Cyclists to ride for cleaner lanes, better motorists
A car drives near the bike lane of McLean Boulevard Oct. 31. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Noah Long had been in Memphis just two weeks after moving from Toronto to dance for Ballet Memphis when he was nearly killed by a hit-and-run driver while cycling in Midtown.
Around 1 a.m. Aug. 17 on Poplar Avenue in front of Home Depot, a car Long never heard smashed into him with enough force to seriously damage his bike and leave him with a jaw that was broken in half along with two fractured vertebrae, a broken thumb, a concussion and other injuries.
If not for a woman who saw the crash and called police, Long could have succumbed to his injuries or even been hit by another vehicle on Poplar Avenue. As it is, he’s still in rehab for his injuries with hopes of returning to the stage in December for a small role in Ballet Memphis’s “The Nutcracker.”
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Jody Callahan
Jody Callahan graduated with degrees in journalism and economics from what is now known as the University of Memphis. He has covered news in Memphis for more than 25 years.
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