This is a rare opportunity for us to highlight road rage against cyclists and bring focus to bicyclist rights. Too often when drivers display reckless malice toward cyclists we have no recourse or voice. I hope that we as a cycling community follow this case closely and show a strong presence in the Thomas Lynch arraignment and criminal trial. The Lake County State's Attorney, Michael Waller (personal assistant Jackie, 847.377.3000), will ultimately determine Mr. Lynch’s charges. Our collective pressure will ensure that criminal felony charges are filed instead of paltry traffic fines.

Mr. Lynch’s Florida Drivers License shows a P.O. box for an address, yet he offered the local address of 7-- Greenbrier LN, Lake Forest IL. This is the R------ residence.

Hehehe. His name is "Lynch". Oh, the possibilities are endless!

Seriously, though. Don't anyone go all militant at the hearing or anything. Focus on showing how civil you are, not how pissed you are...like the driver apparently did.

Excellent point, Seth. We need to keep attention focused on this case, but there's no call for mob rule. Let's take the high ground. Stay classy, cyclists!

Classy is the key! I was in traffic court today and it was easy to pick out the people that are "easy" cases and those that the judge is more than happy to levy the law against. If this guy is a "Joe Bob" from Florida (has more guns than dogs, chews Skoal, etc.), having a bunch of classy, professional witnesses to support the Lake County case should look good.

Also, regarding civil cases, keep in mind the bigger picture. I hope he gets the full criminal boot and is remorseful. If he's got a family and kids, a civil case can not only punishes him, but also his family. Hopefully, he's got insurance and if anyone needs to collect to cover medical bills, etc., that's the way to go.

BTW, I wish Oprah could have riding a paceline with XXX on Saturday AM. Could you imagine the publicity for bicycle safety! Steve Dahl eat your heart out.

Wow, in listening to all of these comments, it sounds as if you want to make this guy some sort of example...his home address? Making broad stereo-types because of the truck he was driving? The mob has started, eh?

Then what?

Can anyone suggest a way to create more of an awareness of people riding bikes? Maybe educate bike riders? If all you want to do is get the mob fired up and get Dahl fired and stereotype the guy in the pickup...then your cause is paper thin.

Further, I cannot count how many times I’ve seen people riding bikes so recklessly that they almost cause accidents all around town. Get off of your high-horse.

Are you willing to share personal information of the bike-messengers downtown who endanger pedestrians everyday of the week?

Right now it sounds more like a bunch of elitist riding $1,000+ bikes having a problem with their country club sport.

Gimme a break…this is a non-issue and a non-story and the bikers are showing their true colors with this mob-like action that is being taken.

Richard, you have a good point. I've edited out the identifying information from the comments.

Can anyone suggest a way to create more of an awareness of people riding bikes? Maybe educate bike riders?

Indeed, this is a golden opportunity to remind cyclists of their responsibilities. We all need to do a better job of sharing the road. I've been emphasizing that all along.

As for Mr. Lynch: He did not merely drive recklessly. He drove recklessly with malice, in a fashion likely to cause injury or death. Any such operator of a vehicle, whether truck, car or bicycle, stands to be made an example.

Our true colors? We do not like being killed. We do not like being bullied. Those are our true colors.

Richard, I can see your point. Understand that many of the people commenting here had their lives threatened by this man and we have all seen too many times where drivers who hurt and kill riders receive a slap on the wrist. There aren't many cases that are as open and shut as this one and you can see why an example needs to be set. I am not saying what the example needs to be, though.

I am sure in your mind and many others, this driver came back and turned himself in and that should count for something. You are also right that some of the conversation has started to sound a bit like mob mentality in that we are all out to get this guy.

Luke, brought it all back when he said, "stay classy". We aren't out for revenge.

Close calls happen all the time. I have yet to be hit, but there are the less than 1% of drivers that don't believe that cyclists belong on the road and are willing to use their cars to scare or injure cyclists. It is a very small minority, but it happens too often to us. Today, my wife and I were out for a ride and car came within an inch of hitting me. My vision actually thought I got hit, but I didn't feel anything, so obviously I didn't get hit. The guy was on his cellphone and not another car around so he had plenty of room to move over as we were both riding single file as far to the right as possible. Last year, I got brushed by a landscape trailer. I chased after the driver and his response was that I didn't belong on the road. Nice. He received a visit from the police as the officer that took the report was a triathlete.

Sorry for the long response, but we have all had incidents and when one or more of our cycling family is injured due to a driver acting stupid, recklessly, or both. We all think "that could have been me" and it brings back all the anger we felt when our lives were endangered.

Richard, see my comments in the other blog entry. On top of that, yes, cyclists should be cited when they do not follow the laws. I have actually seen first hand, riders receiving traffic tickets. We are not above the law. Just as I mentioned before that there is a very small minority of drivers who will endanger cyclists, there is also a small minority (although not as small) that ride recklessly. Most because they don't know any better but a very small minority that are just like the crazy drivers. Almost all cyclists don't hate drivers as most of us drive cars too and almost all drivers don't hate cyclists. That very small minority on both sides is what is causing the problem.

Lastly, just as we shouldn't lump this driver in with all drivers, don't lump all cyclists in with the reckless ones.

What is the point of listing Mr. Lynch's personal home address above?

A simple excel spreadsheet and google maps will get you to the neighborhood where he lives.

Are Mr. Lynch's civil rights thrown out the window because you simply say "stay classy" and you feel in the right?

Please advise.

It is standard practice for media outlets -- and quasi-media outlets such as this one -- to provide the general address of defendants. This is so as to avoid confusion with any other Thomas Lynches who may happen to claim a Lake Forest address.

Naturally he has not been convicted of anything yet, but when anyone commits an assault, they yield certain civil rights, including privacy.

So . . . Richard, you feel that publishing Lynch's address is somehow worse than vehicular assault on a group of individuals?

What was the point of publishing his address? I imagine it was to call him out for his misdeed. And while it might be a privacy issue, it's certainly not a civil rights issue. It WAS overzealous. I'm glad that you pointed it out and I'm glad that its been taken down . . . but what is your beef with cyclists? Why do you feel that we don't deserve to be angry about a motorist purposefully putting our lives at risk?

I've ridden in a group where one of our number was struck and killed by a motorist. It's beyond horrifying. The life of a smart, engaging, thoughtful young person ended needlessly. The driver of that vehicle haunted by guilt. To think that Lynch TRIED to harm cyclists, is unfathomable.

He has earned the anger directed at him. He's going to have to live with it, just as cyclists live with the threat he and his ilk pose every time we get on a bike.

I just googled “Chicago bike accidents”, and there have been dozens of situations where a car has struck a cyclist in the Chicagoland area.

Can you please refer me to your archived posts where you list the personal information of each defendant in these cases?

Being a media outlet, this should be standard practice.

If this is the first time, it seems the release of this person’s personal information has more to do with spite, rather than being a responsible quasi-media outlet.

Please advise.

There are many accidents. This is the first time that I know of that it was done on purpose and resulting in criminal charges.

Spite? Perhaps. He apparently tried to kill me. How would you react? Advise.

Richard -- His address will show up on this page anyway...
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=44638&src=5

This an issue of someone with little regard for human life threatening bodily harm to another person with their vehicle. If someone thought it was funny to run you down in a parking lot, I imagine you'd be singing a different tune.

These cyclists were following the laws of the road. If the driver has a problem with our road laws, then he can choose not to drive -- but trying to harm people with your car is not an option.

When I was 17 I got into a car accident that was my fault. The police blotter posted my name and address in the paper. Big deal, it's a matter of public record. The argument is a red herring. The point is that this guy, and not another guy of the same name, on this day and in this specific incident committed a willful act that resulted in the injury of people. This has nothing to do with other cyclists riding habits. He's lucky he didn't kill someone as one of the riders actually went under the vehicle, brushing the tire with his arm and the tailpipe with his face. Richard, your assertion that this is a non-issue speaks to your predisposition and nothing else.

I am not defending this guy by any means. He will get his day in court and I hope justice prevails.

But it seems odd that the cyclists here are coming off as if they have never pissed off a car driver, they have never gone the wrong way on a one way street, they have never jumped from the street to the sidewalk and back to the street. As much as you don’t want to admit this…cyclists cause road rage…you do!

I know I am speaking for many people when I say that cyclists cause more accidents and close calls than any car or any driver with road rage. Of the modes of transportation that exist, bikes don’t have a place…streets are for cars, sidewalks for pedestrians and rails for trains.

We have to agree that cyclists following the rules of the road are the minority…easily.

Cyclists hit or have near misses with pedestrian’s downtown almost daily…cyclists make their own rules…and cyclists NEVER return to the scene of the crime after any near misses…trust me I’ve seen them ride off into the sunset.

Cyclists even have their own ovals and trails to ride…but you still insist on riding on the streets for something other than transportation.

If human life is so precious, why were they riding their bikes on a street that is filled with cars and people rather than being safe and riding on ovals and trails?

So with that…I do have one question…Why wasn’t the group on a bike trail or a bike oval?

Richard,

Maybe you can't understand the severity of this person's act, I as a cyclist and as a NORMAL human being do, and wish to see this individual and anyone who diplays this level of malice towards other human beings (not just cyclists) put behind bars AS AN EXAMPLE.

The issue of human lives is not an NON-ISSUE. If you don't understand, maybe next time you drive down the expressway behind a semi, the truck driver needs to slam his brakes and give you a little taste of what this felt like.

Road is to be shared and everyone needs to be more restrained about their reactions no matter who's at fault. If the drivers are going to use their cars as weapons to settle scores, then next time I go on a ride I am stuffing an RPG in my jersey pocket.

Folks, I'm going to close the comments on this before it gets out of hand.

We've gotten Richard to agree with us that we need prosecution on this case. That's one small step.

And Richard, even though we don't see eye to eye, I appreciate you sticking around, despite being obviously outnumbered. Most people leave a contrarian comment and move on. But with all due respect, the question of why we weren't on a "bike trail or bike oval" suggests we may be at an dead end.