Streetsblog Chicago editor John Greenfield badly hurt on bike tour in Southern Illinois

Participating in one of his regular bike tours of the Midwest, Streetsblog Chicago editor in chief and co-founder John Greenfield was hospitalized Friday afternoon after a traffic accident in Southern Illinois.

Greenfield, 52, was bicycling at West Deyoung and North Russell Streets in Marion, about 300 miles south of Chicago, when he was struck by a large piece of pipe that had fallen from a passing pickup truck, causing a possible head injury, according to the Marion Police Department and a Streetsblog statement shared Sunday.

He was taken to a hospital in Carbondale, where he was placed in a medically induced coma the next morning as part of his treatment, the statement said.

Later that day, Greenfield appeared to be slowly awakening from the coma, but the extent of his injuries was unknown, the statement said.

“We won’t know the extent of cognitive effects until he wakes, but there are many signs for optimism,” the statement said.

Regular publication of Streetsblog Chicago, a news site covering sustainable transportation and livable communities, will be paused until further notice.