Dan Rubinstein has walked in northern Quebec, in inner-city Philadelphia, in the British Isles, and more, to research his just-released book Born to Walk. But it was right around the corner from his house that the Ottawa author encountered a pedestrian’s worst nightmare.
Rubinstein was walking his twin daughters, Maggie and Daisy, to school in their Alta Vista neighbourhood, as he does most mornings. Maggie was ahead of him on her bike. Daisy was behind. As he watched, a car turned directly into Maggie, crushing her bike. The car then swerved and ran over Rubinstein’s legs.
The damage could have been much worse, he says. Rubinstein’s daughter was not seriously injured, although her bike was wrecked, and Rubinstein survived with a few stitches after a piece of gravel became embedded in his leg.
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Published by Elizabeth Payne, Ottawa Citizen