident is common, adding she’s not aware of “any intentional incidents” of motorists trying to run down a bicyclist, but there are many close calls.

Regarding the Three Feet for Safety Act, Braun said the law is difficult to enforce, because, like any traffic law, it is enforced based on the observations of law enforcement, “So, yes, it’s hard to enforce because a law enforcement officer is rarely in a position to see a violation of the Three Feet for Safety Act.”

Benes said he wasn’t going to do anything about it at first, but after a day, his injuries warranted a visit to the ER and filing of the incident to the Mono County Sheriff’s Department. Benes said he was spurred on by fellow bicyclists and his wife to go public and maybe bring some attention to the problem, and offer a warning to bicyclists and motorists.

Braun said that reporting of bicycle accidents is similar to reporting of car accidents. “If there is only property damage, law enforcement would not be notified; it would be an exchange of information only. But if there is an injury, it would and should be reported like any other traffic collision. CHP handles traffic collision reports in the County, and MLPD handles them in Town.”

Bennes said he thought it was just common courtesy to give bicyclists room, to share the road. Braun said, “Motorists get too close all the time. I think it’s just ignorance of the law and a failure to realize how close they truly are. Motorhomes and trailers tend to be more dangerous, as they don’t realize how far out their mirrors protrude.”

When asked if he was going to go riding again, there was a long pause, then Benes finally answered, “If my wife’ll let me.”