Fifty Plus (50+) - Bike gets killed by inattentive driver

Nearly perfect day for a ride. All set to meet up with Bobby C, his wife and some friends on a route we really like. Load the LeMond on the Saris rack on the back of the Mini and head out for our rendezvous. Stopped at a light when Ms. Inattentive smacks into the back of car and bike rack. Minor damage to car. Broken leg on Saris. LeMond....let's take it to the shop and let them tell me. Bent rear wheel, bent crank...oh yes, a cracked frame, midway down the down tube--a fatal flaw on a carbon fiber frame. :( Shop is now getting price on new frame (if available), compact crank and wheels.......which will almost certainly exceed the price of a new bike.:eek:

Ms. Inattentive was hoping for the usual, "I'll pay for it, my friend works on bikes, I have a bike rack you can have, I don't want to tell my insurance company." I'll call her with the news and see if she is ready to change her mind.:o

I really liked the Buenos Aires.....do I just replace it right now? Wait for the 2008's to come out next month? And about the crank, do I get a triple or get a double and replace it with a compact? Start bike shopping all over? What's your opinion?

The answer, grasshopper, is simple.

yea.. had someone back into my honda civic once... "oh, my cuzin works on cars.. we can fix that in my garage, etc".... wrong... I called his insurance company 30 mins after I got the accident report..

Also, I too have a SARIS... and its crossed my mind a few times if I was going to get smacked...

I'm so sorry. Losing a bike like that, well, it could really ruin one's day. As a fellow Lemond owner, I sympathize with you!

I hope everyting works out. AT least she didn't hit the bike with you on it.

That is so sad. She's obviously not a bicyclist, or she would have seen those bikes on the back from a mile back. Which means when she finds out how much they cost, you'll be dealing with her insurance company.... she probably thinks she can run out to Xmart to pick you up a new one.

Let her pay for her inattentiveness, but be gracious/forgiving when dealing with her (forgiveness does not mean no consequences). Lack of attention while driving is an epidemic. If she has to pay out of pocket and her insurance rates go up, she may be more attentive while driving in the future, which may save her own life.

I'm sorry about your bikes.... I've been rear-ended but not with bikes on the back. Having bikes on the back must make the feel and sound of the crash much more sickening.

I'm so sorry. Losing a bike like that, well, it could really ruin one's day. As a fellow Lemond owner, I sympathize with you!

I hope everyting works out. AT least she didn't hit the bike with you on it.

So happy also, that you weren't ON IT when Ms Inattentive ruined your bike. What bummer. I wish your wheels a speedy recovery, and I hope you have a spare to ride in the meantime.

Sorry to hear that,
Its my worst nightmare too!!! I see drivers stopping awfully close to my lemond when loaded in Saris rack(3 bike one). I have placed two red flags on the tip of the Saris... carry the bike in the middle tie and then at nite I place a steady blinkie light in the rack looking to the back as a warning ...Till now it has helped...
Take the bike to the shop... get a quote for a new one...the insurance will depreciate the value.. make sure you are ready to fight the rate of depreciation they use...
good luck... maybe its a chance to reconsider upgrading....

But then, she may have been a biker fixated on "why does an olde farte like that have an 11-21 rear?" Hopefully, she'll pony up for the full cost--which will probably shock her. If not, then go for her insurance of course. If you can, see this as a chance to "move up" or zero in to your ideal bike (Lord, that's what occupies half the posts here!). What will help is if you have a decent back-up bike which will give you time to consider options, cruise eBay, wait for the 08 bikes, test ride.... and not lose fitness.

Sorry for the frustration you must feel. Not to mention the loss of a good friend...your Old Trusty. Glad there was no whiplash, etc.

Glad there was no whiplash, etc.
Oh my gosh! I don't think anyone asked how YOU are! :lol: You didn't mention an injury so you got off lucky. I still have neck issues from a whiplash injury in 1978.

Should her insurance cover this? Or maybe your homeowners?

If you really liked the BA--and if it fit you well--I'd buy another one of this year's models. I don't think I could stand waiting around tll to '08s came out, even if it was just a month.

Hope you got a police report .. could be tough to collect from insurance company without one. I had a close call recently when I had my bike on my Saris rack. Two lane, 50mph speed limit, double yellow and I'm going 50. In the opposite direction there was a line of about a dozen cars stopped for some reason (someone making left turn?). A car near the end of the line decided he (she?) couldn't wait and tried to pass. Yikes!!! They couldn't get back in and I couldn't stop but had enough space to squeeze through on the right shoulder. For some reason the thought in my head was "I wonder where the bike and rack will go?" If not for the shoulder that would surely have been my last thought.

Hope you got a police report .. could be tough to collect from insurance company without one.

+1, the last accident I had I was fortunate. I did not get a report, but she was insured by the same company, State Farm. They agreed to pay without the report but advised me to always get a report.

Glad you weren't hurt anyway.

The problem with this is, and I can hear it already. It was a used bike and we'll give a $1000. I hope not, but everybody knows how insurance companies work.

My oh my-that's just terrible. You had the Lemond dialed in perfectly and everything. That was one really, really nice bike. Just make sure whatever you decide to replace it with it is just as nice and you're not out of pocket an dollars. I suspect she doesn't know the price a really nice bike and bike rack these days.

[QUOTE=tlc20010;4952039]Nearly perfect day for a ride. All set to meet up with Bobby C, his wife and some friends on a route we really like. Load the LeMond on the Saris rack on the back of the Mini and head out for our rendezvous. Stopped at a light when Ms. Inattentive smacks into the back of car and bike rack. Minor damage to car. Broken leg on Saris. LeMond....let's take it to the shop and let them tell me. Bent rear wheel, bent crank...oh yes, a cracked frame, midway down the down tube--a fatal flaw on a carbon fiber frame. :( Shop is now getting price on new frame (if available), compact crank and wheels.......which will almost certainly exceed the price of a new bike.:eek:

QUOTE]

She just bought you a new bike and rack, (well her insurance company did). Now you take your check and pick out your bike. Too bad about the frame. When I got ran over in '91, my aluminum frame was undamaged. The woman's insurance bought me a new bike and I bought the old one off of them for salvage costs.....net result, two great road bikes for an extra 20% and some skin and etc.

Hope you are all right. BTW, who was she talking to on her cell phone at the time ?!?!

Well Tim, it could have been worse on so many levels - time for an upgrade. As for the ride, it was nice but it was 92 degrees so there were some fried people at the end (especially the two women). We missed you - you would have enjoyed the pace - really pushed it at times.

The most important question - did the Florsheim's survive?

Time to pull old trusty out of the closet, you'll appreciate your upcoming ride all the more.

I have to admire your attention to the rules. Always arrange to be off the bike when a car runs it over. I'm glad you're ok, sorry you missed your ride, and hoping you get fully compensated by that driver.



Nearly perfect day for a ride. All set to meet up with Bobby C, his wife and some friends on a route we really like. Load the LeMond on the Saris rack on the back of the Mini and head out for our rendezvous. Stopped at a light when Ms. Inattentive smacks into the back of car and bike rack. Minor damage to car. Broken leg on Saris. LeMond....let's take it to the shop and let them tell me. Bent rear wheel, bent crank...oh yes, a cracked frame, midway down the down tube--a fatal flaw on a carbon fiber frame. :( Shop is now getting price on new frame (if available), compact crank and wheels.......which will almost certainly exceed the price of a new bike.:eek:

Ms. Inattentive was hoping for the usual, "I'll pay for it, my friend works on bikes, I have a bike rack you can have, I don't want to tell my insurance company." I'll call her with the news and see if she is ready to change her mind.:o

I really liked the Buenos Aires.....do I just replace it right now? Wait for the 2008's to come out next month? And about the crank, do I get a triple or get a double and replace it with a compact? Start bike shopping all over? What's your opinion?

This is exactly why my bike rides inside the vehicle with me -- properly teathered down, of course! Sounds like your Lemond has gone over the great divide -- maybe you can salvage some components. Good luck!

I hope the Mini is O.K. as well. I have one and love the car almost as much as my bike.
Hope everything works out O.K. and I hope she has insurance. So many people are driving around without insurance these days.
I was hit my an uninsured motorist two years ago.:mad:

Roof rack. Except for entering garages.

Hope you got a laywer and a police report. Start printing out data sheets and web pages that show what the bike is worth MSRP. Its a custom with special fitting to you specifically and its carbon and its toast. No salvagable parts that would be safe to ride. You want a new one right now. Thats how to approach the lady and her insurance company.

Bummer!:cry::cry:
I know you really like that bike. I hope there won't be any problems getting Ms. Inattentive to pay for replacing it. I guess your backup bike just got a temporary promotion. You do have a backup bike, don't you?

So, was there anything about your bike you wanted to be different? Now would be a good time to look into getting the new bike set up that way.

Hang in there. There will be better days to come.

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d195/GonzoDawg/bicycles/06%20BRAG/Day7carloadedhome.jpg
just sayin' :D

Be friendly; be cordial; be tactful; but be firm and insistent on justice being served. If you teach her a lesson here and now, you may well save someone's life in the future.

The Buenos Aires? Ohhhh noooo!

Mine just broke out crying, I had to take it upstairs and give it some Xanax.

:eek::eek: That's awful! Hope you have a police report and bring her up to speed as to just what these bikes cost these days.

Glad the damage was confined to the bikes (it was, wasn't it?) and that you're okay. Sucky way to start your day, though. :(

Bummer, I probably would sat in the road and cried :cry:

I've had 2 hitch racks destroyed by (inattentive is too mild a word) drivers, fortunately without bikes installed.

This is my biggest fear with this type of rack. I've read somewhere that this event happens more often then we hear about.

WL, I have a Buenos Aires in my workshop now from a friends encounter with the top of the garage door while on a rack on top of the car. I'm not sure of the year but it was somewhat older. He wanted to know what could be salvaged....................The brake calipers, derailleurs and crankset.

Just be glad that her little spell of "inattention" did not take place when you were riding the bike. Sounds like she has a few bad habits that put her fitness to operate a vehicle on the public roads in doubt. Maybe you should mention it to the police. Have your insurance company contact hers, pronto.

As John E mentioned, your actions may save someone's life in the future.

Paul

I also had somebody hit my car who said she didn't want to report the accident. She seemed perfectly nice and decent. So I agreed, we exchanged phone numbers and addresses. Then I got 2 estimates. She sure didn't like final numbers, and instead offered repairs from "a friend who owns a body shop" - an unlicensed backyard one-car garage type of place - as well as totally unrelated forms of compensation, like free services from the company she worked for. Wonder if her managers were aware of that! At that point her boyfriend also stepped in, making vague threats about how I'd better accept her terms because I couldn't prove anything at this point.

Anyway, when I politely refused, saying I wanted my car repaired by a licensed shop, she reported the accident to the police and her insurance company saying that *I* hit *her*. (My car was parallel parked and she hit a rear quarter. Thankfully no bikes on the back!) She also got one of her friends to claim that they were in the car and witnessed me hitting them.

Long story short, I spent six months on the phone and writing letters to the insurance companies and making statements to the police, and I finally ended up collecting on my car because all the evidence was on my side, but it was a huge aggravating pain. After this experience, I sure am going to be a lot more careful about trusting people who don't want to report accidents. (And why do they always seem to have friends to cover for them? Just pondering).