Streetsblog Chicago co-founder John Greenfield injured in southern Illinois bike crash
Streetsblog editor and outspoken biking advocate John Greenfield was in a medically induced coma over the weekend following an accident in southern Illinois during one of his regular bike tours.
Around 12:30 p.m. Friday, Greenfield, 52, was biking at the intersection of West Deyoung and North Russell Streets in Marion, Illinois when a culvert became dislodged from a nearby pickup truck and struck him, Marion Police Department said. An ambulance took Greenfield to the Memorial Hospital of Carbondale following the accident, police said.
Police said the person driving the truck was cited for an unsecured load but police could not provide any more information about the driver.
The accident was first reported Sunday by Streetsblog Chicago editor-at-large and co-founder Steven Vance in a Streetsblog post.
Greenfield’s brother, Dave Greenfield, told the Tribune Monday that his brother hasn’t fully regained consciousness since the accident, but “there are positive signs,” as he’s becoming more responsive with time. Greenfield’s doctors say he’s making good progress, his brother said.
The doctor treating Greenfield saw the coma as a precaution because of a possible head injury, Vance wrote in the blog post. Although the extent of cognitive effects are unknown, Vance said, “there are many signs for optimism.”
On Monday morning, Greenfield’s brother said that his condition was steadily improving, and doctors hope he will be off the ventilator in the next few days.
Multimodal bike tours are common adventures for Greenfield, according to Vance’s post. He started his latest journey on Thursday. After riding Amtrak from Chicago to Carbondale, he began biking Friday morning, Vance wrote.
Dave Greenfield said his brother’s destination was Garden of the Gods Recreation Area in Herod, which is about 50 miles from his starting point.
In 2013, Greenfield and Vance co-founded Streetsblog Chicago, a daily news source informing Chicagoans about efforts to make their communities more livable. Along with Streetsblog New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, California, Denver, Massachusetts and USA, the Chicago blog connects local transportation reform advocates with one another and to the national movement for reform.
Greenfield is particularly interested in working toward effective and safe bike infrastructure in the city. Before his time at Streetsblog, he worked for the Active Transportation Alliance as a Chicago Department of Transportation consultant and managed the installation of around 3,500 bike parking racks across Chicago.
Vance said regular publishing on Streetsblog Chicago will be paused until further notice.
