Yesterday, we ran a story about a D.C. resident named Zoe Wiseman. Back in July, Wiseman collided with a van while rollerblading, blacked out, and woke up in the hospital with severe injuries and a jaywalking ticket.

There was some discussion here and elsewhere about the law regarding Rollerblading in Washington -- something we now wish we'd clarified in the original piece. We thank commenter Suspicious Package for pointing out the relevant passage of D.C. Code. Rollerblades presumably fall under the "miscellaneous vehicles" section of the city's bike regulations, which states that "No person upon rollerskates, skateboard, or riding by means of a sled, coaster [whatever that might be], toy vehicle, sidewalk bicycle, or similar device shall go upon any roadway except when crossing a roadway in a crosswalk. When crossing the roadway, such person shall be granted all the rights and shall be subject to all the duties applicable to pedestrians."

In other words, a Rollerblader is considered a pedestrian in the eyes of the law. Wiseman argued that she couldn't have been proceeding against a "don't walk" signal upon impact since she was never on the sidewalk or in the crosswalk to begin with. According to the regs, she should have been. To us, however, the bottom line remains the same: She had a fundamentally different version of events than the one found in the traffic report, and she deserved a chance to air her case to the police before being faulted for the crash. Instead, she woke up with half a dozen fractures and a jaywalking ticket.

D.C. Department of Transportation spokesman John Lisle tells us that the Rollerblading-in-the-street issue doesn't pop up that much in transit conversations these days. Presumably it was a more pressing civic concern around the time of the Gulf War and Pearl Jam's release of "Ten." So, to be clear: Rollerblading in the street is indeed a violation of municipal code in Washington. Whether or not it's also a violation of good taste and style is a separate discussion altogether.