A Portland attorney is encouraging local cyclists to usea little-known statute to issue citations to drivers and file them with in court.

The statute -- ORS 153.058 allows civilians to file a violation with the court, conduct their own investigation and even call their own witnesses.

Then, if the judge decides it’s a valid complaint, the court will issue a ticket.

The idea is in response to frustration by local cyclists who say police didn’t investigate Tuesday’s accident near the intersection of Interstate Avenue and Greeley, when a cyclist was struck by a car and suffered a broken clavicle and shoulderblade.

"It's sending the message that we think these things are important. When people are hurt it's important. And we think these are laws the city ought to pay attention to and ought to enforce," said Chris Heaps, a cyclist and a Portland attorney.

Officials with the Portland Police Bureau defended their actions and said if they investigated every accident, officers wouldn’t have time for anything else.

“It's been a long standing policy. Just because of the number of calls for service that we get and the responsibilities that we have,” said Sgt. Brian Schmautz with the Portland Police Bureau.

Cyclists were working on their investigation into the crash last Tuesday and said once they get all the details together, they’ll request a court date.

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One driver KGW spoke to said that the idea of civilian investigations seemed more like a ‘vigilante’ move: "...writing your own tickets is not my idea of the way to fix it."

But cyclists who support the idea say it's their only recourse, with so many accidents not getting the attention of investigators.