Another Comm. Ave. bike crash

A Boston University student cyclist was involved in a collision with a motor vehicle Wednesday morning, the second bicycle accident reported by the Daily Free Press on campus this month.

The Boston Police Department responded to a radio call at 7:53 a.m. at the intersection of University Road and Commonwealth Avenue, BPD spokesman Eddy Chrispin said.

The driver of a black Lexus LS was approaching the intersection when he saw the cyclist crossing through the BU Academy parking lot.

‘He decelerated when he observed the bicyclist,’ Chrispin said. ‘The bicyclist kept going, applied brakes, fell over the side of the car.’

The cyclist was ‘treated on scene,’ and there was no damage to the vehicle, Chrispin said.

The cyclist, College of Engineering sophomore Jon Stansel, said he was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for treatment, because he was ‘bleeding from the head for a bit.’

‘I wasn’t wearing a helmet,’ he said. ‘It wasn’t the smartest thing. I should have been wearing one.”

Stansel said he was heading toward Bay State Road when he was hit. He said he had applied his brakes, but they were faulty.

This is not the first collision he has experienced at this intersection. Last month, a car ‘clipped’ Stansel, but there were no injuries, he said.

‘I do like the bike lanes on campus right now, but the area by BU Academy is kind of a dead zone,’ he said. ‘There are cars coming from four directions. The bike lanes are there, but it’s kind of hard for the cars to get to where they’re going and be mindful of the bicyclists.’

‘People fall into a pattern when they’re riding their bikes or driving their cars,’ Stansel said. ‘People just need to be a little more mindful.’