Road Cycling - I got hit by a car this morning...bad mojo? (long)

So, I decided to go out and have a nice ride this morning before heading to work for 2pm. I was about 1 mile from home (heading back) when a lady in a Subaru wagon pulled out of a side street and took me out!

By the time I saw her she was looking right (right turn) and rolled the stop sign. I swerved, no time to hit the brakes, and started yelling but she kept coming and hit me pretty much square in the side. I tried to push off her car (I did manage to dent the crap out of her hood) and avoid it but my 180 or so lbs against her Subi made that impossible. Needless to say, I was thrown to the ground, bouncing off my right knee and rolling to a stop in the oncoming lane.

I got up, probably fired off a few choice words, and proceeded to see if I was alright. The knee was definitely a loser in this battle, can you say road rash?

She called the cops, who responded with 2 cars, an ambulance, and a first responder truck (ff's). I skipped the trip to the ER and signed AMA but went to see my primary doc this afternoon. Got some x-rays of the knee and documented my pains (so far).

She got a ticket for failure to yield to a human powered vehicle and was very apologetic and distraught. She offered on the spot to buy me a new bike, pay all the bills, etc. I told her I'd drop the bike at the shop and get it looked at, etc.

I just spent a few minutes looking at it and it appears the crank is tweaked, I'm guessing the rear D is also done. The seat has some rash as does the bar tape, and the brakes levers were tweaked too.

The pisser is that this is an old Campy Nuovo Gran Sport gruppo on my (1978ish) Bianchi Squadra. The brakes levers are also Campy. The seat was an original Selle/Bianchi.

We'll see what the shop says about the damage.

I knew it was bad mojo to read that post about who had crashed...

PJBAZ
It could have been worse...but tomorrow will be a sore day I bet.

I guess the main thing is that you are OK! Hope that things work out!

Very sorry to hear about your accident. Of course you being ok is of the main importance. You can always get another bike if need, which I hope isn't the case. It also sounds like the lady will work with you as much as she can. Be sure to take notes on everything you do, as well as whatever the dr. recommends. Keep us posted on your injury and progress. Hope you and your bike are back in action soon!

Take care!!!!

Sorry to hear about your wreck pj, although it sounds like you were pretty lucky. It could have been a lot worse. Your bike on the other hand....well hopefully it can be fixed. :(

It's a good thing the police attended. Now she won't be able to weasle out of paying for the damages if she has a change of heart after the initial shock has worn off. Hope you're not too sore tomorrow.

Same thing happened to me a few years ago. It's a good thing the police came and gave her a ticket. I trusted the S.O.B. who told me he would replace my bike. When he got my bill ($1,500) for a new bike he changed his tune and I had no back-up. If this happens to anyone else, get the police and file a report. Save yourself the headache.

I was about to say,,,,, hire a lawyer. I bet she has no idea what a new bike costs these days.

The amazing thing is that she didn't look left! :P She should be thankful you were just on a bike, not in a car... As it is, the damage you did won't be cheap for her to repair. She got out w/ a cheap lesson. Hope you get out OK too ;)

let her buy you a new bike... shoot... if i were you, i won't settle for a scratched up frame... i hate stupid drivers...

Hell yeah, she should replace your bike... since you'll have a heck of a time getting exact replacement parts... Have her replace it with something comparable... a new Litespeed with Campy Record on it maybe ? :D

glad to hear you are doing ok after yer crash... I was hit once in junior high, and it is no kind of fun

Jeff

glad to hear you are OK. yeah, after i read that thread about crashes, i think i've been biking a bit more slowly---especially on the descents.

real bad ju-ju...

Thanks for the kind words...I knew you folks would understand my day.

I got a call this afternoon from her insurance company. They were calling to see if I was alright, etc. and to ask about the accident.

I talked with the agent for a while and then she asked about my bike...she asked when I got it. I told her I picked it up about 2 months ago from a yard sale (I'm sure she was thinking it was a Huffy at this point). She asked what I paid for it so I told her...$20. Then she asked what the replacement value was so I estimated $1,200!

There was a definite pause.

I explained that what I had was a "classic" Bianchi with a full Campagnolo grouppo and that these parts are not cheap or easy to come by because of their age. I explained that Campy is considered top of the line components and replacing classic grouppos is tough.

We agreed that I would bring it to a shop and have a full diagnosis of the damage, whether it can be repaired or the bike needs to be replaced.

My only concern is that the insurance co. doesn't try to weasel out and try to pay me the $20 I bought it for. I would hate to have to fight this thing out in court because there is NO way I can replace my Bianchi for less than $1,000.

I'm holding out hope though...the agent agreed there is No way they could replace it for $20.

PJBAZ

Glad you're ok, pj. I hope you get a settlement that covers all the pain, injuries, and damage to the bike. That may be more than the replacement value of the bike. All the best.

Originally posted by pjbaz
Thanks for the kind words...I knew you folks would understand my day.

I got a call this afternoon from her insurance company. They were calling to see if I was alright, etc. and to ask about the accident.

I talked with the agent for a while and then she asked about my bike...she asked when I got it. I told her I picked it up about 2 months ago from a yard sale (I'm sure she was thinking it was a Huffy at this point). She asked what I paid for it so I told her...$20. Then she asked what the replacement value was so I estimated $1,200!

There was a definite pause.

I explained that what I had was a "classic" Bianchi with a full Campagnolo grouppo and that these parts are not cheap or easy to come by because of their age. I explained that Campy is considered top of the line components and replacing classic grouppos is tough.

We agreed that I would bring it to a shop and have a full diagnosis of the damage, whether it can be repaired or the bike needs to be replaced.

My only concern is that the insurance co. doesn't try to weasel out and try to pay me the $20 I bought it for. I would hate to have to fight this thing out in court because there is NO way I can replace my Bianchi for less than $1,000.

I'm holding out hope though...the agent agreed there is No way they could replace it for $20.

PJBAZ

I kind of doubt you can replace it for $1,000 or even $2,000. Check EBay for Comps.

I would think in this case, you should be talking about complete restoration which can be done on a steel frame - repaint and welding as necessary and replace components (and that is the tough part). Or replace with a comparably equipped new bike.

Thing is they are not going to pay out a penny until your physical damages are known. I would advise not going fast there. Sometimes a problem can be masked in the intial scrapes and bruises. You might have ripped something in your knee and discover that you need surgery (god forbid) after a few months.

In view of even the cheapest surgery, replacing a bike is cheap thrills.

When they ask if you are okay,,,, dont say yes. Tell them you are still having pain from the accident. Tell them your knee has been hurting, and your neck is stiff. Make them squirm. They will be alot easier to deal with, if they think there is a possibility of a larger settlement.

I told the insurance co. that considering I was hit by a car I was doing ok, but my knee and body were sore (which they are). I won't lie to them because I have nothing to hide, but I am smart enough to know not to sign anything until my lawyer has a chance to read it over, etc.

I love my old Bianchi but the crank is definitely twisted (I went to the shop today) and the full diagnosis is pending. The shop is estimating $1,500 to replace it with a comparable NEW bike.

I would like a NEW bike but I was really grooving on the kitsch appeal of an old Italian made Columbus tubes Campy equipped ride.

We'll see where this goes...

PJBAZ