(Updated 7/31 5:15 pm PST0
Andrew "Bernie" Bernstein was hit from behind by a vehicle and left with life-threatening injuries this past Saturday, July 20th. Bernstein was riding west on Arapahoe Road near Legion Park near Boulder, CO, around 4:30 pm, according to Gloria Liu, Bernstein's fiancee. Bernstein was riding by himself from Erie to Boulder, and the Colorado State Patrol is investigating.
According to Liu, there were no witnesses. A motorist saw Bernstein on the side of the road and called 911. He was taken to Boulder Community Health's Foothills Hospital but, due to the severity of his injuries, he was then airlifted to Denver Health.
Bernstein's Brother, Eric Bernstein, says that Bernie suffered severe internal injuries, multiple broken bones, and has been sedated since the crash. "Doctors have been trying to treat his internal injuries so they could get started on surgeries to repair his numerous fractures, including his vertebrae. He's stable enough for that, but by no means beyond the possibility of a life-threatening turn," said Eric.
Bernstein has worked in the bike industry for years - as a journalist and in marketing at Bicycling Magazine, as a race promoter, and currently with bike PR firm True Communications. He's a mountain biker, track and road racer, and an incredibly kind and passionate individual. “He loves to ride his bike, and one of his passions was contributing to the cycling community,” Liu said. “Nothing makes him happier than to help other people, but now his life is altered and he is in an incredible amount of pain and suffering.”
As Bernstein is still undergoing the many surgeries to repair his broken body, investigators are working to piece together more information on the crash from the little info there is. Colorado State Patrol Trooper Gary Cutler said a piece of the suspect vehicle from the scene was traced back to a 2000 Dodge Ram van.
According to Bernie's brother Eric, his bike was snapped in half. “The severity of the crash makes it hard to believe the individual driving is not aware they hit someone,” Eric said. “It’s very upsetting to realize this person noticed and knew what they had done and left my brother to die on the side of the road.”
Liu said Bernie was wearing black shorts and a gray jersey. He was riding a red Canyon Aeroad bicycle similar to the one in the photo to the right.
Anyone who saw anything related to the crash is asked to call Colorado State Patrol at 303-289-4760.
“If anybody saw anything or knows how we can find the driver responsible for this, it’s not going to make his injuries any better but it will go a long way to resolving the impact it could have on the rest of his life,” Liu said. “If the driver is reading this, I would just urge him or her to come forward. Do the right thing.”
Investigators with the Colorado State Patrol believe the vehicle involved is a third-generation (1994-2003) Dodge Cargo Van 2500 or 3500. The van is believed to be white or light grey in color. It has windows on the passenger side access door, but no windows on the driver side (other than the driver's window). There is most likely damage to the front passenger side light area. The below pictures are of the suspect vehicle
Anyone with any information related to the vehicle or crash is encouraged to call the Colorado State Patrol, Trooper Emery, at 303-239-4501, reference case #1D192958All of us at Pinkbike wish Andrew the very best in healing and recovery.
This stuff happens to road cyclists entirely too often. A friend's wife was killed. Two friends hit from behind and hurt really bad. Another friend paralyzed from the waist down.
Sorry, I'll stick to singletrack.
Wishing the best for Bernie.
Nah I do agree with you and that's why I only use my road bike on a stand for winter times.
Her words ring true "it takes a special type of stupid to ride a mountain bike, while every teen has a license."
To me road riding is not worth it, especially now considering all the dickheads on the road who play with their phones with driving.
Go feltch your donkeys ????
I agree with Trussell - I do way more mountain biking than road these days. It's much safer.
Two days ago I drove by a roadie on a single lane 70 road with lots of cars coming from the other direction. He rode 1-1,5m from the edge of the lane. He has a full right to do it. What do you think was going through minds of everyone that needed to pass him riding 25-30km/h with cars whizzing at 70-80 from the other side? Especially when the rule is to keep 1,5m distance from the cyclist while passing. He forced hundreds of drivers to expose themselves at the risk of colliding with a car from the other side.
How many people do you need to bow to your own righteousness until you realize it is you who is a dick? One that cannot grasp the fact that it will no longer matter whether he has a right to ride that way or not if he ends up in a ditch and dies. I am sure he was thinking he is doing the right thing for himself and for other cyclists to be more respected. The opposite is true. He just made it worse for other cyclists, most of whom ride within 0,5m from the edge of highly trafficked roads. Stupid drivers will be even more angry at all cyclists. Even the ones with common sense.
I see this “educating” or “not giving a F” kind rarely, but they exist. That is why I never do road rides with people who I know will like to ride beside me to talk to me no matter what happens on the road.
Yes, it drives me nuts to see road cyclists riding on the actual roads when there is a bike lane 5m to the side, but most road bike serious accidents are caused by the drivers being ingorant of the 1,5m rule, and apparently as well of the fact that they are driving machines that weigh over a ton at very high speeds vs an (in comparison) almost bystander with a total weigth of 120kg in the best of cases.
All that, to save about 5 seconds on whicheved drive they are on. It pisses me off beyond belief how somebody can be so egoistical and be ready to take a live or seriously injury someone just so they don't loose a couple of seconds or break for a bit, or because they HAD to check their phone while at the wheel. They are completely avoidable, and cause major injuries or even deaths.
In other news, I once hit a car with my bike, true story got winked at by a girl and was so distracted I rode straight into the side of a guy's shiny new Jaguar while I was looking the other way!
So if a woman dresses provocatively does that give someone an 'Ok' to rape her?
The answer is good, protected cycling infrastructure so we don't have to share the road with all the 2-ton, 180km/h monsters that every soccer mom nowaday needs to ferry her 40kg kid around.
Plus, once you get a lot of cyclists on the road, drivers become much more aware of and careful around cyclists.
It changes slightly on the outskirts, where cyclists no longer behave like douchebags. Their survival instinct must be kicking in. Drivers are very respectful. But it doesn’t change the fact that if a cyclist or a group of cyclists end up on 50-80 road with 3-3,5m lanes, there will be conflict. If it is a road in a country with such low population density as Sweden it occurs rarely. If it is a country like Poland where traffic is high between 7.am and 9pm, the conflict and potentially dangerous situations are unavoidable.
I too share an annoyance with roadies riding on the main roads but the fact is many of the designated cycling routes are unsafe due to cars. I myself am a cyclist commuter, not a roadie but I do support road cycling on bike paths; don’t you think the trails would be crowded if all recreational cyclists went there?
A few weeks ago a recreational cyclist was struck and killed on a designated bike route in my area right on my commute route (and at one of the popular parking areas to access SFU) by a person driving way over the speed limit presumably under the influence... clearly not appreciating how dangerous CARS can be. This could very well have been a mountain biker had the timing been different. General folks talk about how dangerous cycling is; if a family was t-boned at the next intersection it would have been a far different story.
Cycling is inexpensive and a simple solution to our traffic and climate issues as not everyone is going to afford a Tesla or squeeze into a stinky crowded bus. I think the key barrier to reaching critical mass in making this change really boils down to car safety. This way people can travel with their entire family on bicycles.
Wishing Mr Bernstein a speedy recovery.
Your statement that "roads are here because of cars" is incorrect. Roads existed way before cars. People have just claimed them for their cars, and that is the problem, in my opinion. Why should two cyclists not be allowed to cycle next to each other? I don't complain if a tractor is going slowly in front of me, so why when it is a bike?
You are victim-blaming roadies, if a car drives past them too close at high speed.
I ride on the road a fair bit, and this kind of thing really makes me want to get a set of those cycliq camera/light systems.
If you want to get away with murder in the US, hit a cyclist.
But since you aren't going to do it because clearly you're an idiot who just likes to lash out at others, I found this in a few seconds:
kdvr.com/2019/07/24/bicyclist-dies-after-being-struck-by-vehicle-near-denver-country-club-driver-cited
The penalty for careless driving resulting in death in Colorado is a $300-$1000 and/or 10 days in jail. So kindly GFY
Your article in the link is not referencing a hit and run. Tragic, yes. Parallel, no.
Hit and run with injury is a felony in Colorado. Look up Colorado revised statute 42-4-1601:
advance.lexis.com/documentpage/?pdmfid=1000516&crid=0ff40f0a-df3b-4a7d-82d1-ad750633341f&nodeid=ABRAAEAABAAQAAB&nodepath=%2FROOT%2FABR%2FABRAAE%2FABRAAEAAB%2FABRAAEAABAAQ%2FABRAAEAABAAQAAB&level=5&haschildren=&populated=false&title=42-4-1601.+Accidents+involving+death+or+personal+injuries+-+duties&config=014FJAAyNGJkY2Y4Zi1mNjgyLTRkN2YtYmE4OS03NTYzNzYzOTg0OGEKAFBvZENhdGFsb2d592qv2Kywlf8caKqYROP5&pddocfullpath=%2Fshared%2Fdocument%2Fstatutes-legislation%2Furn%3AcontentItem%3A5TYF-BST0-004D-125N-00008-00&ecomp=k3v89kk&prid=8aa139c6-53bb-4ed1-902e-b96f36d44c8b
youtu.be/yQO4Dnlwcg0
Which is why I prefer to bike.
I did however jam my thumb into the ground on a recent crash and will be relegated to the road bike until it heals.
Questioning the act to ride a bike on a public road when such an event happens is like questioning what a victim of sexual assault wore...
A country where it's considered insane or hazardous to ride your bike along a road has lost it's control over motorised traffic. Every community and government where this is the case should feel embarresed take immediate action.
All the best to Bernie!
That, and actual punishments amounting to consequence when you kill someone. 6 months community service while someone lays dead 6 feet under is a joke.
I've gotten into gravel riding for this exact reason. I'm often put in shitty situations on the road, so try to avoid it. That said, I commute to work and have had a few close calls that were completely due to unaware, aggressive, or flat out hateful drivers. When you have someone run you off the road while swearing at you, you understand that the issue isn't just accidents, it's a portion of the community being in a state they never should have gotten a license.
A gentleman (a*shole) on youtube had a video somewhat recently stating that all road bike accidents in Australia are the fault of the rider. This video was positively received by the community it landed in. That's f*cking unacceptable and completely bypasses the logic of "accidents happen."
Now I primarily commute on a bicycle, and for some reason I feel more control over the situation. Maybe it just because the traffic density of the routes I ride on a bike versus a motorcycle. Plus traveling at 110kph on the highway and getting nudged by a car is going to be catastrophic.
A good roadie friend of mine, who's lost or had injured several friends over the years always says that if you want to get away with murder, hit someone with your car, you'll get a fine at worst.
Healing vibes to Mr. Bernstine. Let's hope they find the coward that left him for dead.
Surprised ( just a little bit) to hear that it's similar elsewhere.
I still ride road. to get to point B, and yeah, a trailhead. So I use a pretty bright DRL on the bar, and a 150 lumen blinky on the bike's seat stay bridge, and a blinky on my l. wrist, and reflective ankle and wrist wraps. I also run me helmet light , 800 lumen, so the drivers got PLENTY to see, if they're lookin'. I look straight at them with the helmet, which is also a spot-beam.
Still, I know I'm chancing it.......
I’ve had a few friends seriously injured by cars, had a few of my own, so I stopped riding road ten years ago.
Mountain biking is dangerous, but it’s all me, no cars.
Healing vibes.
I hope they find the bastard/s and punish them severely. Make an example out of them. This kind of shit needs to stop. No more leniency.
People talk a lot of smack about roadies but it is god damned dangerous riding on the tarmac. I have been rear ended, t boned, side swiped, head on, pretty much any which way you can get hit while riding on the road. A lot of motorists are completely oblivious. Especially nowadays with 'smart' phones...
Motorcyclists have it just as bad if not worse due to the speed factor.
Not to take away from this event here, but have a look at this vid and see the outcome m.youtube.com/watch?v=I7zrOg5GdvE
You're only GOING to get hit once. That's all it takes.
And thinking anyone on this site is primarily a road rider and will be scared by this report is probably a little off base. Roadies commenting here or even reading are already aware and don't need mountain bikers preaching to the choir.