Commuting - After an accident...

Anyone have advice on what to do right after a collision with an auto?

I just got into my first accident on the way to work today. It was 6:30am and the guy suddenly decided to turn sharply (without a directional, of course) into an alley. I slammed into the rear of his car at 17mph. Flew off my bike and hit my head on the pavement (now I know why I wear a helmet!). My bike is ok - just a tear in the handlebar tape.

Being shaken up, I'm not sure if I handled things correctly. The guy was apologetic, etc, but he was still clearly at fault. Should I have gotten his plate # and contact info? Called the police? Any advice is appreciated!

You should have done all those things.
What recourse do you have if you back starts to bother you two weeks from now? I mention this particular thing because it took that long for me to start feeling back pain from my last crash.
What recourse do you have if you get home tonight and notice a hairline crack in your frame that you didn't see at 6:00 am?
I'm glad your OK, and don't want to berate you, but you asked and I just want to tell you what I think. Good luck.
p.s. Glad you didn't beat the guy up and then get apoogetic, subtle irony is often lost on people.

So thankful you weren't hurt. As far as fault, he might claim that you were following too closely. You would say he didn't signal. And without witnesses, it would be a case of he said/he said. From a vehicle point of view, you rear-ended him. I'm not sure if you have recourse. I know here in Nebraska whoever rear-ends gets stuck with the tab. The one exception I've personally experienced, however, is if you are hit from behind and shoved into the back end of the vehicle in front of you. In that case, the most rearward vehicle is at fault.

just .02

it would have been good to get his license and other info. any witnesses or anything that might be able to help now? you might possibly be able to report it anyway; it can't hurt to do so if there's any ambiguity about who was at fault.

you don't say whether the driver turned from the same lane you were in, or cut across from an adjacent lane in order to make the turn. just wondering, since you say you went over the car and landed on the sidewalk. that seems pretty hard to do if you were directly behind him in the same lane.

as far as taking care of yourself - if you landed on your head, watch for your neck and back to give you some trouble from sharing the impact with your helmet. definitely see a doctor and take it easy for a while, if that's possible. not to scare you, but i know those kinds of soft-tissue injuries don't always show up immediately.

i really hope you'll be okay. it sure sounds like a scary experience.

Get a new helmet if you hit your head