UPDATE: Former pro triathlete (ST member) hit by car and critically injured – needs your support

Triathlon Forum
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Former pro triathlete (ST member) hit by car and critically injured – needs your support
Last Saturday (Sept 4), Arland Macasieb, a former professional triathlete, was hit by a car in Fairfield, New Jersey as he was riding alone and just doing what he enjoys most.

According to Fairfield Police, it happened around 12:45 p.m. on Two Bridges Road near the entrance to Route 46 East. A preliminary investigation indicated that Arland was riding northbound on Two Bridges Road, and as he was crossing the entrance ramp for Route 46 East, he was struck by a customized 1959 Chevrolet Corvette operated by Mr. John Lehr of North Caldwell.

Authorities said that Mr. Lehr’s Corvette initially attempted to enter Route 46 East, but he apparently did not see Arland riding his bike before the collision. “It appears that the cyclist may have been dragged as far as 100 feet before the Corvette finally stopped,” said Fairfield Police officials. EMS rushed Arland to St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Paterson for treatment.

Currently, Arland remains in critical condition and is receiving intensive care at St. Joseph’s Medical Center. His injuries are extensive with multiple fractures and lacerations all over his body. While I cannot disclose the full extent of his injuries, just imagine what would happen to anyone dragged under a car still strapped in his bike for a hundred feet. The bottom line is that he needs to undergo multiple surgeries.

I have known Arland and his family for over 20 years and we have raced both together and against each other on many occasions. He is a dedicated family man and loves the sport of triathlon next only to his family. Arland has been doing triathlons for over 24 years and during his competitive years, he trained together with Chrissie Wellington under Brett Sutton.

He has raced in countless Ironmans (including Kona), marathons (multiple Boston Marathons), and various national and international races. He was running in the 2013 Boston Marathon when it was attacked by terrorists. He won the bronze medal twice in the triathlon event at the 2005 and 2007 Southeast Asian Games.

Although born and raised in New Jersey, Arland has kept in touch with his Filipino roots and is a 3-time national triathlon champion of the Philippines. In 2013 he rode 162 laps at Velo Sports Center in Carson, CA setting the Philippine national hour record, which stands to this day.
In recent years, while still racing periodically, he shifted his career to sports development, bike fitting, and coaching. He is a USA Cycling certified coach, US Masters Swimming certified coach, and an Ironman University certified triathlon coach. He would travel all over the country to do bike fitting and coaching and occasionally would volunteer at the Wounded Warrior Project in Colorado Springs.

In 2006, Arland, together with a group of our close friends, established FilAmTri, which has since grown to over 600 members around the world.

Arland has a loving partner (Twinkle) and two adorable children ages 9 and 6. They are asking for your prayers so that Arland can be in their midst again.
With permission from his family, FilAmTri has set up a GoFundMe page for Arland, and we would appreciate any contribution the global triathlon community can provide to one of their own.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/lets-help-arland-fight-the-race-of-his-life

This is a statement from Twinkle in her FB page: “The afternoon of Sept 4, Arland was doing what he enjoyed most. He was biking in Northern NJ when he was struck by a car, changing his life in an instant. He sustained multiple injuries and thankfully he is currently stable. He has a lot of surgical needs and it will be a long road to healing. He talks to Miles and Mia on the phone but not on FaceTime yet. Each day that passes is another day of healing. No surgeries scheduled as they are allowing his body to recover from the beating that it took. When appropriate, there will be a series of surgeries. We know that if there is anyone who can overcome, it is Arland. He is well aware of all your love, your concern and support and it means a lot to him, to us.” I will update as often as I can. We appreciate your fervent prayers and your healing thoughts.”

SEE UPDATES BELOW
Arly 2.jpeg

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This is a picture of the Corvette with the bike still underneath.

Car.jpg

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How tragic. Sorry to hear this.

And how terrible that his family now has to ask for money through the US National Health Insurance Plan, aka GoFundMe. Should be the last thing they need to think about, yet after all these years, here we are.

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Frankly, I don’t know if Arland has insurance or not. He is self employed so we can assume anything. I really don’t want to ask his family about that right now.

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they got the car, was it not insured? going to be a rather large lawsuit with this one might assume, which should cover the bills, eventually

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Oh my gosh what horrible news. I clicked on this thread from where I live in Alaska wondering if its a pro I heard of and see that it’s not just someone I heard of but it’s my friend Arland. Used to live right near him in New Jersey. Arland is such a positive and nice person. Extremely encouraging within the tri community. Does an awesome bike fit. Inspiring to watch race. Just a great, great guy. I just saw he posted on Strava that he had his first road ride in a while a week or so ago. I’ve ridden that loop he must have been on when he got hit with him. Praying for him and his family. Please keep us updated if there is any news of how he is doing. Thanks for posting the link to the go fund me site.

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Definitely he won’t be paying for his medical bills or any lost wages. This is sad and I’m glad he is awake and stable. Hopefully his doctors are great and he can get put back together to at least be able to continue to enjoy the sports he enjoys. It will be a long road. Many years ago I was run over and dragged (not on a bike and not quite that far). It happened in august and I was off crutches in January. This before all of today’s technology and medical abilities. I hope his recovery will be smooth and fast.

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Oh crap, I wish him well. I was there, but under a school bus in 2018. In a way, the school bus was better than a large car. More room underneath and no dragging! Please pass on my best to his family. He will need both physical and psychological rehab, but I am sure he will get there if nothing else for his family he will fight his way back.

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I saw this the other day. He’s a good friend of our bike fitter, so obviously a huge impact on him. Not documented, but we heard this has been at least 3 times this driver has had issues. Time for a change…

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Horrible news. I wish him and his family the very best with his recovery.

they got the car, was it not insured? going to be a rather large lawsuit with this one might assume, which should cover the bills, eventually
Whenever I see discussions on ST about accidents in the US resulting in medical costs, I find it so disgusting and disturbing that you need to worry about the financial aspect at the same time as worrying about physical and emotional wellbeing. It’s horrible and, IMO, so wrong. Myself and my partner encountered this a couple of years ago when we needed to attend a hospital while on holiday in the US. It really made an upsetting situation much worse, and it really is a broken system IMO. Healthcare has other issues in other countries, no argument there, but the way the financial side is structured in the US is something a bit different.

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Best wishes to Arland during his recovery. Looking at the location of the collision on Google Maps, it doesn’t appear there was any reason the driver couldn’t have seen Arland except for maybe the jacked-up front end of the Corvette and part of the engine protruding multiple inches from the middle of the hood.

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Whenever I see discussions on ST about accidents in the US resulting in medical costs…

I don’t think this thread is the thread to be espousing one’s belief on whether you should pay for medical insurance or pay your medical in taxes. All systems require payment, as no medical treatment is actually “free” of charge anywhere in the world. If you want to start a thread about this please do.

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Sucks to hear. I met Arland a couple of times briefly years ago when we crossed paths. Really hoping for a full recovery.

There’s some news and comments on a Corvette blog…

Includes whether the modified blower thing obstructed vision. From the angle in the pic, seems like it would. I expect the insurance/police investigation will sort that out. Driver charged w/3 violations:

“… having an unsafe vehicle, careless and reckless driving, and making an unsafe lane change.”

https://www.corvetteblogger.com/2021/09/07/accident-custom-1959-corvette-strikes-biker-and-drags-him-nearly-100-feet/

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Best wishes to Arland during his recovery. Looking at the location of the collision on Google Maps, it doesn’t appear there was any reason the driver couldn’t have seen Arland except for maybe the jacked-up front end of the Corvette and part of the engine protruding multiple inches from the middle of the hood.

You may be correct Mark. That huge blower on his hood may have obstructed the view on his front right side where he hit Arland. I don’t know if it is illegal to use those types of engines on the roads because they do obstruct the driver’s view. Hopefully the lawyers can handle this matter very well…

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they got the car, was it not insured? going to be a rather large lawsuit with this one might assume, which should cover the bills, eventually

I do hope that the car was insured, but not sure about that. A lawsuit is clearly necessary and hopefully will cover the bills, but the outcome of those types of lawsuits will take years and I doubt Arland will see a single penny until everything is resolved.

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Sucks to hear. I met Arland a couple of times briefly years ago when we crossed paths. Really hoping for a full recovery.

There’s some news and comments on a Corvette blog…

Includes whether the modified blower thing obstructed vision. From the angle in the pic, seems like it would. I expect the insurance/police investigation will sort that out. Driver charged w/3 violations:

“… having an unsafe vehicle, careless and reckless driving, and making an unsafe lane change.”

https://www.corvetteblogger.com/...him-nearly-100-feet/

OOhhh! Thanks for this.

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Oh crap, I wish him well. I was there, but under a school bus in 2018. In a way, the school bus was better than a large car. More room underneath and no dragging! Please pass on my best to his family. He will need both physical and psychological rehab, but I am sure he will get there if nothing else for his family he will fight his way back.

Thanks Dev, I will let him know.
He actually knows you, and he knows Dan also.

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Oh my gosh what horrible news. I clicked on this thread from where I live in Alaska wondering if its a pro I heard of and see that it’s not just someone I heard of but it’s my friend Arland. Used to live right near him in New Jersey. Arland is such a positive and nice person. Extremely encouraging within the tri community. Does an awesome bike fit. Inspiring to watch race. Just a great, great guy. I just saw he posted on Strava that he had his first road ride in a while a week or so ago. I’ve ridden that loop he must have been on when he got hit with him. Praying for him and his family. Please keep us updated if there is any news of how he is doing. Thanks for posting the link to the go fund me site.

Hi Jon,
Send a note to his partner Twinkle in FB.
I am sure she will relay this to Arland.

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will do. thanks!

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Hello LEBoyd and All,

It is important to have a large ‘uninsured driver’ clause on your own car insurance if you are a cyclist in the USA … it is usually not expensive.

Crashes like this one highlight the need for single payer medical insurance and a nationwide medical plan in the USA that includes everyone.