Sun City cyclist shares accident story, offers advice

Americans are increasingly bicycling to commute, for exercise, or just for fun. In Sun City, you can see residents biking as a club, (CyclePaths) or biking to play pickleball. By law, bicycles on the roadway have the same rights and responsibilities as motorized vehicles.

As you might expect, when a crash occurs between a vehicle and a bike, it’s the cyclist who is most likely to be injured. On November 11, 2020, one Sun City Resident, Dave Ruby, went cycling on that beautiful November Day.

Ruby said, “It was a perfect biking day. There were no clouds and no wind. I followed all the safety rules and biking laws. I was in the far-right lane. It was about two o’clock and I got hit from behind.”

Ruby stresses bike safety for cyclists and drivers.

“You must ride in the same direction as traffic. I have had residents tell me that since they heard that I got hit from behind they are riding against the flow of traffic. That is very dangerous and I want to stress to the community, please ride in the same direction as the traffic,” he said.

Bloomberg reported that there were 675 cyclist deaths in the United States in 2020, but that was with COVID-19 cutting traffic by as much as 41 percent for months at a time.

Ruby added, “And you need to wear a helmet always.”

Why is it important to wear a bicycle helmet? Each year in the United States, about 800 bicyclists are killed and another 500,000 end up in hospital emergency rooms. Wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of head injury to bicyclists by as much as 85 percent according to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Lynn Ruby, Dave’s wife said, “The Doctor’s told me that because Dave was in such good shape and not on blood thinners he survived.”

How did the recovery go?

Lynn said, “Dave was in intensive care for a week and because of Covid, the hospital and recovery beds were scarce. We were sent to a Woodstock Rehab facility because it was the only bed available.”

How is the rehab going?

Dave said, “Because of the extensive injuries I had a neck brace initially and I could not swallow. I had to focus on exercising those muscles to swallow. I continue exercise daily and walk daily. I have to do it every day or I am very stiff. I also use the pool; walking forward and backward which has helped tremendously and the hot tub. I still need to improve my balance and I am working on that at home.”

Lynn said, “We received so much encouragement from the community. We received so many cards and thoughtful wishes from so many residents in the community. Most of the good wishes were from people we didn’t even know. We are so thankful to our community for the encouraging words. One of the residents, Mr. Zeller started a group here in the community and is focusing on the safety issues related to both pedestrians and cyclists in and around the Sun City Huntley community.”

Dave said, “You can do everything right and still can’t control the situation, and accidents happen.”

Lynn added, “People use the roads here to bypass the traffic on 47 and I am afraid it’s going to get worse with the Amazon warehouse. They speed through here and don’t stop for the crosswalks.”

John Zeller, a co-chair of the group Walkers and Bicyclists for a Safer Community (WBSC) said, “This is a Special Interest Group of SCCAH formed in response to two motor vehicle/bicycle crashes during 2020, both of which resulted in serious injuries to our fellow neighbors. We are focused on working with our residents, the Association, and the Village of Huntley to address safety issues related to both pedestrians and cyclists in and around the Sun City Huntley Community. Perhaps you participated in our “Rules of the Road” safety quiz via SCCAH or have seen our Safety Tips and other articles in Lifestyles and the Sun Day News.”

WBSC is kicking off a community-wide “It’s Right to be Bright” pedestrian and cyclist safety campaign. They encourage residents, whether you are a walker or cyclists, to wear bright-colored clothing to increase your visibility to motorists.

Zeller said, “What is hard for us in WBSC to understand is the reluctance of Sun City leadership to get on board. SCCAH and its management rightly project Sun City Huntley as an Active Adult community. WBSC does too! However, we recognize the safety issues facing the community and are actively trying to make a difference. There is great value in working together to solve problems. Imagine if WBSC, the elected leadership, and management of Sun City Huntley and the elected leaders of the Village of Huntley were to all work together to solve the issues around safe walking and cycling how much better off we all would be.”

Are you concerned about Pedestrian and Cycling safety in Sun City? You can help by signing WBSC’s petition at p2a.co/UBwEuX9.

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