ianbike.jpg

Ian Sutherland and the bike he was riding when he was hit by a MAX train on Wednesday morning.

(TriMet)

Let's set this up: A 200-pound bicyclist vs. a 180,000-pound MAX train.

Fortunately, a lucky twist of physics was on the bicyclist's side at the 181st Avenue station in Gresham on Wednesday morning.

Ian Sutherland was so happy to be alive that he posted "I just got hit by the MAX and lived to tell the tale" on Reddit (profanity has been edited out):

Yeah. What he said.

Spotting the Reddit post, TriMet spokeswoman Roberta Altstadt replied: "We at TriMet are also happy you were not seriously hurt and appreciate your safety message for others. It is extremely valuable for others to hear a first-hand account."

In a phone interview with the Oregonian more than five hours after the collision, Sutherland said he was still in shock. Oh, and his rear end still hurts something awful.

The banged up back tire of Ian Sutherland's bicycle.

The produce warehouse worker said he was on autopilot. "It's the same train I take every day," he said. "I always get off, and the cross traffic is going and I have the 'walk' signal. I don't know why the train had the green light today."

He said he was listening to Pandora on shuffle on his phone and couldn't what song might have very well been the last he heard. He does remember the TriMet operator rushing off the train, his face "as white as a ghost."

Sutherland's bike wasn't so lucky. "The back wheel is destroyed," he said. "But I walked away with my life, so I'm not that worried about a bicycle wheel at the moment."

Altstadt said there is no video available of the incident.

-- Joseph Rose