Rahm Emanuel Plays Hero After Cyclist Hit By Truck
Image by getty images
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday came to the aid of a bicyclist struck by a truck and stayed with her until an ambulance arrived.
Emanuel was getting a cup of coffee at Big Shoulders Coffee in the city’s River West area at about 8:30 a.m. when he heard the accident, spokeswoman Sarah Hamilton said.
The mayor rushed over to the cyclist and stayed with her for a few minutes until an ambulance arrived at the scene, Hamilton said. According to local media, the bicyclist was not seriously injured.
The area where the accident occurred is about 2 miles (3 km) northwest of City Hall and is heavily traveled by cyclists.
The mayor, who is a bicyclist himself, has been a proponent of installing more protected bike lanes throughout the city and a bike share program.
The incident offers another side to the popular image of Emanuel, who formerly served as chief of staff to President Barack Obama, as a brash, foul-mouthed politician.
Over the last few years, other U.S. mayors have made news for their heroics. Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker, a U.S. Senate candidate, carried a woman out of a burning house and helped an pedestrian hit by a car.
Four years ago, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett came to the aid of a woman being assaulted by a man outside the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds, only to have her attacker turn on him with a tire iron. The mayor was seriously injured.
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
