With summer on the horizon and the weather already picking up from its usual doom and gloom, more Portlanders are hitting the streets on their bikes to enjoy the sun and stretch their legs. With this influx of riders, though, there comes an increase in biking accidents.

Already this year, the city of Portland has had two fatal bike crashes that occurred within weeks of each other. The first accident took place on NE Weidler near the intersection with NE 106th in East Portland. The victim, 49-year-old Cary Bernick of Southeast Portland, was killed while riding against traffic on Weidler, a one-way westbound street.

The second fatal crash happened when a 36-year-old man tried to cross NE Prescott at 57th Ave. to pick his son up at Rigler Elementary School. The driver was not cited, with police stating that the motor vehicle had the right of way in this situation.

These stories have been particularly disheartening for the bike community in Portland in the wake of 2008, a year with zero bike fatalities. Fatalities aside, bike accidents are a disturbingly frequent occurrence, even for a city famed for its reputation as bike friendly.

Portland resident Mary Doyle was the victim of a particularly cruel biking incident. Earlier this year, Doyle was involved in a hit-and-run situation in SW Portland that has yet to be resolved.

“I live in Goose Hollow and was on my way home from an event my boyfriend had put on at Worksound Gallery in Southeast,” says Doyle. “We were biking home just after 2 a.m. when I was struck by a car which ran a red light and was doing around 20 miles per hour.”

Doyle’s boyfriend was able to witness the accident, but unable to stop the driver, who left the scene of the accident immediately.

“I was ahead of my boyfriend crossing SW Columbia heading south on[to] SW 14th Avenue,” says Doyle. “I don't remember much, but know that I yelled ‘No, stop!’ once I saw what was happening. My boyfriend was behind me and said the driver ran a red light, tried to slow down, hit me, slowed down again and then sped off.

Because the driver had not been going very fast and attempted to slow down, Doyle luckily did not sustain too many injuries.

“I was regretfully without a helmet. The cops showed up shortly thereafter and I was rushed to the OHSU emergency room. I was kept overnight, walking away with a severely bruised foot and a bad concussion—all in all, very lucky.”

Despite the luck of not suffering any serious injuries, Doyle has been very disheartened with the responses that she and her boyfriend have gotten from the city of Portland. “While I was on my way to the ER via ambulance, my boyfriend stayed with the police to give his witness story [and] there were several others who gave their stories, as well. He was treated aggressively and when getting in the police car for a ride to the hospital, [he] was asked [by an officer], ‘You don't have anything in those pockets to hurt me, do ya?’”

As of now, the driver has not come forward or been caught by police, and Doyle has received little help from the community in her search for justice.

While Doyle’s case is an extreme one, the fact remains that with summer comes an increase of bikers in already heavily-trafficked areas like the Hawthorne Bridge. Recently, a near-fatal incident occurred on the bridge, involving an unnamed woman falling off its sidewalk and into the grating below, right in the path of oncoming traffic. The car coming at her was able to stop before hitting the fallen bicyclist, but she still sustained some serious injuries.

It is important for bicyclists to remember that they to need to follow the rules of the road, but drivers must also be vigilant. Accidents happen, but if everyone pays attention, we all have a much better chance at staying safe.