Pittsburgh cyclist still has drive after hit-and-run that nearly claimed his life.
After a hit-and-run crash left him unconscious for weeks, biking enthusiast vows to return and continue advocacy here
July 5, 2012 2:08 pm
Fran and Bud Yablonsky walk with their son Dan, 23, down a hall Monday at the HealthSouth Harmarville Rehabilitation Hospital in Indiana Township. Dan Yablonsky was seriously injured in a hit-and-run accident in May while riding his bicycle.
A bicycling enthusiast through and through, Dan Yablonsky has ridden in places that mere mortals would shy away from -- the streets of New York City and Denver and across the Western Continental Divide.
He is now on a journey far longer and more arduous than any of his bike trips. On May 13, Mr. Yablonsky, 23, was run over while cycling on Liberty Avenue in Lawrenceville. The driver of a Jeep fled the scene, leaving Mr. Yablonsky, as he put it, "mangled on the ground."
Police found the Jeep and the remnants of Mr. Yablonsky's bike, which the driver had yanked out of the vehicle's undercarriage some distance from the crash. An investigation continues, and criminal charges are likely.
Another thing is likely, according to Mr. Yablonsky: When he has recovered from injuries that shattered him from head to toe, he will resume his pursuit of a career as a bicycling advocate.
"Now I know the stakes," he said in an interview at HealthSouth Harmarville Rehabilitation Hospital in Indiana Township. "Now I know the stakes of having a safe environment [for cyclists]."
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/pittsburgh-cyclist-still-has-drive-after-hit-and-run-that-nearly-claimed-his-life-643316/#ixzz1znWhr8l7
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