By Captain Lance Slack, Lubbock Police Department

This morning I found out that a long-time friend of mine was struck by a semi-truck while riding his bicycle last week. Don Albietz was a Las Vegas Metropolitan police officer, a cycling event coordinator, and a serious competitor.

I raced with Don for several years in Arizona and in Las Vegas. He coordinated the cycling events in Las Vegas each year. But what I remember most about Don was what he did for me when I competed in an event last year: when I broke a pedal during a race, he gave me his bike and shoes so that I could finish.

A few years ago, Don approached me, very excited with the news that he had finally purchased a home in Blue Diamond. This is a small community outside of Las Vegas in Red Rock Canyon. The area is protected and no other homes can be built there. It is also the primary spot for cyclists in Clark County. In the early mornings, there are hundreds of cyclists on this particular section of highway. Our time trials and road races go right by Don’s houses. He always rubs it in that his training grounds are just right outside his door for both road and off-road.

Witnesses to Don’s accident say that the semi-truck that hit Don appeared to hit him on purpose. The driver stopped for a moment then drove away, leaving Don on the side of the road. Don was in a coma for a couple of days. His spine was crushed, resulting in paralysis from his chest down. The doctors attribute his survival to his good fitness level. He is still not “out of the woods.”

A couple of months ago I was struck by a van. I just received my MRI results this afternoon and found out that I have damage to my rotator cup. The doctor is now talking about operating.

My friend almost lost his life and is now paralyzed. Many other cyclists have lost their lives. Most of these are accidents due primarily to driver inattention. Some, however, like my incident and, possibly, Don’s, are from motorists who do not think cyclists have a right to be on the roads.

The guy who struck me told me that we are supposed to go off-road when a car is on the road. He even complained to his insurance company about bicycles always being on the road. The driver who struck Don was arrested.

Lately several of us have been contributing to these negative attitudes towards cyclists. We scream about our “right” to be part of traffic, and we demand that motorists yield the right-of-way to us when the law requires. We want all the “rights” but are beginning to ignore the “responsibilities.” With our new Tuesday and Thursday night routes, we are faced with five stop signs by the time we cross F. M. 400. It’s disappointing to watch the best riders (ability-wise) busting each of these stop signs. It is not even the danger of running the stop signs that bothers me and others the most. Even disrespect for the law and disrespect towards me does not top my list. What disturbs me the most is the idea that other motorists witness this blatant disrespect, thus developing a negative attitude toward cyclists. My fear is that at a later date my wife, another cyclist, or I may pay a price as a result of this negative attitude.