Bicyclist in hit-and-run greases wheels of justice
Henry Bosak, grateful to be alive after being rear-ended near North Plains, offers a $500 reward in the case
Tuesday, January 11, 2005

HILLSBORO -- Five hundred dollars is a small price for Henry Bosak to pay to teach his children about justice.

He might have paid with his life.

Bosak, 45, was rear-ended and knocked off his bicycle by a hit-and-run driver on New Year's Eve south of North Plains in rural Washington County.

He suffered a broken back and numerous scrapes and bruises. An avid cyclist who regularly rode 3,000 to 4,000 miles a year, Bosak now hurts just shuffling around his Hillsboro home or sitting for any length of time. He can sleep for only about four hours before pain forces him out of bed.

Bosak says he is offering a $500 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case because he wants the driver held accountable.

Sandy James, spokeswoman for the Washington County Sheriff's Office, said investigators had no leads in the case other than Bosak's general description of the vehicle. Authorities hope Bosak's reward brings someone forward.

Bosak describes the vehicle that hit him along Susbauer Road near Wren Road as a dark pickup, possibly a black or dark-blue Ford. He didn't see the driver or the license plate.

"We don't want sympathy. We don't want revenge," said Bosak, who advocated street safety when he was president of the Jackson School neighborhood association.

Bosak's wife, Donna, said the incident has taken an emotional toll on their family, especially their children, Andrew, 12, and Denise, 9. Bosak rode Cycle Oregon on a tandem bicycle with his son last summer and planned to ride the statewide tour with his daughter this year.

"The kids talk about it a lot; they keep wanting to know how are we going to catch this guy," Donna Bosak said. "We need to try and teach our kids there is justice."

Jim Vulysteke, 49, of Cornelius called 9-1-1 when he came upon Bosak in a ditch Dec. 31.

"It's not right at all," Vulysteke said of the behavior of the driver who struck Bosak.

Vulysteke frequently travels the area because his parents' farm is nearby.

"He's probably lucky he's alive," Vulysteke said of Bosak. "The road is so narrow there."

Doctors and Washington County sheriff's deputies told Bosak the same thing. When he went to look at his mangled turquoise-green Bianchi road bike a few days later in the sheriff's property room, an evidence technician told him, "When the bike is this bad, we usually don't see the victim."

Bosak was traveling north on Susbauer Road about 3:45 p.m. Dec. 31, stretching his legs on his 17-mile "winter standard route" to and from Roy.

"That's the route he takes with the kids all the time," Donna Bosak said. "I think we will have to reassess."

It was raining lightly but was still light out. Bosak was planning to cut the ride short to get home before sunset.

"I was thinking about coming home for a nice, hot shower," he said. "Little did I know that would be the least of my worries."

Bosak remembers two cars safely passing him in the same direction. He didn't hear the truck coming.

"It hit me from behind, and I thought, 'Oh, my God.' The front end of my bike kind of exploded."

Hit with such downward force that the bike crumpled at both ends, Bosak catapulted into the air. He doesn't remember whether he hit the pickup's hood or windshield, but he ended up in a ditch on his back. His helmet wasn't damaged.

"I lifted my head and saw the truck and thought they were going to stop and help me, but they never did," Bosak said.

"I could wiggle my fingers and toes; that was good. But I knew my back was hurting really bad. I heard a car coming and I was able to raise my arm."

He lost consciousness after deputies arrived. He was flown to Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center.

He spent the next two days in the hospital.

Deputies couldn't find his bike's back wheel when they searched the scene.

Bosak thinks the wheel may have lodged on the truck. At the least, the truck would have damage to its bumper and possibly to its hood or windshield.

"We are just thankful it wasn't worse," Bosak said. "We feel pretty lucky."

Posted 10:05 AM by John Henry