Ep. 71: Maureen O'Keefe: my cycling crash lessons

Maximum Enthusiasm

Meet Maureen O’Keefe: Wife, Mom, cyclist, community member, employee, nature-lover…. badass. Tenacious with a never-back-down attitude, if you ask me. That’s what made her perfect for the show. Also, meet Maureen O’Keefe: victim of a crash caused by a negligent motorist. Maureen went for a bike ride one day and she came home weeks later a very different version of herself. She sustained serious injuries, including a shattered shoulder and knee, in the collision. Instead of finding a justice system ready to punish the person who did this- a young driver (who to this day has yet to apologize to Maureen) - Maureen was appalled to find the system all-too-eager to blame HER. She witnessed both the DA and defense counsel victim-blaming HER and she experienced a criminal/traffic case where the players in the game seemed more concerned with keeping the young driver driving and going to school, than it did with punishing the driver who left Maureen forever maimed, impaired and altered. Maureen’s tenacity from day one is what left such an impression on me and given the various hurdles faced in her case with the DAs, defense counsel, even the cops’ body cam footage, we felt this interview would be hugely informative and helpful to anyone who may ever find themselves in a similar position. Interested in getting involved in bike advocacy in the Colorado Springs area where Maureen lives and rides? Check out Bike COS: https://www.bikecoloradosprings.org/ Thanks as always to RELISH STUDIO for their help in producing this podcast and for being a show sponsor!