Roving Bands of ATV Riders Terrorize Our Nation’s Capitol
Imagine, for a moment, that you’re walking the streets of our nation’s capitol, admiring a monument or something. Then you hear it, in the distance: a droning sound, like an orchestra of bumblebees swarming together in ominous crescendo. The din gets closer… closer… and voosh! They’ve zipped past now, and you’re staring after them — one of the lawless gangs of ATV and dirt bike riders that terrorize Washington D.C., apparently, every year.
Snap back to reality: this is real shit. And law enforcement in Washington D.C. have honestly had enough of it, understandably, because the danger is becoming increasingly apparent. The latest ATV incident occurred Monday, when a band of 30+ riders swarmed an ambulance carrying a sick child, stopping it in its tracks.
When Douchebaggery Cross the Line…
I’m of the sincere opinion that when you stop an ambulance carrying a sick kid with your gang of tiny vehicles for anything that’s not an emergency, you’re probably being a douchebag.
When your reason for stopping an ambulance carrying a sick kid is, “Hey! You cut us off!”, you’re definitely a douchebag and so is every other member of your weird gang of street-toughs. And that’s what happened — the ATV riders surrounded the ambulance so it had to stop, then one of the riders opened the door of the ambulance to accuse the driver of cutting him off.
Yeah, well, the ambulance driver called the police. But it’s honestly kind of shocking (and creepy, and probably stupid) that the riders didn’t disperse until the cops actually arrived on the scene. I guess one of the takeaways here is that the bands of ATV riders in D.C. are less afraid of law enforcement than one might guess.
Hopefully, this will be the year that the cops take back the streets. They’ve set up a hotline for Washington D.C. citizens to report any ATV’s or dirt bikes they spot illegally driving around, causing mischief.
Especially since one D.C. officer was struck by one of the gangs and drug down the street.
ATV’s ≠ Not Cars; Dirt Bikes ≠ Motorcycles
One of the obvious issues with a bunch of ATV’s and dirt bikes zipping willy-nilly around the streets of America’s capitol city like they’re real vehicles is that they are absolutely not real vehicles.
Do they transport people around? Yes, but so did your Uncle Steve when he gave you piggyback rides as a kid, and he doesn’t qualify as a vehicle either. Much like Uncle Steve, ATV’s and dirt bikes do not provide the safety features mandatory in motor vehicles. You know, like seat belts, and literally anything to shield riders from impact in traffic accidents. Truck v. dirt bike would be no great shucks to the truck, but would probably turn the dirt bike into a skid mark in the best case scenario.
Last year’s D.C. police flier on the issue pretty much says all there is to say:
“Mini-bikes, dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles and other motorized bikes and multi-wheeled vehicles pose a danger to pedestrians and other motorists and are illegal to operate on DC’s streets.”
And let’s go ahead and assume that they are especially dangerous in large groups. For example, the incident with the ambulance. For another example, there’s the news reporter shot and killed last year by a dirt bike rider — which was an accident, because the shooter was really just aiming for a person in another group of riders. That’s a pretty important example because it demonstrates how, to at least some of the riders, this is apparently a fucking game.
Well, if that’s how they want to play, then maybe the battle for the streets of D.C. is nigh upon us. According to Police Chief Cathy Lanier, “They come back every summer.” Let’s all cross our fingers and hope that this summer is the last.
At Turner Law Offices, P.C., our team of attorneys has years of experience working with clients across a wide range of cases related to traffic accidents, including those involving ATV’s and dirt bikes. If you or a loved one has been harmed by an incident involving an ATV, dirt bike, or other such vehicle, then you certainly have grounds to pursue damages. If you find yourself wrongfully accused of a crime involving an ATV or dirt bike, you also have grounds for legal protection.
The best way to ensure a satisfactory resolution for any case is to start as soon as possible — so don’t wait! Call today, or go online to set up your free initial consultation, and meet with a skilled lawyer who’s ready and waiting to get you on track toward the justice you deserve.
