Atlanta city council member struck riding bike
Atlanta City Councilman Jason Dozier and his daughter are still recovering after a driver hit them while making an illegal U-turn. It happened on Peters Street last week. The female driver received two citations, and the councilman says he’s hopeful the crash will bring more attention to bike and pedestrian safety.
ATLANTA – Atlanta City Councilman Jason Dozier and his young daughter were injured last week when a driver made an illegal U-turn and struck them while they were biking home along Peters Street.
What we know:
The crash occurred last Wednesday as Dozier and his daughter were riding back from an Atlanta United game. Surveillance video obtained by FOX 5 shows the moment the driver veered into the pair, knocking them off their bike.
The impact startled both Dozier and his daughter. Witnesses described the video as disturbing, and FOX 5 warned that it is too graphic for young viewers.
What they’re saying:
Bruce Hagen, an attorney for Dozier, said the incident highlights a broader issue of cyclist safety.
“The video demonstrates just how [they] crashed. [Councilman Dozier] was just riding his bike with his four-year-old child secured in the backseat,” Hagen said. “He was lit up, as fully as you can be on a bike, following the law in every respect, and this driver just carelessly made a U-turn directly into him.”
Hagen said both were treated at the scene and are continuing to recover.
“They are both still struggling,” he said. “Jason went into dad mode.”
He called the crash preventable and pointed to the need for more protected cycling infrastructure like the bike lanes found on Memorial Drive.
“Atlanta wants to be an international city,” Hagen said. “We’re hosting the biggest sporting event in the world coming up next year, World Cup. We need to find ways to get people around our city safely that don’t just include being in a motor vehicle by yourself.”
What’s next:
Hagen added that Dozier will speak publicly about the crash and bicycle safety when the time is right.
The Source: Bruce Hagen, an attorney for Atlanta City Councilman Jason Dozier, spoke to FOX 5’s Aungelique Proctor for this article.Â