Cyclist in critical condition after being hit by car in Strip District

PITTSBURGH — A cyclist was heading down 16th Street in the Strip District and went to make a left turn onto Spring Way between Penn and Liberty Avenue when a driver of an SUV hit her.

“On a human level, it’s awful,” said Gregory Murray.

Pittsburgh Public Safety Spokesperson Cara Cruz said it appears to be an accident.

Shortly before 9 a.m. Thursday, the driver of a van stopped to let the cyclist turn onto Spring Way. The person behind the wheel of the SUV, in the lane closest to the curb, told police the van blocked her view, and she never saw the woman on her bike until it was too late.

“She was transported by EMS in critical condition and sedated at this time, as far as I understand,” said Cruz.  “Hopefully, she’s getting the care she needs, and there’s a possibility she may be upgraded. Hope that’s the case.”

The impact dented the left side of the SUV. The road was temporarily closed while crews cleared the scene.

“You just hope that someone isn’t too badly hurt, and that they’ll recover quickly,” said Murray. “But this happens too much.”

Murray bikes through the Strip District to work three times a week. He says bottom line is drivers need to be more aware of cyclists.

“We have organizations like Bike Pittsburgh, who I think do a lot of good work,” said Murray. “I hope they continue to do good work on behalf of cyclists in the City of Pittsburgh. Just making the streets safer. That’s critical.  The streets belong to everyone.”

As word spread about this, conversations about needing to change this part of the bike path through the Strip District resurfaced.

It’s something the group Better Streets Lawrenceville has been asking for for years. They say biking there can be incredibly dangerous.

At this time, no charges are expected to be filed against the driver of this SUV.

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