Cyclist in Murfreesboro, TN victim of a hit and run Caught on a surveillance camera. Police need help identifying vehicle/driver.
Please help find this shit bag.
Posted Jun 19, 2012, 4:07 PM UTC
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Video: News Channel 5
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Police have released graphic video of a hit-and-run incident from Saturday morning that left a 22-year-old cyclist fighting for his life. They hope it helps lead to an arrest.
"This is extremely crucial," said Major Clyde Adkison with the Murfreesboro Police Department.
Detectives hope someone recognizes the gold SUV and provides helpful information.
The hit-and-run happened at the intersection of south Rutherford and Mercury Boulevard. The video from red light cameras shows the SUV plowing into the back of the bicycle. The driver then leaves the cyclist, Donald Faulkner ,in the road bleeding.
"I don't see how they could not know. I don't know how you can hit a cyclist on a bicycle and not know they'd been hit," said Adkison.
The video shows the driver of the SUV never slows and drives away as though nothing happened. Faulkner was taken by emergency medical helicopter to Vanderbilt Medical Center where he remains stable in intensive care.
Detectives ask that anyone who recognizes the SUV contact the Murfreesboro Police Department at 615-849-2670.
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The video from red light cameras
I thought those things were supposed to provide a clear enough image to identify a license plate for the purpose of notifying individuals of traffic infractions through the mail.
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Although I don't know, I would assume that these red light 'video' cameras are only used for monitoring traffic conditions and perhaps recording traffic accidents. The traffic cameras you are thinking about only take high-res 'still' photos when they detect a red light violation. Thats just my guess.
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More likely is that it's in the 30-day buffer (or whatever) of the CCTV traffic monitoring camera at the intersection - used by local authorities to provide live view of an intersection.
Modern "red-light" penalty cameras also record video, so that the motion of the car crossing the line after the light turns red is clearly demonstrated. And yes, the still image is HD enough to capture registration details, unlike CCTV cameras I mentioned above.
- Actually, it does look like a red-light-camera angle. They may shoot video in lo res and record a hi-res (even from the same camera) only when a violation is detected.
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They say in the video he didnt run a red light so the red light camera never took a picture. It was just the camera that films traffic. Its too bad it didnt get a better video. People like this are what is wrong with the world.
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Thanks I guess I missed the link. Good looking out.
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Terrible.
How much you want to bet that when they catch the guy, his defense will be "The what? Sorry, I didn't see him. Maybe he should've been on the sidewalk where he belongs."
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That or, "I thought I hit an animal!"
But what kind of moron hits an animal that big and doesn't stop?
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that is most likely be what he said. I lived in Murfreesboro before moving to Nashville.
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This is why my family is set against me biking... and has been beating me over the head about how this is proof that it's unsafe.
Yes the guy on the bike shoul d have worn brighter clothes and used lights but just... Ugh. This right here pisses me off. If he'd stayed pot it'd be the biker that'd get chewed out.
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This is not proof that cycling is unsafe, but we can learn from each accident.
The stats you can find on the web show biking is 3 to 10x or so more dangerous per mile ridden than being in a car, but if you look at the various breakdowns of accident types, a big portion are at night, and involve bikes without lights, and many involve cyclists, including many children, who make mistakes about where they should be riding (sidewalks, wrong side of road) and of the accidents that are left after eliminating these, there are a classic set of things that car drivers do that kill riders (right hook, dooring, left cross) and you can do a lot to eliminate or reduce the risk of those as well. By learning as much as you can about how these happen and gaining experience about all the little situations (like how to handle going 30 mph down a steep hill in a 40 mph zone when there is a pedestrian coming up the right edge walking a dog and there's a car about to pass you ...) you reduce the risk enough that the benefits in fitness, health, stress reduction, environment, and fun win out over the alternative.
Now if I could just figure out a way to say that in a short sound bite rather than long run-on sentences I could tell you what to tell your family.
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So very true man.
Spelling it out like that though is always nice to have as a reminder that even if I know more in this instance I am not invallable and those I"m arguing with don't have a point of their own.
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"now a warning: the video you are about the see is graphic"
he says right after it played on the monitor behind him.
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WKRN news just interviewed the victim's sister. She said he, amazingly, didn't break any bones and is in stable condition. He has suffered head injuries and doctors said he may need speech therapy in the future.
The report also mentioned that the victim has battled schizophrenia. I wonder if that affected his decision making process. He was hit shortly after midnight Friday night (12:30 am Saturday) and, as has been pointed out in several other comments, did not have any lights while riding on what appears to be a pretty major road.
They also mentioned that they are going to be able to check any images/video captured by a few other cameras at that intersection.
- Edit for grammar
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Thanks for the update. Could be this guy just thought 'get on a bike and go' and doesn't relly know the rules as such and thought 'rules are for cars. This is not a car ergo I do what I want'.
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Great. Literally a block from my house and easily could have been me had I not been out of town.
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Yeah, I live just as close as you to this hit and run. I rarely pass through this intersection on bicycle, but it is in no way surprising that a local driver would do this. Keep your lights on and safe riding.
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Yeah it would have to be a local yokel... When the first week of the spring semester was going on I knew to watch my crap from all the new people flippin' out... So I drove ULTRA defensive, but still got rearended at a complete stop on old fort by an old lady in a minivan of course.
Anyway, we should probably hang out.
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Damn, I live in Murfreesboro too. I'm not defending the driver, but Rutherford is the last street I'd ever ride on. People drive like idiots through there. You have to really stay frosty.
I hope this cyclist recovers. This piece of shit driver should be put in prison.
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People drive like idiots through there.
I've always been curious about this common turn of phrase (one that I've used often myself). Does it mean that a person will drive like an idiot on some streets and not others? I'm tempted to think that people who drive like idiots do so everywhere...
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I think you are right, but some roads are more idiot-proof then others. The really dangerous roads are just where normal idiot drivers come unstuck.
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Yeah, roundabouts come to mind. I like them, but Jesus Christ... some people just lose their shit.
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I'm from Murfreesboro. Can anyone tell us what kind of car it is just by looking at it? Anyone here know the cyclist? I really hope he's ok.
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I've been around Murf Turf for years and never even heard of the guy. My friend Donald recognized the car and reported it as of a few hours ago!.
EDIT: we should hang out and ride bikes.
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Update? Details?
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Excellent question. Surely there must be enough design details in the rear of the SUV to identify the make and model, for pete's sake! Couldn't the cops or journalists figure it out?
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Glad to hear the SUV's only crime was leaving the scene of an "accident".
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We're one step closer. Police have found the vehicle.
http://www.newschannel5.com/story/18839962/vehicle-located-in-murfreesboro-hit-and-run
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I used to ride my bike in that town. Had several close calls. There is a bike scene there but the drivers are oblivious to it. That is a very risky intersection. Although, it did not look like the cyclist had lights on.
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I wonder if this even damaged the SUV. Looks like the impact was at the back of the rear tire. I really wonder if there is any chance the driver really didn't even know. I've seen plenty of really freaking bad old drivers who I could see doing something like this.
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Who the hell am I helping to find....?
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Okay. I'll be that guy.
Don't ride at night without lights.
I'm not saying the driver wasn't at fault. I'm not saying the driver shouldn't be prosecuted (he or she didn't even hit the brakes until after clearing the intersection) for hit-and-run and distracted driving (texting?) and DUI and driving without a license and driving without insurance and whatever can be thrown at them, but DON'T RIDE AT NIGHT WITHOUT LIGHTS.
By riding without lights you reduce the driver's reaction time such that something like this is much more likely to happen. Reflectors (which according to the news report he had) don't cut it.
I really do hope the rider recovers and I hope they catch the coward that drove away.
No lights, dark clothing . . . . the cyclist is a moron.
That in no way excuses the car taking off after hitting him though.
Yeah. It's a pretty bullet proof excuse for why he hit the guy in the first place though. If he stayed at the scene he would be in the clear.
Yes. Still doesn't make me feel any less vindictive towards the careless asshat of a driver.
Agreed.
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