As usual, last Friday’s monthly Chicago Critical Mass bicycle parade/protest/party was a joyful event. This time, the ride ended on top of the human-made hill in Bridgeport’s Palmisano (aka Stearns Quarry) Park, which offers a stunning view of the skyline.
But on the way home from the Mass, longtime participant Juan Dominguez, 55, a machinist by trade, suffered a horrific road rage assault by a motorist. Thankfully, he’s out of the hospital, but his story is a cautionary tale about the lack of regard some car occupants have for human life, especially people on bikes.
Dominguez (an old acquaintance of mine from the bike advocacy community) often proposes routes for the group ride, and helps lead the procession, but didn’t create Friday’s map. After returning home following medical treatment, this morning he provided Streetsblog with an account of what happened, along with a Victim Information Notice from the Chicago Police Department. That document describes the incident as aggravated battery, which occurred on Friday, April 25, at about 11:40 p.m.
He said that after leaving the park in Bridgeport, he was riding north in the concrete-protected bike lane on Canal Street north of Roosevelt Road on the Near West Side. Near Taylor Street, his route was blocked by a black SUV whose driver had illegally parked in the bikeway…