I'll take it one step further and say that if the cop had hit and killed him, the cop would have blamed the bike rider "who ran a stop sign"
You are quite correct.
I live one block down from the intersection where that incident occured, on another light controlled intersection. My apt building is quite old, two stories tall, and the set back from the street is only 8 feet. Anyone approaching that light from the street in front, or the intersecting street beside the apt building CANNOT see up the other street until they are almost in the intersection.
I've been here 5 years, and I"'ve seen 8 accidents at that intersection. Worst one was the cop who ean the light on the street beside the intersection, and killed a 14 year old boy on a bicycle who had a green light and was just pedalling down the street in front of the apt. No charges were preferred against the cop, even though 4 people witnessed the accident and all 4 said the boy had the green light. His parents are STILL in court with the city and the cop.
Second worst was another cop running the same light - this time he was on the street in front of the apt, and the lady that T-boned him was on the street beside it. She had the green light, cop had neither lights nor siren on. That one I was the principal witness too, as I had been at the corner window of my living room taking pictures - I actually got one of the accident as it occured, and it clearly showed the light was in her favor. The cop was a sergeant with 12 years of patrol experience - he'll never run another patrol. He got nearly killed, with serious brain damage.
The cops charged the lady with reckless endangerment and failure to yield, even though I told them I saw it happen and the sergeant ran the light. I DID NOT tell them I had pictures - I've enough experience with cops to know the camera/pictures would have been "lost" if they seized them. When her attorney contacted me as the principal witness, I took the camera with undeveloped pictures to his office with me, and explained what they showed. He took me to a magistrates office to surrender the camera/film in the presence of witnesses and establish an uncontrovertible chain of evidencre regarding them. Charges got dropped, city bought her a new car, paid all her medical expenses.
Then the police depts insurance company refused to pay his disability claim because the injury was not sustained in the line of duty, but rather whilst himself breaking the law. I've been to court three times on that one as a witness.
I know how dangerous biking is. I accept that danger in exchange for the enjoyment
