A Wheelie, Then A Crash … Then Possible Paralysis

"Stunt rider"? Uhh, no. It should say "a person recklessly operating an illegal dirt bike on a residential city street crashed their bike into a legally-operated passenger car, seriously injuring himself and the driver of the vehicle."

The report in On Scene Media (FB) was that the biker had no front light.
Here in the Heights, at the infamous corner of E. Grand Ave. and Quinnipiac Ave. last night, we had a young man on a scooter struck by an SUV. The bike was demolished. The young man was in shock and was bleeding from his head. Both his parents were on the scene.

Very tragic. Most tragic for the 27 year old. The human tragedy here is the most important of course, but lets not lose sight of the economic costs and impact, a very relative topic considering the city is bankrupt.

First, there are the NHPD and NHFD resources it took to tend to the accident. And more NHPD resources to conduct accident reconstruction. Then there are the medical bills. This will cost YNHH a fortune and the costs will be borne by all of us who use medical care. Let's hope the young man recovers and is able to be a productive member of society. But if he can't it will cost much much more in terms of govt aid.

And what if the he hit an elder or mother walking her child?

The problem isn't defunding the police. The problem is lack of respect for the law and other citizens. Frankly, I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often.

Meanwhile the Board of A's have taken no action on the Dirt Bike ordinance proposed by the NHPD and overwhelmingly supported by the public.

I'm told matters have come to a grinding halt at the Board of A's - Tyisha Walker and the Unite-Here backed Alders are laser-focused on the upcoming contract with Yale. Plenty of time to organize caravans of protesters to descend on Salovey's office, but no time to watch out for public safety.

Dennis Serfilippi

Hope the driver of the car is alright. What a frightening thing to go through.
To those that don't see this as criminal activity - if the motorist was robbed of five hundred dollars (Which is likely what she will be out of pocket for insofar as her insurance deductible.), would the perpetrator have committed a crime? Of course. In this case, she was injured as well. Assault? Why not?

This mess should be seen as a self-imposed sentence for the rider, a stark lesson for other riders (unlikely) and a call to action for our legislators to enact even stricter criminal (not Motor Vehicle) penalties for those who tear up our parks, disrupt our peace, menace law abiding motorists and terrorize pedestrians.

Covid-al-fresco dining is disrupted hourly, daily. This does have a financial impact on an already struggling service industry. Every day downtown, up State Street, down Chapel Street - over-dinner conversations switch to tirades about the peace-breachers that just rode by, dozens and dozens at a time. Every case should result in criminal charges and asset forfeiture.

Also... what EngagedCitizen said. Peace.

Patricia, it sounds like you don't enjoy facing the results of what you've been supporting, which I find strange because you finally won. Due to the anti-police rhetoric and new legislation (which you were very pleased with), proactive police work has been decreasing and is at a nadir. Property crimes, theft, prostitution, public nuisances like loitering, drinking and urination, reckless driving and other "low level" offenses have essentially been decriminalized and are unaddressed so they're going to get worse, not better. Just take a look at the green, aka New Hamsterdam. Decriminalization is what you've enthusiastically advocated for in the nhi comments section for years and now it's here, so take a victory lap and enjoy it (just watch where you step, needles and defecation, etc.)!

Every time I see a mostly young, mostly man or boy riding their motorized toys in an unsafe manner, and riding on non-street legal vehicles, I cringe for their safety, as well as the safety of everyone else around them. I believe a multi pronged approach must be used. License plates should be required for every motorized vehicle that isn't specifically intended for the disabled (such as wheelchair, lark-type mobility scooter.) Driver's license or at least a motorcycle license for all drivers of motorized vehicles. Stiff financial penalties for the lack of the above licenses, for riding non-street legal vehicles on the street, for riding unsafely and not following the rules of the road. Criminal penalties for any rider whose violation of these rules resulting in an accident. Impoundment of vehicles misused and the recycling of the materials to build playscapes, jungle gyms, park benches, bus stop shelters, or other productive community use benefits. Encourage an entrepreneur to build a motorized toy adventure and tricks and racing theme park away from residential areas with appropriate safety and liability precautions taken. Things recently are getting out of hand at levels never seen before, and people are getting hurt. Something has to be done to deter these activities and make it too expensive and too difficult to get away with anymore.

Heather C: Connecticut law requires that all-terrain vehicles operated in the state to be registered, unless the vehicle is being operated on property owned or leased by the owner of the ATV. The law also requires operators to have a valid driver's license with a motorcycle endorsement. Adequate laws exist. The question is, how do you enforce them?

@Christian Bruckhart: You are too kind. And too slanted in your distortion of my views.

Christian Bruckhart wrote:
[quote]Due to the anti-police rhetoric and new legislation (which you were very pleased with), proactive police work has been decreasing and is at a nadir. Property crimes, theft, prostitution, public nuisances like loitering, drinking and urination, reckless driving and other "low level" offenses have essentially been decriminalized and are unaddressed so they're going to get worse, not better.[/quote]

• Are you sure this neglect isn't because the police are prioritizing a general uptick in violent crime? Because that's what Sean Maher told us in our business association meeting a few weeks ago. Let's have some consistent messaging, at least, gents...
  
• Are police in genuine fear of enforcement, or just sulking? How do citizens who are concerned with both crime AND heavy-handed police tactics tell the difference?
  
• If you're right about a link to the (very new!) CT legislation, then the stats should show that "low-level" crime is rising faster in CT than elsewhere in the country. Is that the case?
  
  Given the number of factors involved in crime (does anybody [i]really[/i] know why crime decreased in the 90s and 00s? technology? policing style? prosperity? lead levels?), you have to realize that pat explanations like the one you've given are really just a mirror you're holding up to yourself. This is doubly true given unprecedented society-level changes, and triply true given that a big chunk of the new legislation you're calling out isn't even in effect yet (e.g. the section on immunity isn't in place until mid-2021).
  
  Interesting that you seem to think mass unemployment isn't worth mentioning, when lots of research shows how strongly unemployment and poverty are linked to crime...
  
  Food for thought, I hope!

Heather

The people that ride dirt bikes through the city do not want to ride in a park. They want to ride in the city and cause mayhem. Since CT has neutered the police those who live in cities are going to live with it. Hopefully no innocent people are injured.

Ethan, I'm not a spokesperson for the department, it's simply my opinion and you're free to discount it. Have you considered that both answers (mine and Lt. Maher's) are correct? Yes, a jump in violent crime creates a drag on resources, leading to the prioritization of those calls over others. Are there other factors contributing to that rise, such as unemployment? Probably. As far back as Aristotle it's been said that poverty is the parent of crime. But while correlation may not be causation, there has been a significant nationwide decrease in proactive policing, as reflected in terms of motor vehicle stops, suspicious person encounters, etc. at the same time as a concurrent rise in violent crime. The same pullback/violence increases have been observed in other cities, such as Baltimore. Feel free to google for sources.

Quotas for things like tickets are illegal in CT, so patrol officers' choices in terms of how they spend their shift, outside of calls for service or administrative assignments, is for the most part their own. What you're seeing with the decline in proactivity isn't "sulking," it's a calculated mindset among officers that is risk averse. Cops don't get sued for NOT being proactive so in today's climate, why do it? We already get sent to high risk calls as it is, why increase the chances of something going bad by pulling cars over or dealing with problem individuals in your district? And God forbid if something does go bad, you're pre-judged in social media even if you did nothing wrong and are legally in the right (look at the riots in Lancaster this week). You'll be most likely be filmed and put on social media, doxxed, have to deal with protests at your house, have your family harassed, etc. While the legislation may not be in effect today, the political climate is clear and officers are adjusting their approach and acting accordingly.

What a thoughtful discussion.

It seems to me that the city is suddenly overrun with crackheads, crazies and thugs. Like they come from all over the region to shit on New Haven's quality of life (literally and figuratively). It's like a post apocalypse downtown with so many people working from home.

It seems like "hot spots" have sprouted on whalley (near liquor stores) with people double parking to sell drugs and just acting like assholes because no one will stop them.

Then the pricks on the ATVs and motored death thrones descend and it's ok? If we can't lock them up, can we just relocate them to east haven? Please.

@PK

It may in fact not be professional what the officer said but that's too bad, your going to get more of these comments and I can assure the officers could care less if you or anyone likes it. This is what the public wanted and demanded and got with the defunding and the anti-police agenda. You pretend to like the police with your veiled compliments which we all know you say with gritted teeth.

Can't wait to see one of the "counselors" that are so wanted respond to these incidents and deal with it, that will be the real show.

Enjoy it New Haven you truly don't deserve the NHPD but you do deserve everything you get.

@Fitzy14

Spot on.

Street legality on a dirtbike is satisfied by a light package (head and brake lights, turn signals), a horn, a spark arrestor, DOT approved tires and rims and be noise compliant.

None of them would ride on actual dirt and don't want to. Stop the fantasy of a municipal park Heather. Even if it existed - you still have to get your non-street legal dirt bike to the park.

The intention is to disrupt.

Watch the Netflix film 12 O'clock Boys. Shot in Baltimore.

@PK How many times do we hear a teacher, buarocrate or social worker gripe about lack of "resources" when they are called on the carpet? But police must go by "Ours is not to wonder why, ours is but to do or die."

@ Fitzy14 & mailuser1221...

Exactly right.

There are lots of young men and boys who don't want to get the negative attention that the few dangerous motorized vehicles riders are getting. They just want somewhere to ride and practice tricks and show off their skills. And I'm not just talking about just ATVs or Motorcycles, I'm talking about motor bikes, scooters, 3 wheeled vehicles, etc. And I'm not just talking about New Haven. I see young men in East Haven, North Haven, Hamden, North Branford and West Haven riding all sorts of vehicles and trying out tricks and wanting to test their limits and skills.
There is a small group (compared to the total number of owners,) that want negative attention. They need to be deterred. I don't feel that you can just throw everybody in jail to solve this problem. You need to regulate it, restrict it, make it expensive to violate the rules, make it difficult to break the rules, make the consequences of breaking the rules too great to risk breaking them, but also offer an alternative for the young people who aren't bad people, they are just young and making stupid choices and are being allowed to buy a vehicle that wasn't intended to be ridden on highways or streets, but instead ridden off road or on a track. As for the relatively small group of people who have bought into the outlaw rider mentality and are actively seeking negative attention, there is plenty of popular culture to blame, the movies and tv shows, the internet videos getting likes and followers, all glamorizing the illegal racing, running from the police in vehicles, the causing mayhem and chaos. If faced with the regulations, restrictions and penalties that made it likely you would lose your vehicle and could face jail time and stiff fines for such behavior, it would deter young people from imitating this anti-social behavior. And I'm definitely not talking about the responsible motorcycle riders who follow the rules of the road or ATV riders who only ride on permitted property. You're not the problem.

Heather C: if I ever get in trouble, I hope you're around to make excuses for me.

AlphaBravoCharlie- I'm not making excuses, I'm making suggestions and trying to offer creative, productive and positive problem solving. What are your creative, productive and positive solutions for the problem? The less people complain, criticize and just want to throw everyone in jail, and the more people make suggestions, try to think of creative and positive solutions, who knows, maybe someone will come up with something that will address the problem constructively. I'm looking forward to hearing other people's suggestions for a solution beyond the "lock them up and throw away the key."

@Heather C

"They just want somewhere to ride and practice tricks and show off their skills. And I'm not just talking about just ATVs or Motorcycles, I'm talking about motor bikes, scooters, 3 wheeled vehicles, etc. And I'm not just talking about New Haven. I see young men in East Haven, North Haven, Hamden, North Branford and West Haven riding all sorts of vehicles and trying out tricks and wanting to test their limits and skills. "

Skills? Limits? That is a fallacy. Plus do all the "testing" of your "limits" on private land. Have at it.

I guess if Lighthouse was closed I could back my Jet-ski into the City Pool and claim "there's nowhere for me to show off my skills".

Either Heather is a poorly written AI bot or lives in New Haven Indiana or Fantasy Land.

Not one - not one dirt bike devil we see in New Haven has got the "skill" OR courage to do a triple.

Yeah...that's a 120 feet long at about 35+ feet high....

If I had the private land and money I would erect a real dirt bike track, get a trailer and offer to let anyone come to my private dirt bike track - only if they were going to jump. The price of admission would be the bike you fail to get on and demonstrate your "skills".

A dirt bike is meant to be in the air, not on one wheel. These thugs would piss their pants if made to ride a dirt bike how is was designed to do. Besides - how can one "practice their skills" on the streets - where there are no 150ft long dirt jumps?

Can't answer that because the streets were meant for registered vehicles. Period. End of Story.

Does it bother anyone that every dirt bike you see is not paying taxes, fees, tickets, fines, registrations or license fees? Shall we all just collectively decide to do the same?

Dirt bikers don't pay, why are we? Will that make the DMV cheaper in the future? All of us deciding to flout the law.

Heather I sincerely advise you to watch Arenacross, Supercross or tradition Motocross on Youtube.

Let me know what you see.

Mailuser1221- "Does it bother anyone that every dirt bike you see is not paying taxes, fees, tickets, fines, registrations or license fees? Shall we all just collectively decide to do the same?"
My response-
If you actually read what I wrote on this thread (and in others,) you would see I wrote about requiring license plates, driver's licenses, fees, fines and other restrictions and penalties for violating the rules of the road, AND a place for young riders to safely ride off the streets. Just because the reckless feats of daring and testing of limits and practicing wheelies and racing and burning rubber don't match the "official" dirt bike or motor cross skills, they are ALL still young men mostly doing dangerous stuff with motorized toys for the thrill of it, regardless of the format or the arena.