Injuries?

[Clarks]

OK, I've read a number of accounts of cyclists being hit by cars and not getting hurt. Has anyone here been hit by a car and not hurt? When I hear of people getting hit but not hurt I'm thinking what they really mean is they didnt break any bones. Am I correct in assuming anytime someone is hit by a car there at least going to have some bruises?
I also had a neighbor that hit a cyclist. He said he braked hard but ended up hitting him anyway, the guy went up onto his hood but held on til the car stopped, he says the guy wasnt hurt

[fordfasterr]

I would like to hit a car with my bicycle and hurt it.

A guy can dream right ?

[closetbiker]

In my province (pop approx 4 mill) each year, we have about 2000 reported collisions between motor vehicles and cyclists. About half of those result in a claim against our provincial insurer (in BC, we have 1 auto insurer). Those claims are not only based on injury but can be solely property damage.

It's estimated that a quarter of the population rides their bikes at least once every 3 months and 37% ride at least once every 6 months.

Each year there are about 6 deaths to cyclists, almost entirely the result of a collision with a motor vehicle.

Our insurer commisioned a study on collisions between motor vehicle and cyclists and found about one quarter of the reported collisions resulted in no injury.

It has been considered that there are more collisions between the 2 but the reason there is no reports on them is because there was no damage to a person, bicycle, or the motor vehicle, so there was no motovation to report. The motovation to report those collisions that resulted in no injury was the possibility that there could be injury or property damage that hadn't been noticed at the time of collision

*I should also add, that commter cyclists make up 2% of traffic and just 1% of traffic collisions involve cyclists (not just commters, but all cyclists - as in children, etc.)*

[bike2math]

I claim to have been hit and not hurt, but I did end up with a softball sized bruise on my inner thigh where the top tube hit me as the bike went out from under me. T-boned by a car at <5 mph (right hook starting from a stop light on a wide road, yes the driver was an idiot). It was winter so I had thick layer of gear on which prevented any scrapes or bruises from the landing. Total damage to the bike was two busted wheels, bent rack, and one blinky MIA ~ 140 dollars irc.

In summer time I'd be suprised if I'd come out of that without some scrapes on the arms and legs.

Edit: It felt like being tackled by a ~290 pound guy at full speed in football, it hurt briefly but more because of a stun type effect, a few minutes later all I could feel was the bruise.

[billew]

Does this include brushes and sideswipes? How about just bumps and bruises if so yes, once hit from behind over the handlebars on to grass just a sore elbow and some purple shading another time t-boned by a red light runner over the hood(bonnet) just a sore knee.

[Pat]

I was on a ride where one of the guys did not hold the corner at 25 mph, went into the side of a truck, dented the truck and was perfectly fine. He rode a century the next day. So you can have a pretty high velocity impact without significant injury.

[Brian Ratliff]

OK, I've read a number of accounts of cyclists being hit by cars and not getting hurt. Has anyone here been hit by a car and not hurt? When I hear of people getting hit but not hurt I'm thinking what they really mean is they didnt break any bones. Am I correct in assuming anytime someone is hit by a car there at least going to have some bruises?
I also had a neighbor that hit a cyclist. He said he braked hard but ended up hitting him anyway, the guy went up onto his hood but held on til the car stopped, he says the guy wasnt hurt

^^^
Correct.

Any time you end up on the ground from the height of your bicycle, something is going to hurt. "Not hurt" means that you avoided an ER visit and your injury(s) doesn't turn into a weather predicter.

I've been hit by a car once. I ended up with a bent fork on my bicycle and some bruises and small scrapes. At least I put some dents in the car.

[kemmer]

I've only been hit once. The car was going <5mph, I was going <2mph. Even at those low speeds, I had a big gash on my leg and my knee was sore for a week. I wouldn't say I wasn't hurt, but I was 'OK' if that makes sense.

I think when someone says a cyclist "wasn't hurt" they mean they were able to leave the scene under their own power either carrying the bike or riding it.

[Keith99]

I've only been hit once. The car was going <5mph, I was going <2mph. Even at those low speeds, I had a big gash on my leg and my knee was sore for a week. I wouldn't say I wasn't hurt, but I was 'OK' if that makes sense.

I think when someone says a cyclist "wasn't hurt" they mean they were able to leave the scene under their own power either carrying the bike or riding it.

Been hit once. Very close to not hurt. A slightly skinned knee. I've stayed up after larger jolts from bad road conditions, so I'm sure somewhere someone has taken a similar hit and stayed up with no injury. (I'll take the way things worked out, at least 3 of the nasty road condition times if had gone down the potential for serious injury was high. In one case a rider going through the same spot went down about a half hour later which resulted in a broken colarbone and ruptured spleen).

[John Wilke]

How can you get hurt if you're hit by a car???

[closetbiker]

I think road rash is the price of riding a bike.

NO fun, but I can live with it to get all the advantages bike riding provides.

[ghettocruiser]

Any time you end up on the ground from the height of your bicycle, something is going to hurt. "Not hurt" means that you avoided an ER visit and your injury(s) doesn't turn into a weather predicter.



Actually, I've learned that if the pavement is oily enough, road rash does not occur.

A situation that is not always preferable.

[closetbiker]

...I also had a neighbor that hit a cyclist. He said he braked hard but ended up hitting him anyway, the guy went up onto his hood but held on til the car stopped, he says the guy wasnt hurt

maybe you or your neighbor could read this page

http://bicyclesafe.com/

[Brian Ratliff]

Actually, I've learned that if the pavement is oily enough, road rash does not occur.

A situation that is not always preferable.

I've done that before too. There are still bruises.

[nova]

Hit once and got a small nick on my elbow that was about it though. That was a mirror that hit me hard enough to knock my hand off the bars then lift my bike up and swing the rear pegs in to the car doing some pretty serious damage heh. I think i was maybe 14 years old.

[a b seize]

national lampoon's european vacation, anyone? that guy got hit a few times and walked away.

[Hickeydog]

ummmm. well. the only time I have come into contact with a car while riding my bike what when I was about 10 and crashed my bike in the back on my parent's Mini-van. I was more surprised than hurt :D

[littlewaywelt]

OK, I've read a number of accounts of cyclists being hit by cars and not getting hurt. Has anyone here been hit by a car and not hurt? When I hear of people getting hit but not hurt I'm thinking what they really mean is they didnt break any bones. Am I correct in assuming anytime someone is hit by a car there at least going to have some bruises?
I also had a neighbor that hit a cyclist. He said he braked hard but ended up hitting him anyway, the guy went up onto his hood but held on til the car stopped, he says the guy wasnt hurt

I was dragged under a car when I was a 15. Skidded and slid under the rear of a jacked up pickup and got stuck with my back under the bumper. Got dragged a good 50 ft before my bike folded and I got thrown out. I ended up with a bone bruise and a laceration that took about 50 stiches to close. No helmet and no injuries really, other than the laceration. I consider that not getting hurt as compared with what might have happened had I not been so lucky.

[genec]

I have been hit three times over 30+ years and it hurt each time. Never broke any bones, but have broken skin every time. The last time put me in the hospital (I was knocked unconscious) and required a few months with a chiropractor and some plastic surgery. But no bones broken.

I have been in a few auto/auto collisions and not even gotten a bruise. The last auto collision I was in required several months chiropractic care and totaled my car. (I was hit from behind and pushed into vehicles in front of me.) 5 auto accidents total.

So far, I'd have to say the bike/auto collisions "hurt" more than the auto/auto collisions. But that is JMHO.

BTW bike accident statistics don't "count you" unless you are dead. While that is somewhat true of auto auto collisions too, insurance companies do keep statistics on non injury auto accidents.

[discosaurus]

I've been hit and not really hurt, too much. By "not hurt" I mean I didn't go to the ER, no stitches or broken bones. I had a HUGE bruise above my knee, bruised back and shoulders, road rash, and whiplash like crazy. I missed a few days of work and I didn't ride my bike for a good 2 weeks afterward. The leg bruise hurt for at least a month. The swelling lasted for days, and after that it was a nasty hard purplish-brownish-black spot. It was about the size of an orange.

My bike, however, was completely mangled.

[closetbiker]

...BTW bike accident statistics don't "count you" unless you are dead. While that is somewhat true of auto auto collisions too, insurance companies do keep statistics on non injury auto accidents.

Yeah, fatalities are what I prefer to look at when comparing car and bike collisions, because it's a common denomiator. A fatality is the same, but injuries are of a wide variety.

I had an article written about my commuting and the headline was about my "severe" injury, but as far as I was concerned, it was no worse than if I had hurt myself in football or hockey or tripped on something at home. To some, it was horrific.

No doubt, road rash is part of the game, but the other part is increased health and less potential damage in collisons/falls to not only myself, but to others too. Can't rule out car collisions kill and often kill others not even in the car. Bottom line is, regular cyclists end up healthier, despite the risks than motorists that don't get exercise (and lets not fool ourselves - 80% of people do not get the exercise they need, like we do on a bike). I may have road rash and a broken collar-bone, but a driver gets a stroke or heart attack. That's an injury I can do without.

[genec]

Yeah, fatalities are what I prefer to look at when comparing car and bike collisions, because it's a common denomiator. A fatality is the same, but injuries are of a wide variety.

I had an article written about my commuting and the headline was about my "severe" injury, but as far as I was concerned, it was no worse than if I had hurt myself in football or hockey or tripped on something at home. To some, it was horrific.

No doubt, road rash is part of the game, but the other part is increased health and less potential damage in collisons/falls to not only myself, but to others too. Can't rule out car collisions kill and often kill others not even in the car. Bottom line is, regular cyclists end up healthier, despite the risks than motorists that don't get exercise (and lets not fool ourselves - 80% of people do not get the exercise they need, like we do on a bike). I may have road rash and a broken collar-bone, but a driver gets a stroke or heart attack. That's an injury I can do without.

I guess in my statement what I am saying is that a cyclist could be injured in a way that might prevent them or strongly discourage them from cycling again, as indeed it is a physical activity... Does the same apply for motorists... especially in view of handicap solutions for autos?

[bmclaughlin807]

I've been hit three times by cars on my bike with no injury. 2 other times with minor injuries.

The no injury accidents were when I was riding on the sidewalk and got t-boned by people that pulled across the sidewalk without looking. The first time my pedal was bent slightly, the second time I was carrying dinner for my wife and I, which went flying. (That driver DID pay for my dinner!)

Both of those times were very low-speed accidents.

The third no-injury accident was in a cross walk where a sidepath intersected a road. Driver had a yield sign. The driver was stopped, waiting for cross traffic. As I crossed, the driver (who NEVER once looked to see if anyone was coming on the sidepath, of course) suddenly stepped on the gas, striking my bike near the front wheel. The front wheel was bent, slightly, I fell to the side, but was able to slow my fall well enough that there weren't even any bruises.

My worst was getting t-boned by a driver that made a left turn and hit me. We were each going about 20 mph before the accident. I saw her coming, and didn't have time to do anything but pull my foot up out of the way of her bumper and aim for the only soft spot around... a bush in a concrete planter. She hit me, I went over the hood and landed in the bush. End result: lot of bruises... I got up and went to work. The frame on the bike was bent... I ended up straightening it with 2x4's and riding that bike till I graduated 6 months later, and $980 damage to the front of her (uninsured) truck that she'd gotten back from the body shop THAT morning after hitting a deer.

[closetbiker]

I guess in my statement what I am saying is that a cyclist could be injured in a way that might prevent them or strongly discourage them from cycling again, as indeed it is a physical activity... Does the same apply for motorists... especially in view of handicap solutions for autos?

I guess that's a personal call as far as injuries strongly discouraging cycling again.

To be sure, a fender bender is not going to hurt a driver in the same way as it would to a cyclist knocked down, but, like I said, comparing injuries is a funny thing. There has to be a better way of classifying them to get a better picture as to the severity. I'd bet that vast majority of cyclist injury is superficial and the vast majority of motorist injury is more severe than that. I know in my province, cyclists are involved in traffic accidents at a much lesser rate than motorists are.

I'm sure there are lots of whiplash, broken legs etc., that motorists suffer and they get right back in those cars. I guess there are some cyclists who suffer an injury and figure ridings not for them, but that's not to say that they aren't going to be sitting in their car waiting to make a left and some bozo ends up rear ending them sending them int a hospital.

[discosaurus]

I guess in my statement what I am saying is that a cyclist could be injured in a way that might prevent them or strongly discourage them from cycling again, as indeed it is a physical activity... Does the same apply for motorists... especially in view of handicap solutions for autos?

Yes. I went from kinda-car-lite to almost car-free because of two car crashes last year. One really awful crash that I witnessed, and one that totaled my own car. Panic attacks aren't a physical injury that would stop one from driving (like a broken leg would stop a cyclist), but they're debilitating for sure. I've always disliked driving, but now sometimes I just can't do it at all.

I don't know why bike crashes don't affect me as much as car crashes, and I've had plenty of bike crashes. Maybe it's just the magnitude of my experiences (bike crashes have been less scary than car crashes), or that the magnitude of injury that a car can cause is so much greater than a bicycle. Or maybe it's that I hate cars to begin with, and crashes just add fuel to that fire.

[genec]

I guess that's a personal call as far as injuries strongly discouraging cycling again.

To be sure, a fender bender is not going to hurt a driver in the same way as it would to a cyclist knocked down, but, like I said, comparing injuries is a funny thing. There has to be a better way of classifying them to get a better picture as to the severity. I'd bet that vast majority of cyclist injury is superficial and the vast majority of motorist injury is more severe than that. I know in my province, cyclists are involved in traffic accidents at a much lesser rate than motorists are.

I'm sure there are lots of whiplash, broken legs etc., that motorists suffer and they get right back in those cars. I guess there are some cyclists who suffer an injury and figure ridings not for them, but that's not to say that they aren't going to be sitting in their car waiting to make a left and some bozo ends up rear ending them sending them int a hospital.

I'd say a broken arm is strong discouragement to cycling... Yet, I have know many people that manage to drive with broken arms, or legs.

I wouldn't say that is much of a "judgment call," would you? Certainly a broken arm is not going to make the "death statistics," but it can certainly occur during a "fender bender." A co-worker broke a collarbone last year commuting. Bike was barely bent, but that broken collarbone really discouraged him from cycling... no "personal call" involved... he had one arm taped to his chest for several weeks.

I've known lots of cyclists with broken collarbones... (seems to be a common track injury). It is not a "personal call" that they don't ride with such an injury... it is a physical reality.

[closetbiker]

I don't know. It didn't stop Tyler Hamilton.

I think broken limbs and even torn ligaments are relatively rare. I'd like to see a more accurate assement of the severity of injuries that cyclists are treated for, and just how long they couldn't cycle because of them.

I broke my ankle playing hockey during one game. I didn't even know it until after the game I went and got it x-rayed. Put it in a cast and kept on going on doing my daily activities. I ore a ligament after a collision with a car. Don't really see the difference. A lot of my friends have broken limbs and torn ligaments playing ball, and they take it in stride. Bummer, but they back on the feild after they healed.

As far as I understand, most "serious" injury or death are the result of collisions with motor vehicles, and collisions with motor vehicles are anywhere from 10 to 20% of crashes on bikes, and even then, most collisions with motor vehicles result in no or little injury. I'm sure motorists themselves only have a small pecentage of their collisions end up in injuries, but the rate of a "serious" injury isn't much different than that of a cyclist.

Cyclists fall, and tear off their skin. Sometimes, something is stretched, torn or broken, but from what I've read, cyclists are a healthier lot than motorists, live longer and stay out of the hospital more.

I agree the potential of death or serious injury is what really nages at our sub-concious, but is it really any more worse on a bike than in a car? In my province the death rates are the same. I know my enjoyment of riding won't be detered by a "bump in the road" that we often face day to day. If I have a "bump" I just figure out what went wrong, and don't do it again.

[discosaurus]

Cyclists fall, and tear off their skin. Sometimes, something is stretched, torn or broken, but from what I've read, cyclists are a healthier lot than motorists, live longer and stay out of the hospital more.


Plus we recover faster and more fully when we get hurt!

After a foot surgery a couple years ago, my physical therapist told me that I probably would never recover, or it would take a looooong time, had I not been active. Even riding regularly, it took almost a full two years to build back most of the muscle mass I lost, and not without help of some weightlifting. My foot still bothers me sometimes but I can't imagine where I'd be if I was a sedentary person. Completely miserable, I'd guess. I'd have daily foot pain and two different sized legs.