The female university student involved in Monday night’s collision with a University Police Auxiliary vehicle near Commons 7 said she plans to seek compensation from the police department for the accident.
Salina Liller, a junior environmental science and policy major, was working a shift for Jimmy John’s at the time of the incident, and wrote in an email that she was hit because of a miscommunication at the intersection.
The vehicle ran into her, she said, a statement that has been corroborated by student witnesses who were in the area during the accident.
“When I realized they hadn’t seen me, I tried to stop and turn away but it was too late,” Liller wrote in an email.
The driver of the police auxiliary vehicle “clipped my front wheel and then somehow I was turned around and pinned between the truck and my handlebars for a moment … then I was on the ground under my bike.”
This account is different from that of police officials.
University Police completed their investigation of this incident, and found Liller to be at fault, police spokeswoman Sgt. Rosanne Hoaas said. Review of area video cameras shows that Liller coasted through the intersection without stopping completely at the stop sign, causing her to run into the Police Auxiliary vehicle.
“My understanding, and what’s on the video, is that the bicyclist goes through the intersection not coming to a complete stop, and runs into our vehicle that’s already in the intersection,” Hoaas said. “It kinda comes down to, when you’re in the roadway, you have to obey all traffic control devices.”
UMPD will not be contacting the student, Hoaas said.
Though Liller did not suffer any broken bones or internal bleeding as a result of the collision, she said she has “pretty bad” bruising on her ribs and is having difficulty moving. She is going to have to miss time from work until she is healthy enough to use her bicycle again, she added.
“I’ll be asking them to pay for my hospital expenses, lost wages at work and bicycle damage, at least,” Liller wrote, noting she intends to talk with her employer first before moving forward.
“Compensation is done through insurance and such, if the person is seeking compensation, they will have to go through the insurance company,” Hoaas said.
The collision occurred at about 8:46 p.m. Monday night, Hoaas said. Liller was responsive when she was transported to a local hospital soon after.