Accident Truth dot com

The latest statistics gathered by the Traffic Stop's gathering department show that 99.832% of Charlotte's cycling community(and 57.283% of the world's) is aware that on October 1, 2010 at 1541hrs ArsBars was riding on one of her multitudinous cycling efforts when she was involved in an incident with a car.  I have talked to her only via email since the significant emotional event took place and for those of you who keep asking me on the street and in the elevators, she is doing well.

In the days following said incident I noticed in the analytics of my stat counter that over a dozen folks from around the country had Google or Bing searched, "Arleigh's Wreck", "Arleigh gets hit by car", "Is Arleigh okay?", Is Arleigh alive or dead?", or one of several other variations of e-concern about her accident and were led to one of my old posts with her name mentioned.  The inquiries came from as far away as Traverse City MI and Austin TX(it may have been Lance himself trying to find out if Arleigh was okay).

After being stymied by the police at the beginning, my resolve was persistent and I was finally able to obtain a good true copy of the incident report filed by the CMPD.  Be advised that this is the second version of the report.  Mystery and intrigue surrounds the unexplained vanishing of the original one that I have never been able to locate.  When I examined the first page of the report I was shocked to learn that ArsBars' middle name is Frances.

For all of you cycling peeps out there, check out all of the blocks in page two of the report.  There is plenty to learn when you read all of the data carefully, especially if you have the encryption decoder for all of the official lingo.  But seriously, check it out.  This page clearly states that the schematic is not to scale, however it does not mention that the North arrow appears to be pointing in an easterly direction. Upon further investigation at the scene of the event, my undercover CSI partner noticed that the drawing shows the car in the left of two lanes on Caldwell when there are actually three.  According to this picture the car was in the left turn only lane.  Perhaps this report should go back for correction like the first one did and be replaced with a third version. 

I took some snaps on location.  Here is the slight downhill approach on 3rd Street headed to Caldwell at the next block. 

Maybe this food distributor needs to read the manual on how not to take over the pedestrian cross walk with the diesel burner. 

Hmmm, at the very entrance to the crosswalk where this bicycle v. car altercation went down there is a stark warning posted on the inside light pole.  This could be a crucial piece of evidence in the case, or maybe not. 

According to the report this was the lane that the car was in when the hit went down.  Yikes, all I see one block ahead on the right is the bankrupt NASCAR Hall of Fame. 

The last piece of the puzzle may come from a homeless fellow named Marques who lives on the top floor of this foreclosed and abandoned high rise that sits on the inside corner at 3rd and Caldwell.  When he saw me hanging out taking pictures on the scene, Marques came down out of the building and asked me for some money and inquired as to what I was doing under his de facto home.  I explained how I was working on an investigation of an accident involving a bike and a car that happened a week and a half ago.  Marques looked shocked, smiled and said, "I witnessed everything that afternoon but I was too afraid to come down when I saw all of the cops and firemen.  Give me a dollar and I will tell you what I saw."  So, I gave him my last dollar and was blown away with the interesting details he recalled. 

*Scanning of Police Report Done at the PDC by TE.  Blotting out of addresses and photo shop, the works of Jimmy.