Recently, Matthew Cutrone, a 17-year-old from New York, contacted local lawmakers to request bike lanes to be added to roadways after his mother was injured while riding her bicycle.
Matthew's mother, Sandy Cutrone, was hit by a van on Montauk Highway in West Islip, September 19, 2013, breaking her shoulder and cracking her helmet. She said that she could have died.
On December 16th, Matthew wrote a letter to Suffolk County Legislator Thomas Barraga asking for consideration of putting in bike lanes.
Photo courtsey of StreetsBlogSF
“My mom made sure she was doing everything right, she was wearing her helmet, and she was following the proper bike laws of the road,” Matthew wrote. “On the day she was hit, she was biking on Montauk Highway, the traffic light was green, but because the driver must have been in a hurry he jumped the oncoming traffic to make a left turn and hit my mother claiming he never saw her.”
Matthew also wrote that some people have suggested his mother ride her bike on the sidewalk, but under New York State law, riding a bicycle on the sidewalk is illegal. Matthew said drivers do not always know the laws for cyclists and that is why there should be a bike lane or signs to watch for cyclists.
Legislator Barraga responded to Matthew's letter on January 29, 2014. He wrote that bike lanes and signs would not solve the problem of bicycle accidents, and stated that, in fact, no one should be riding bicycles or motorcycles in Suffolk County.
“I have lived in West Islip most of my life and my personal feeling is that no one who lives in our hamlet or for that matter in Suffolk County should ever ride a bicycle or motorcycle,” Barraga wrote. “I cannot tell you how many constituents over the year have told me that they are taking up bicycling for pleasure and exercise. I have told them not to do so but they usually do not listen – 90 percent of those people eventually were hit by an automobile, many like your mother with serious physical injuries.”
He also wrote that cars were not used to looking for bicyclists or motorcyclists, only other cars and called Suffolk County “a suburban automobile community.”
Barrage concluded his letter with this statement: “Reality at a time can be difficult for some to come to grips with but giving false hope would be inappropriate.”
Sandy Cutrone was shocked by Barraga's response. She feels as though she is being blamed for the crash by riding her bicycle.
“I read it again, just to make sure I was understanding what I was reading,” she said in an interview.
Barragga said that was not the letter's intent
“All I'm saying is that Suffolk County is a very, very tough place for bicyclists,” said Barraga.
For more information or to read the letters, click here.
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Attorneys Jason Waechter and Sean Murphy are Michigan attorneys specializing in the area of bicycle accident and personal injury litigation. Waechter's firm has collected millions of dollars in settlements, awards and verdicts for his clients over the past 20 years. As well as contributing significantly to safety education and accident prevention.
If you or your loved one have been involved in a bicycle accident, call 1-800-708-LIFE for help!