New York ( CNN ) -- Michelle Matson has a nagging reminder of the cycling crash that could have killed her . A year and a half later , flecks of asphalt remain lodged in her skin . There 's also the metal pole extending from her kneecap down to her ankle , along with countless screws , keeping her left leg intact . `` My body was destroyed , '' said Matson , an artist living in Brooklyn . `` My whole life was put on hold for months , and no one seemed to care . '' It happened in October , 2010 , on what Matson and her boyfriend , James Paz , thought was an innocuous bike ride home from a concert . `` I was riding in front of Michelle , about 10 feet in front of her , '' Paz said . `` I heard a loud scraping , scratching noise , there was a second of blackness , and then I was flying through the air . '' What had lofted Paz into the air was a speeding driver who , according to witnesses , fled the scene . Paz hobbled to his feet , noted the mangled remains of his bike and scanned the area for Matson . When he did not see her , he panicked . `` I was screaming her name , '' Paz said . `` Then I saw her lying in the middle of the right-hand lane of the road ... at that time I did n't know if she was alive . '' No charges have been filed in the case . Matson 's story is a reminder of a growing problem in many of the nation 's busy , sprawling urban landscapes : More people are using bikes for transportation amid a culture and infrastructure designed for automobiles . Although New York police and the city 's Department of Transportation report increasing bicyclists , the number of bike deaths has remained steady . In fact , overall traffic deaths have dropped by 39 % since 2001 , according to the NYPD . But that statistic offers little comfort to Matson . It 's not just the facts of the incident -- or even the tiny particles of debris from the New York City street still in Matson 's body -- that have left her upset . It 's what Matson describes as investigative inertia by the New York City Police Department when it came to her case . `` There were no legal repercussions for the driver whatsoever , because the NYPD chose not to investigate the hit-and-run , '' Matson said . `` It blows my mind that this is even possible ... people get in worse trouble for double-parking . '' In 2010 , in more than 6,000 New York City traffic accidents involving cyclists , 36 people died , according to the state Department of Motor Vehicles . Transportation Nation reported that no criminal charges were filed against the drivers involved . One woman -- the mother of an artist named Mathieu Lefevre , who was killed on a bike -- is on a crusade to learn more about his death and to make roads safer for cyclists . There is a growing sense among the city 's cycling community that to many authorities , bicyclists do n't matter . `` Cyclists and pedestrians are being killed and seriously injured all over our city , once every 35 hours in fact , '' New York City Councilman James Vacca said at a hearing this year . `` And the drivers are literally getting away with it . '' CNN repeatedly contacted the NYPD for comment about Matson 's hit-and-run and the department 's policy about cycling accident investigations , but did not receive a response . Cyclists who think police are biased against them are fueled by another statistic : In 2011 , the NYPD issued 10,415 criminal court summonses to truck operators . During the same year , 34,813 summonses were issued to bicyclists . `` While there may be some lawbreaking among the cycling population , very few if any of those transgressions of the law are resulting in death or serious injury , '' said Paul Steely White , executive director of Transportation Alternatives , a bicycling advocacy group . `` But when a trucker runs the red light or speeds , the consequences very often are deadly . '' There are also problems , in the eyes of lawmakers and advocates alike , with how crashes are investigated . According to statements made by the NYPD , only traffic accidents involving imminent or actual death are investigated . Those cases are handled by one of 19 members of a special unit called the Accident Investigation Squad , or AIS . `` Their role is to utilize their special training to conduct a more comprehensive investigation , employing a variety of techniques in order to establish speed , analyze skid marks and other physical characteristics of the accident scene , '' said John Cassidy , executive officer of the Transportation Bureau of the NYPD , at a City Council hearing in February . `` In essence , reconstruct the accident so that a more definitive cause , possibly resulting in criminal charges , may be determined . '' But with only 19 detectives , AIS resources are stretched , so members of the unit are not always deployed , even when death is imminent , according to activists . `` Staffing for these crashes is not what it should be , '' said Steve Vaccaro , an attorney with Rankin and Taylor , a law firm specializing in cases involving bicycling accidents . `` This resource is not what it should be if we 're going to have these investigations . '' The issue has hit the blogosphere . Advocates are pushing for a law that would force police to investigate all serious bike accidents . For Matson and Paz , virtually no investigation of their case occurred , they say . That leaves Matson , who still struggles with a debilitating injury to her left leg , with little legal recourse after her accident . `` If you lose your limbs in a [ bike ] crash , you do n't get an investigation , '' said White , the bicycling advocate . `` Without that investigation , it 's virtually impossible to hold reckless drivers accountable when they do break traffic laws and they seriously injure pedestrians or cyclists . '' Perhaps not surprisingly , a year and a half after her hit-and-run , Matson has refused to ride a bike .
Bicyclist struggles with injury to her left leg a year and a half after hit - and - run . Bicyclists complain that police are n't investigating enough bike traffic accidents . New York City did n't respond to CNN requests for comment . New York City considers requiring police to investigate all serious bike accidents .