Author:
Caution:
Blog About:
Well, I was on my way to the local cycling shop to meet up with my group, supposed to be my first night pulling the pack, or at least attempting to. I'm riding past the local elementary school and my necklace falls off. (Bear in mind the clasp is perfectly functional and not broken) so I double back and spot it in the middle of the exit for the school parking lot. I lay my bike down, pick up my necklace and walk back to my bike. I put it on tuck it under my jersey and go on my way. So I was on the main road and she was exiting the parking lot of the school. She came to a complete stop and I had the right away, well she just hit the gass and turned right into me. I saw she wasn't stopping so I put all my weight into the pedals and she struck me on my right leg with the right side of the front of her jeep, I managed to get thrown off and I went into a fetal position as my bike went under her tires. Thankfully I didn't go under her tires and I escaped with only a fractured scaphoid, a small bone in the hand. But my bike is totalled, I can't ride until I get a new one... I'm dying inside.
Comments
I do hope she stopped...
and that the local police were called and an accident report was generated.
Oh, dear! I hope you heal up
Oh, dear! I hope you heal up quickly, and get a good insurance settlement for your bike and medical costs, etc.
It seems you just cam't trust drivers.
Kris
{I leave a trail of Kudos as I browse the site. Be careful where you step!}
Insurance
Not sure where you're at, but in most states in U.S. any parking lot, whether a stop sign exists or not, requires a full stop and as you stated the right of way belongs to the traffic on the street the person from the parking lot is entering.
As to insurance, in the United States nearly one out of six do not have coverage and nearly half have minimal coverage.
Good luck.
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
In the UK ...
... we call that a "Sorry, mate, I didn't see you." incident. To which the reply is "That's because you didn't look!"
First, I hope you heal quickly and second that the driver, or her insurance, coughs up for a new bike. Insurance here is compulsory for motor vehicles and even if the driver is uninsured (and is in legal trouble) the insurance industry will pay up anyway. I got over £1000 that way 25 years ago. I assume insurance is a requirement in the US?
It's happened to me a few times with drivers usually with minimal injury and little damage but by far the most serious was caused by a cat which barrelled into my front wheel and I ended up paralysed and off work for 3 months. Mostly recovered but serious cycling ended that day.
So get well and back on the 'horse' ASAP.
Robi
In the US, it's required to
In the US, it's required to have it. However, if you're injured by someone that has no insurance, that's it. You can sue them, and if they're caught, they can lose their license and/or be jailed, but there's no central 'uninsured motorist payout' pool.
Down here (Houston), one of the problems is that the uninsured are often illegal as well. All they do is disappear across the border, and that's it. They're already illegal here, so they don't bother following the rest of the laws, like insurance, registration, etc. I got hit by someone who gave me their insurance information, and THAT company was basically stonewalling - eventually claiming that the person wasn't even a client of theirs. (I suspect another illegal as well)
The really nasty part? If you then claim on your insurance, you'll get your rates jacked up so they can recoup their losses - even if it wasn't your fault at all.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
under insured and uninsured coverage
people who have never been in a wreck often just carry minimum insurance coverage, I have always carried the extra coverage for under insured and uninsured motorists, the reason for that is that my father war rear ended 20 years ago and the person was uninsured he was not hurt but the truck was damaged, and since then we have all carried the extra coverage on even a fully payed off vehicle.
"Cortana is watching you!"
I hope this is resolved
quickly and to your satisfaction and that your hand heals well. I hurt my thumb coming off my bike and now have arthritis in it, I hope the same doesn't happen to you.
Angharad
Sorry it happened
I hope you heal quickly, and their insurance (or they) pay up right away.
Hugs,
Erin of Wis <3
Same thing happened to my daughter when she was 12.
Only the just hit the front wheel bending it, knocked her down and just kept driving. Fortunately she escaped with minor scrapes.
The incident was witnessed by a clerk at the convenience store the car had been too. He didn't get a license. He did call me so I could come collect her and the bike. I managed to straiten the wheel and with some good spoke tightening, got it to run true.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
ouches
not fun at all. :(
hit twice as a pedestrian ( on the bloody sidewalk both times. )
hit 4 times on 10 speed road bike. ( one of which the idiot couldn't see me right beside the window when he turned in front of me. 40 kph no safety gear shorts t-shirt runners rolling across blacktop of a parking lot. walked away with scrapes only on right knee and elbow, left hip and shoulder. and front wheel of bike written off. )
Stupidity is a capital offense. A summary not indictable.
That hurts!!!
Unfortunately I have had more than a few bicycle/automobile interactions. Some have been quite serious and a couple have been bicycle only damage, mostly they were somewhere in between but still quite painful. Perhaps fortunately my last bike was stolen just as I regained my driving license. Fortunate for my continued survival perhaps but not so much for my waistline I fear...
I'm glad you weren't seriously injured aside from emotional trauma and the loss of your bike and I hope she at least had the decency to stop. Insurance should pay for your medical trearment as well as a new bike and at leaat something "For pain and suffering"
I hope you heal quickly and this all ends well for you.
((Hugs)) From a fellow "Road Pizza"
Abby
Done that as well
Hope you heel quickly , sounds like you got off with little injury.
I had a car make a left in front of my when I was a teen , bent the front fork and needed a new wheel the car was a brand new Chevrolet and I hit the passenger door and slammed down on the roof with both hands . I would like to see how he explained that to the boss .
I did not get hurt only sore for a week or so .
HUGS & Kisses , glad you are sort of OK
Reply to all.
Yes she did stop, and her insurance will pay for the damage, unfortunately Florida law says my insurance has to pay most of the fees and my rates will go up for wrong place wrong time/ bad luck.
Stupid ...
no fault insurance state. No one is charged for the accident, so both sides get nailed for deductibles and rate hikes.
No at Fault
Some states have regulations that restrict premium surcharges for not at fault accidents. Florida is quite consumer oriented. Speak to your agent.
Also -- the wonderful thing about auto insurance in the United States is it is highly competitive. If your current company increases your rates you can simply look to the open market for a better deal.
Good luck.
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Ouch.
Hope your OK & heal up quick.
>i<
Never ever assume!
Especially when it's pedestrian/biker/pushchair/wheelchair vs car/truck/tractor/bus/avalanche/mudslide...
If you can't see eyes of the driver - you should treat is as driver do not see you and have no idea that you are there. If you can see eyes of the driver - it is still 90% probability that they don't see you - driver could have bad eyesight, divorce, flu, allergy and million other reasons not to react to things under 15 tonnes of weight.
I had my share of encounters with trucks, tractors and cars... I was really lucky to survive some of them as helmets had not existed at the time, even for major competitions like TDF. I was extremely lucky that at most I had minor scrapes on me or my bike...
Anyway, I wish you fast recovery and hope that your bike will be replaced soon. RIP to your old machine...
That is sad to hear.
I hope you get to feeling better, Pepper.
Heal quickly, pedal soon
I hope the memory fades soon for you - and not for the driver, it may keep her attention where it should be. Do any of your cycling friends have wheels they would lend out while you are stuck afoot?
"Reach for the sun."
Car door collision is my only real mishap
However it was a whole another matter when a Chevrolet Suburban backed into me while I was walking in the street.
When it comes to moving vehicles...
assume that they are being operated by someone who's brain dead and blind.
There are a number of police officers and traffic court judges that would agree with that assessment.