fishymamba

Yesterday while going to school in the morning I was riding on the road at about 15 mph.
All of a sudden a car pulled up a little bit in front of me and quickly turned right(no blinker) into a parking lot. The car was right in front of me and I had no time to brake, so I crashed into the side of the car. I don't even think the driver even noticed! He just kept on going while I was getting of the ground. By the time I got up he had disappeared!

Fortunately my bike was in working condition, but the shifters are scratched badly and the wheel was kinda bent. Meanwhile my fingers had gotten crushed between the car and the shifters. They were bleeding, but no major damage. I was furious after that! I went into the parking lot, but could not find the car so I just went on my way.

Still kinda angry that I never got to see the driver and that he didn't stop.

hairnet

Sorry to hear about your experience. Did you call the police? Maybe there's a surveillance camera that captured what happened.

fishymamba

I was going to, but there was no major damage or injury so I let it go,

Mauriceloridans

There is a maneuver called the emergency turn you should practice. On dry pavement with good tires it can save you better than brakes.

nycphotography

Yeah, I can really see the popo going all CSI over someone running down a bicyclist.

dynodonn 

I had a right hook pulled on me a couple of weeks ago, in my videos I can see that the motorist did not signal until they where along side me, making me unable to see their turn signal until they just passed me and began making their turn.

Fortunately, I was able to avoid hitting the side of their vehicle, and judging by the damage on the back of their vehicle, it looks like that they might have right hooked something bigger than a cyclist.

May the OP's injuries heal quickly.

fishymamba

I would have been able to stop, but the pavement was wet.

IrvJamison

There is no excuse for you NOT to file a police report for a STUPID driver that could have inflicted much more damage to you and or your ride. That driver should be call on to the carpet for leaving the seen of an accident. It is illegal. Letting the driver get away with it will never teach them anything other than that they are beyond the law and can do what they want. The driver HAD to know that you where there and contact with the bike had occurred. I’m VERY glad that you are OK.

UptownJoe60640

First and foremost I am glad you're okay. I hate it when things like this happen to people. I have had similar happen to me a lot. Check the street view out below for my latest.



The door on the right that leads to Washington Mutual Bank is where I do most of my day to day ATM transactions. It is now Chase Bank. I came out of there one day and made a right. I got on my bike, on the road, and continued through that light(heading south) and in the right lane. A Polish lady was also in the right lane, making a right hand turn, but instead of waiting for me to continue through the light and be in the clear, she decides she doesn't have the time to wait. Scared the CRAP out of me!

I was forced into making a right onto another street to save myself from getting hit and thankfully she pulled into a place just down the street. I followed her and came right up to the car and addressed the situation. She couldn't speak English at all, not that it matters, I just wish she could have understood the scolding she was getting. I am sure she picked up on it but I would have preferred she understood every word of it! I don't get on the street right there any more. I walk my bike south on the side walk another block and then get on. I don't trust the drivers at that intersection.

Be safe and keep riding!

fuji86

At least down here, a hit and run is taken very seriously. Especially if you have a decent description if not dead ringer information that apprehends the criminal. The police will issue as many tickets to drive the points and revenue up. You may not see a dime of it, but you'll definitely have the comfort of knowing you ruined their driving record and took a chunk out of their bank account.

CB HI

Practice reading and remembering plate #s long enough to write them down. Some CA police do follow up on hit & runs.

hairnet

The driver only pulled into a parking lot, it isn't much of a stretch to think that maybe there's a camera overlooking it.

Unfortunately, I remember some other hit and run incidents where no action was taken because the cyclists couldn't identify the driver even though they recorded the plates.

Chris516

I am glad you are alright.

nycphotography

In my experience, the police will take a report and write down whatever is obvious.

But to actually make any effort at an investigation, such as looking for cameras, obtaining video, watching video, tracking down the party and filing charges or pretty much anything more than taking that report... there usually needs to be a corpse involved.

fuji86

That and then there's the issue that a parking lot is actually private property and not a public street/roadway. The police then have to go to the company or business(es) and hope the video is still attainable. You'd be surprised how often a tape gets reused and whatever evidence was on it is no longer attainable. Companies get cheap on that kind of thing and only keep a record so far back.

bluefoxicy

Was this guy drunk or stupid? How do you not notice a ~150 pound high speed object slamming headlong into the side of your car?

Pscyclepath

Quick turn or emergency stop are the two options to get out of that situation. Both work on wet pavement, but you need to practice these in the first place. Neither are intuitive.