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Biker Run Over By SUV & Paralyzed During Gang Attack Doesn't Blame Driver
By
Max Rivlin-Nadler
Published Mar 5, 2014
Modified Mar 5, 2014
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By
Max Rivlin-Nadler
Published Mar 5, 2014
Modified Mar 5, 2014
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A biker who was run over in September by an SUV driver doesn't blame the driver for the near-fatal crash that occurred after he and several others surrounded the SUV on the Henry Hudson Parkway.
Edwin Mieses, 32, appeared on the Today Show this morning to say that he doesn't blame driver Alexian Lien for running him over after Mieses and other motorcyclists surrounded Lien following a collision with fellow rider, Christopher Cruz.
"I wanted to check on Cruz. I saw him get hit out of the corner of my eye,” Mieses said. Mieses was struck by Lien's car when he was off his bike, and doctors do not believe he will ever walk again. “I didn’t want to open my eyes because I knew he had hurt me."
Mieses suffered nine broken ribs, as well as a severed spine, and a variety of other injuries. But, he says, "at the end of the day, I’m not him to know what was going through his mind."
After Mieses was struck, the biker gang pursued Lien, who was driving with his wife and young child, before eventually forcing the SUV off the highway in Washington Heights. Once the car stopped in traffic, motorcyclists broke the SUV's windows and dragged Lien out of the car before beating him on the street.
“We always take everything for granted,” Mieses told Today. “What would I give to be able to walk again, use a bathroom again on my own. ... That has allowed me to see things from a different angle.”
Mieses's attorney did not rule out suing Lien, however.
Tagged
Alexian Lien
Bikers
motorcycle
Paralysis
rallyroadrage
violence
Max Rivlin-Nadler
Max Rivlin-Nadler has been a contributor to Gothamist since 2013. He has also reported for the New York Times, NPR, and The Intercept. His years-long investigation into New York City's arcane civil forfeiture laws led to a series of reforms which altered a practice that had been taking millions from poor communities for decades. Recently, he brought back a surfing habit from a few years on the west coast, and would love to see you all out in the Rockaways.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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