Fifty Plus (50+) - Hit a car

Totally my fault. I went through a stop sign on a back road that pretty much never has traffic and hit a car. I'm okay--a small scrape on my left elbow and my right leg whacked the frame and will probably have a lovely bruise(icing it now) . The car is fine. Guy in the car wasn't blaming me and very concerned about my welfare. The bike seems okay, but the handlebars are turned to the left 10 or so degrees and the left brifter(105s) will most likely need to be replaced. Hanger is fine, but that didn't hit the ground as I went onto the left side. Everything else seems absolutely fine with the bike. I'm so PO'd at myself for the stupidity of not slowing down a lot more or stopping at that stop sign.

We're glad you're OK!

Glad you are OK- As to the Stupid bit-----No Comment as I have always been lucky in these situations.

As long as you are alright Mikey that is all that matters. You learned a lesson and it seems the driver was a good guy to boot. Please check you bicycle carefully, frame and all as well as yourself. Keep us posted on how you are doing.

Bill

Oh, man.... really?

You got lucky.

Oh, man.... really?

You got lucky.

My teammate didn't (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/07/10/BAGT1JSHJE1.DTL).

Few seconds here or there.

Glad you are ok. Keep us informed

How could you be so careless? Are you human or something?

Thanks for the reminder that cars can appear out of thin air when and where we least expect them.

Mistakes are learning experiences. Unless you die, at which time they become someone else's learning experiences.

I glad you are OK. Bikes and cars can be repaired or replaced. The human body, not so much. Now for the one question nobody else has asked.
How the hell do you miss seeing a car on a back road that pretty much never has traffic???
Seriously, I'm glad you are alright.

Mistakes are learning experiences. Unless you die, at which time they become someone else's learning experiences. Unfortunately, the majority of humans don't learn very much from the mistakes of others. ...and that includes myself on occasion! :o

Glad you are OK Bikey!

As long as you are alright Mikey that is all that matters. You learned a lesson and it seems the driver was a good guy to boot. Please check you bicycle carefully, frame and all as well as yourself. Keep us posted on how you are doing.

Bill

The bike's at the LBS now. The left brifter needs to be replaced as it got messed up and they are going to check the whole bike throrougly to ensure no other damage was incurred. From what I could find, the brifter and re-aligning the handlebars/fork are the only things needing attention. The owner and the other two employees, one of whom I believe is his girlfriend, all say I am a lucky SOB. The owner scanned over the bike and said "these are a lot tougher than they appear." He then stated, "Geez, you didn't even mess up or rip the handlebar tape."


How could you be so careless? Are you human or something?

Thanks for the reminder that cars can appear out of thin air when and where we least expect them.
I'm human and I'm wearing my sign, my stupid sign, right now.


I glad you are OK. Bikes and cars can be repaired or replaced. The human body, not so much. Now for the one question nobody else has asked.
How the hell do you miss seeing a car on a back road that pretty much never has traffic???
Seriously, I'm glad you are alright.

The two roads intersect and there are trees and cars all parked on the side. I swear I looked thoroughly, but obviously I missed it or it was in a blind spot. I feel stupid and admit it...I was STUPID and damn lucky. There was a officer of some type that came along, sheriff's, fishing and wildlife, forest, or some type. He helped me put the bike in the back of his pick up and drove me home. The guy I hit seemed to not give a damn about his car and only cared about me. I asked him to look at his car...he said there was a minor ding, but he wasn't worried or cared about it. The guy was a really nice person. I'm going to be a little sore, and the bike's frame whacked the muscle above me knee(inside right leg) and it's going to have a lovely bruise and be a bit stiff. Fortunately, I'm icing(already take Celebrex) which will keep the swelling down, and taking some Norco(hydrocodone+325mg Tylenol) with a 500mg Tylenol(left over from the sciatica I battled earlier in March.

There must be an Angel looking out for my posterior...maybe Michael the Archangel since I was named after him.

Oh, and the shop guy said he should have it ready this afternoon. Tomorrow is fine with me too, but heck, I thought I might not have for a few days. However long it takes to be done right and safely is perfectly fine with me. Walter, the owner, said he had a left side brifter in the back.

Glad you made it. The thing about paying attention to what you are doing, especially with regard to safety, is that it works best if you pay attention all the time. Paying attention is easy. Paying attention all the time is hard.

My teammate didn't (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/07/10/BAGT1JSHJE1.DTL).

Few seconds here or there.Even before seeing your post, the OP's story made me think of your teammate's death and how lucky the OP was. I only knew about that incident from reading about it in forums and sfgate, but to this day, I can't ride down the north side of Collier Canyon to Highland without thinking about it, and being aware that if you don't plan to at least come very close to a stop, you really can't see what is coming on Highland until it is too late to stop. Not a lot of cars on Highland, and it feels wrong to lose all that momentum when turning left there, but I am now really careful approaching that intersection and come to a virtual stop, and in general I have shifted my mindset so that if there is any doubt at all, I always sacrifice momentum for safety.

It is only human to be careless. Sadly, sometimes the price paid for carelessness can mean it is too late for the one who made the mistake to learn a lesson, and I'm sorry you have grief the OP tapped into. Probably not much consoluation, but I learned a lesson from reading about it. Yes, the OP was very lucky.

Glad you are OK- As to the Stupid bit-----No Comment as I have always been lucky in these situations.Speaking of stupid, once about 25 years ago I was on a steep climb up a city street here in El Paso. I hit a parked car and tumbled to Planet Earth. Before I checked myself for injuries and before I checked the bicycle for damage, I looked around to make sure no one saw it - -

Glad you're OK... that's all that matters.

Last week I went out with a group and as they when through an intersection I "assumed" the car, that had the right of way, would yield... he didn't and I almost hit him. I was going down hill at 29mph and realized my brakes weren't going to stop me. Luckily I was able to lean and make a sharper turn and missed the back of his car.

Totally my fault and i learned my lesson. Never "assume", never take a risk to stay with the group and brakes won't stop 200lbs going 29mph.

Well, the bike shop called and said that the damage was exactly as first assessed--re-aligning the handlebar/fork and replacing the left brifter. Every thing else checked out fine. I could've picked it up this afternoon, but I had too many errands...will be picking it up tomorrow.

Well, the bike shop called and said that the damage was exactly as first assessed--re-aligning the handlebar/fork and replacing the left brifter. Every thing else checked out fine. I could've picked it up this afternoon, but I had too many errands...will be picking it up tomorrow.

So, has the physical assessment of self remained the same too? Hope so.

Glad you are doing OK all considered and hoping this was a teachable moment for you. [If not, the next lesson will probably be much harsher.]

Mike,

I am glad you weren't seriously hurt and that the damage to your bike was moderate. Here's hoping you will have better--and safer--rides in the future.

Octagonal sign. Bright red. Word: STOP.
You are either illiterate or ignore traffic laws.
Your fault?! Yup!

Bikey Mikey, it’s good to hear you’re O.K. I strongly suspect that you’ve gained a greater sense of the consequence associated with stop signs.

It’s worth reminding everyone that stopping for a stop sign doesn’t necessarily ensure one’s safety, as oft times those behind you aren’t slowing at the same rate or not slowing at all (distracted drivers). It pays to look in all directions prior to slowing for a stop sign including behind you to see what’s potentially crept up on your tail unbeknownst to you.

Thank goodness I have never done anything like that-:0)

The car is fine. Guy in the car wasn't blaming me and very concerned about my welfare.

Glad to hear YOU'RE OK and be glad you were not driving a car.

As I said, glad you weren't hurt any worse. Was this your new N+1 bicycle? It can be repaired, pretty cheaply too it sounds like. Hope your lesson sticks we all have done this type of thing and we live and learn. Keep safe and keep riding.

Bill

I "assumed" the car, that had the right of way, would yield... he didn't and I almost hit him.

Totally my fault and i learned my lesson. Never "assume",

Is that car with the turn signals on actually going to turn? I assume they won't. Is that car on the side street going to wait until I pass before pulling out right in front of me? I assume they won't. I try to practice defensive driving, always trying to assume the worst case.

Geez.

OP, in his first sentence, admits it was his fault and he still gets lectures about - well - how it's his fault.

B-M, thanks for "manning up" and telling us about it. Everything happens for a reason. Perhaps someone, maybe even you, now will avoid a more serious encounter with another vehicle as a result. Ride safe.

Geez.

OP, in his first sentence, admits it was his fault and he still gets lectures about - well - how it's his fault.

+1 - he admits he learned his lesson. Why rub it in? Personally, I would not have posted my error for that very reason - the folks who feel called upon to restate the obvious.

Thank you for pointing out that I admitted it from the very beginning. Yes, this is embarrassing and I am wearing my stupid sign. I could've not posted this and no one would be the wiser, but I felt that it was important that I post what happened--for no other than a real world example of what can happen and a lesson learned for myself and hopefully someone else. I'm an idiot for putting myself in the situation and I am also tremendously lucky that I only suffered some bumps and bruises and the bike suffered little. The brifter of course was the major expense($159.00 for the part) plus the re-alignment of the handlebars and fork and the labor came to $200.00. The LBS checked the bike thoroughly and stated everything else had no problems. Other than the test ride when picking the bike up, I haven't ridden yet. Yesterday was going to be a rest day anyway and today the wife and I had a ton of chores and errands to do. Tomorrow will be my first "real" ride back on the bike.

My teammate didn't (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/07/10/BAGT1JSHJE1.DTL).

Few seconds here or there.


What a terrible shame.


Rest In Peace Patrick.

Mikey, glad you are mostly ok and that your bike is fixable. I too had a brain fart not too long ago and posted it here (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/811271-Sometimes-its-not-the-driver-s-fault?highlight=). Thanks for sharing your incident. It DOES help keep the rest of us focused on our own safety.