A pregnant cyclist was hit Tuesday near the McDonald’s in Central Square, Cambridge, in an incident tied by police to driver negligence.
The collision took place at 1:52 p.m. Tuesday near 425 Massachusetts Ave., The Port, as the driver of a car made an illegal U-turn and hit the 38-year-old bicyclist, according to police reports. The woman is seven months pregnant.
As first responders tended to her on the scene before taking her to Mount Auburn Hospital by ambulance with non-life-threatening injuries, police noted that the car involved was stuck in the middle of the avenue. “It’s got a bike under it and can’t move,” firefighters said, according to scanner reports. Airbags were used to lift the car and free the bike at 2:21 p.m.
The driver was issued a citation for the illegal U-turn, police said.
It was less than a year ago – Oct. 21 – that police responded to a morning crash involving a driver and a pregnant bicyclist at Garden and Linnaean streets, Neighborhood 9. In the 2022 case, the bicyclist was eight months pregnant, but did not need hospitalization and was treated on-scene for injuries to her hands and knees. The driver was cited in that case too.
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My upstairs neighbor was also hit while pregnant on Cambridge Street a few years ago, a few blocks from home. One thing I know is that people who are pregnant are careful, especially so at 7 and 8 months. They are far from reckless, and they are not the problem. There is a solution to this, and it’s safer infrastructure.
While riding the 83 Bus Wednesday evening, the bus driver complained of a woman on a bicycle with kids on the back who cut in front of and across two vehicles in adjacent travel lanes in front of him at a green light – taking a left – barely avoiding getting hit only because a driver slammed on their breaks. There are dozens of incidents like this every day that never get reported, either to the police, or at Cambridge Day. I watched numerous bicyclists later on run red lights at Upland and Mass Ave repeatedly after it had gotten dark. If Cambridge Day are going to feature a report of an incident of this kind – in this manner – where an MV driver was evidently at fault, Bono would like to know how you plan to cover all the daily incidents where bicyclists are riding dangerously and at fault? Does someone have to actually get hit, hurt, and then call the police for Cambridge Day to report on these aggravating, daily, infractions? Do the police even keep records of such incidents??Beyond competing anecdotes and “narratives,” Bono would like to see some real comparative data on traffic violations. Will bicyclists, who claim to be concerned about “safety,” support gathering this sort of useful data?? Bono doubts it very much. Try to be fair and truly accurate in your reporting on this important and controversial issue, and don’t just cherry pick one egregious example like this one that conveniently fits the “bicyclists-exclusively-as-victims” narrative. Thanks.
Bad choices being made!
I’m glad the woman is ok, and I hope she heals. Non-life threatening injuries does not mean that this poor woman won’t spend months in physical therapy to recover. Many years ago a family member was rear ended while in a car and has had permanent neck and back pain ever since, and this was relatively low speed.
@poor bono publico
A pregnant woman was hit by a driver doing something illegal and you take the opportunity to talk about behavior of bicyclists you don’t like that didn’t hurt anyone? Talk about cherry picking. We get it you have an axe to grind with anyone on a bicycle but this is just completely shameless victim blaming on your part.
Again I am so glad you will be nowhere near a position of power in this city.
Grossly negligent behavior–illegal U turn in a very busy spot–plows into pregnant woman…”citation for U turn”? How about an arrest for assault?
A pregnant woman is hit by a car while on her bike and Jame Williamson rushes to Canbridge Day to offer a whataboutism. You really can’t make this up. A new low.
Wow Poor Bono! It is really surprising you struggled to get 60 humans to sign for your candidacy
I’m glad to hear she is safe. I wish the city did a little more around enforcement keeping cars out of the bike lanes they built.
I commute often between central and porter on my bike, and there are evenings I see more than a dozen ubers, delivery vehicles, commuters (and cops) blocking the lanes, which makes them dangerous and pushing bikers to swerve into traffic. When people see cars (especially cops) in the bike lanes, they think its fine to do things like wide swinging u turns like this.
Q99, for once we agree on something. I also find this infuriating. I suggest taking pictures and submitting to 311. They probably won’t do anything directly but at least they know where problem areas are that need improvement.
I will say though infrastructure > enforcement. Cops can’t be everywhere and as you say they do it themselves and don’t seem to care about others doing it. Making it so the cars can’t get into the bike lane in the first place with physical barriers is the best solution.
Interesting piece on the lack of effective enforcement. I’d also add I’m disgusted by the number of people on their phones and driving, or smoking weed and driving.
We need to find ways to enforce traffic violations that don’t exacerbate systemic biases, but thats not by deciding to cut down stop enforcement altogether.
https://www.vox.com/23880418/traffic-safety-enforcement-tickets-rock-creek-crash
Don’t worry the “experts” are meeting again and will make it right.
https://www.cambridgema.gov/citycalendar/view.aspx?guid=f403b77decd04beabaedcf02be168feb
Maybe we will find out they’ve made mass Ave one way because garden st was such a success. Lmao.
One way in to h sq and side streets to get out for autos anyways.
Im afraid to even joke about this as one of the “experts” with an online ged from Finland as slaw says might read and do it.
Wish your brain was an apartment because I’m clearly living there rent free.
Who was the driver that s/he was only issued a citation for an illegal u-turn and who issued it. Is that considered proper enforcement of the law when a person is hit by a car? Maybe they are pals?
I agree with Poor Bono. No one is policing who or what is in the bike lane. We have seen motorcycles, wheelchairs(manual and motorized), scooters, one wheel transports, and one gentleman walking the wrong way in the bike lane. No pogo sticks so far, but I’m sure they will soon be allowed.
The Cambridge police are MIA since defunding was mentioned a few years ago, and they even park in the bus lanes regularly.
I also question the wisdom of biking in a busy city square at 7 months pregnant. Sound like child-endangerment.
Finally, there shouldn’t be any unlicensed, uninsured vehicles on the streets with insured motorists. The is a liability nightmare for drivers.
“Finally, there shouldn’t be any unlicensed, uninsured vehicles on the streets with insured motorists. The is a liability nightmare for drivers.”
This is so incredibly wrong. We need presumed liability laws like they have in Europe.
I think you mean it’s a liability nightmare for bikers without insurance ?
Car insurance will cover damage to cars and cyclists.
But if cyclists is in the wrong with no insurance, everyone is screwed.
Hopefully fellow cyclists have health and property insurance that would cover all affected, including themselves.
“I also question the wisdom of biking in a busy city square at 7 months pregnant. Sound like child-endangerment.”
More victim blaming. Biking is no more dangerous than walking. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2006/jan/11/fitness
No the pregnant woman is not at fault in the potential damage to the fetus after being hit by a driver breaking the law because she dared to leave the house.