Astonishing video released by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation shows a woman cyclist coming home from July 4 fireworks and trying to somehow cross the Racine Street Lift Bridge in the Town of Menasha while it’s going up. Yeah. What was she thinking? She falls into the gap seen just in front of her in the photo. The woman, 37, would quite likely have died had the bridge operator not been watching and stopped the motors. The video shows as many as eight people coming to her help or calling for assistance. She suffered face injuries. Some cite a cycling phenomenon sometimes called forward motion compulsion. Cyclists can’t stop even though they know they should. It seems to be a function of the necessity to move in order to stay upright.
