Felony charges have been filed against a Chicago police officer for striking a bicyclist with his pick-up truck on August 3rd then fleeing the scene, according to The Chicago Tribune. The officer was off-duty at the time of the crash, reports The Chicago Sun-Times. The bicyclist suffered serious injuries to her head and lower extremities.
The incident occurred at around 3:25 a.m. near the intersection of California and Wabansia in Humboldt Park. The officer, Michael Bergeson, a nine year veteran, was allegedly driving his Ford F150 when he struck the female cyclist who was riding with her boyfriend. The impact reportedly sent the woman over the hood of the vehicle then onto the street. The Sun Times reports that she was bleeding from the head and was in and out of consciousness at the scene.
Mr. Bergeson allegedly called 911 then fled the scene as the ambulance approached, striking two parked cars as he did so, according to The Tribune. His vehicle's license plate was retrieved at the scene. Two days after the crash, he allegedly made a false traffic report blaming the bicyclist for causing the crash. Prosecutors from the Illinois States Attorneys Office have filed charges against the officer for leaving the scene of an accident and for disorderly conduct stemming from filing a false report, according to The Tribune. Both charges are felonies. Today bail was set at $25,000.
Mr. Bergeson will appear in court again on December 20th.
Well done to those who investigated this hit and run.
ReplyDeleteditto from me.
DeleteDo you know the details of the vehicle and bicyclist movements? I don't like this intersection because I don't know if it's a 4-way stop or 2x 2-way stops (because of its offset nature).
ReplyDeleteBicyclist in the city ride their bikes like they rule the roads. They need to realize that they too need to follow RULES OF THE ROAD!
ReplyDeleteAGREED!!!!!!!! I can't stand bikers. They need to follow the rules of the road.
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ReplyDeleteI have been bicycling in the city of Chicago for 10 years and have almost been hit twice by police officers running red lights without their flashing lights on.
ReplyDeleteI would venture to say that the average police officer thinks they are more "above the law" than the average cyclist.
So what happened on December 20th?
ReplyDelete