Wrigleyville bike collision victim calls for stricter punishment as driver faces misdemeanor charges

CHICAGO - A pedicab driver hit by an alleged DUI driver is calling for harsher punishment against the man charged in the collision, which was all caught on cellphone video.

The incident happened just after midnight on Sunday, in Wrigleyville, not long after the Dead and Company show let out.

"He saw me. I said, 'please don't hit me.' He said, 'I'm sorry' – I saw him mouth, 'I'm sorry,' and he pushed on the gas and ran me over," said Sarah Yopp, who's been driving a pedicab for 13 years.

Yopp was working the after-show crowd at Clark and Addison when she said she stopped on Clark to help a car passenger who'd just been hit by the same passenger bus, which then hit her.

"In the 13 years I've been doing this, I've had some close calls. But I've never had somebody purposely take the time to make the judgment to run me over," she said.

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Police say 40-year-old Bryan Rollins of Berkeley, California, was behind the wheel of the bus, and before he hit Yopp, he had hit two other parked cars, then kept going. They caught up with him about a mile south on Lincoln, just north of Diversey, and charged him with two misdemeanor counts of DUI, and other minor traffic violations.

"How does it even make sense? How is it not a felony? He's charged with driving under the influence of drugs," said Yopp.

Yopp was left with a bruised eye, whiplash and was headed to the hospital Monday after "feeling foggy." She said she is stunned Rollins isn't facing more serious charges.

"I was lucky that I was on a bike," said Yopp. "If I had been walking, he would have definitely killed me. If I was even a foot forward, I would've had really bad injuries. My bike took the brunt of it. I just feel like there has to be justice in this situation."

Yopp's sister has launched a GoFundMe campaign with a goal of $7000 to help her with not only medical expenses, but also with repairs to her pedicab which was damaged, and help her get by while it's being repaired.

Yopp said her next step is to hire an attorney.