On 12/11 at 6:48 am a distracted driver drove onto the median at Balbo & LSD and crashed into the light pole and Gerardo's memorial ghost bike. Even though this intersection has proven deadly, it's been almost a month and the light pole has not been replaced.
The driver told police he crashed to avoid another vehicle.
While the driver told police he crashed to avoid other vehicles, the ***multiple camera views*** show no other vehicles were near him as he drove up onto the median and crashed.
The police report indicates the driver was distracted. This driver could have killed multiple people in a variety of locations at this intersection. No tickets were issued.
Even though the police arrived to a vehicle crashed into a fence on the opposite side of the road and corner from the light pole, the police report only indicates one point of contact. By doing so, the police report causes the crash to appear less dangerous.
Even though a bike is a vehicle for many, Gerardo's ghost bike isn't mentioned anywhere on the police report. It's as if it didn't exist.
While Gerardo's loved ones were bracing to spend the first Christmas without him, this crash felt like he'd been hit all over again.
Gerardo's ghost bike sustained heavy damage after being hit. The plaque was destroyed.
The eeriest part of this crash was that it launched the front wheel of Gerardo's ghost bike into the very same "pork chop" median that was installed to prevent the deadly maneuver that killed him. In the first video, you can see the wheel hit the flex post when it lands.
This crash location is the divider line between two wards. Neither ward office has been provided information on when the light pole will be replaced. Again, a ***DEADLY*** intersection has been without a light pole for almost a month.
Without a light pole, it's also hard to see. The light pole also had a "beg button" attached to it. As many of you know the crosswalk signal here is ***incredibly*** short. People get stuck out there often. Without the beg button, you're trapped in the median.
The 1 year anniversary of Gerardo's death is coming up. His family wants his ghost bike re-installed. Without a light pole, there's nothing to attach the bike to.
The danger crashes pose to city workers gets overlooked. City workers had to put themselves in harms-way for hours to clean up. Pedestrians, bicyclists, and other drivers could have been killed if they had changed their timing; city workers have to respond no matter what.
The driver of this crash glorifies waving guns, drinking & smoking weed while driving on their social media, BUT he's not unique. The US is addicted to distracted driving and it's become normalized - texting, facetime, TikToks, delivery apps, in-car entertainment, & more.