[UPDATE] Cyclist Critically Injured By Pot-Possessing Jaguar Driver, No Arrests

Looking east on Canal from West Broadway. (Google Maps)

[UPDATE BELOW] A 53-year-old cyclist is clinging to life after a collision with a Jaguar driver on Canal Street "left him lying on the ground like a rag doll," according to one witness. The accident occurred at the intersection of Canal Street and West Broadway during rush hour around 5:30 p.m. yesterday. Police say the cyclist was turning onto Canal from West Broadway when he was hit by the eastern-bound Jaguar. The crash sent the man, who was reportedly not wearing a helmet, careening over the top of the car.

In photographs from the scene, the Jaguar's sun roof and windshield are seen to be heavily damaged by the impact. According to the Daily News, the unidentified driver received a summons for possessing a small amount of marijuana. As you may know, New York State decriminalized low-level marijuana possession some three decades ago, making it a violation punishable by a fine, not an arrestable offense.

However, the NYPD has been criticized for arresting record numbers of minorities for possessing small amounts of marijuana that turn up during illegal stop and frisks. So isn't it shocking and disillusioning that walking while black with a little grass lands you in the Tombs, but cops send a pot-possessing Jaguar driver on his way after nearly killing a cyclist? It almost makes you wonder if the police enforce laws differently based on the perpetrators' social class!

UPDATE 4:35 p.m.: An employee at D.B.A. Brooklyn confirms that the injured cyclist is Ray Deter, owner of D.B.A. On the bar's Facebook page, they've posted the following:

We are reaching out to every one of our patrons and friends to please send your prayers and loving energy to Ray Deter at this time. As some of you may have heard, Ray was in a very serious bicycle accident yesterday and is in critical condition. For those of you who are hearing this for the first time, we are so sorry to share this news in this manner, though we are grateful for the tool to reach many of you.

Ray Deter (Dallis Bros. Coffee on Flickr)

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on June 28, 2011 4:40 PM

Comments [rss]

JPeditor

Sorry for the bike guy getting hit but this is hysterical watching all your lib heads explode trying to figure out who to blame the most (of course it's the COPS fault.../sarcasm off).

spookywhite

Helmet laws should mandatory. Too many folks trying to be cute/tragically hip out here thinking that accidents don't happen to them. WAKE THE F**** UP This is NYC! Drivers don't care about cyclists. Hope cyclist recovers and has his day in court with the Jag owner.

Sokrates1

From d.b.a.'s Facebook page 2 hours ago: DBA East Village At this time we know that he has not gotten worse, nor better. It is the agonizing period of waiting.

Jennifer Benepe

All of the facts that you mention, three of which are incorrect...Add to that, the man in question was of color. The story is told with facts intact:
http://cyclistsinternational.c...

wearcomfortableshoes

Stop and frisks are absolutely racially motivated. I live in Battery Park City and there is a really annoying white guy who smokes pot right under my window EVERY DAY while yammering into his cell phone. EVERY DAY! He is loud and obnoxious. I would love to close the window and turn the A/C on but I can't afford the outrageous ConEd bill. ANYWAY...I saw a cop walk over to him the other day (he was all nervous and cagey) but all she did was chat him up for a few minutes and he walked away. Had he been a person of color, I wonder if he would have gotten off so easily. Hmmmmm

nice job

Word is he just died.

nice job

Err, scratch that. He's not dead! I got the news last night via a Facebook update of a friend (who is also a bar owner in NYC so I thought his info would be legit). Apparently he was misinformed. Serves me right for using Facebook as a news source.

Sorry everyone!

Chris Smith

aww damn, really? what a loss.

canofpeas

That is so sad. I think this is really bad news for the person who hit him. If I was family, I would demand a serious investigation of what went down and call the police and Ray Kelley out for a detailed explanation. If the driver was allowed to skate, why do cops arrest people for carrying small amounts of pot or for smoking one on the street? You all know that if the driver was in a 10 year old Toyota with primer grey on one of the front quarter panels, he would have been arrested and given a piss test. I don't care what the cop here said, this driver was given preferential treatment because of his status.

Paul

was the driver of the car driving while impaired? Did the police even check? blood levels etc...it is standard for alcohol when there is an injury (mandatory in many states)

Adam Moreira

Possessing pot may not be legal, but was he under the influence of pot while driving? The police dropped the ball here.

thinprep

The other day in DUMBO, some cyclist just blew through a red light without even looking at the cross traffic-- a car saw him coming and slammed on the brakes, the cyclist hit the car's side and flew over it but landed in somersault and got up like it was nothing. He grabbed his bike and got up and biked away quickly, I guess he didnt want to see if he damaged the car. He was helmeted.

Cyclists are crazy. However, drivers drive like maniacs and pedestrians j-walk around clueless on the iphones. People are stupid.

Sokrates1

Best wishes to Ray, his family and friends. He is a really good guy.

Guest

How's he doing this morning?

Waseem Sajjad

You should find someone to argue with, rather than reading too much into
what I wrote and taking for granted that pot laws are logical..Halloween Scavenger Hunt

Fronko

Guys, keep commenting! I think we're really close to figuring this whole cyclists v. drivers issue out.

youngpro

every time a cyclist is hit by a car, 'accosted' by the police, or a car is blocking a bike lane, the other cyclists send a bike signal into the sky so gothamist can jump on it (after the real news sources of course).

how that works during the day is still a bit mysterious, but i bet cyclists have a way to telepathically communicate with each other.

brwnmamba

canal street and all streets that exit to the tunnel are a horror with confused drivers unaware of how to catch the exit, and not to mention the crazy chinatown buses -- cyclists and traffic cops in this area during rush hour are very brave people